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“Lesson 09 - The Weeds (Pt. 2)”
Lesson Nine
The Weeds
Matthew 13:1-23
Mark 4:13-20
Luke 8:11-15
Jesus next labels riches, wealth, and pleasures as factors that will choke out the life of a believer. Although it would be convenient to say that only those at the highest income bracket fall in this category, Americans as a whole are some of the wealthiest Christians in the world. Other nationalities can quickly see how Americans are plagued by their riches.
Again, it comes down to competition: do financial means occupy one’s focus more than bearing fruit for the Kingdom? How much you have isn’t really the issue so much as whether or not you treat financial or material concerns as more important than the Kingdom of God. If you do, you won’t bear fruit.
The Story:
Matthew 13: 7
7 And others fell upon the thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked them:
An Explanation
Mark 4:18-19
18 And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the worries of the [d]world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Luke 8:14
14 The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
The Weed-Infested Soil
The third kind of soil in the parable is soil that’s become infested with weeds. There’s no way other plants can grow because these weeds are stealing all the nutrition. When Jesus tells this parable to the people who are His first audience, as well as when we hear it in our day and time, it’s not hard to miss the application. We hear the good news of the Gospel, it’s life changing, our hearts resonate with it, but if we’re not careful the concerns of this world will just take over everything.
In American Christianity, it seems that we are even guilty of this addiction to technology, an addiction to materialism. We want more, bigger, better, faster. It seems we always have to take something to the next level because what we have is just not good enough. Jesus knows that about us. It seems we are always in a hurry. You know that feeling when there’s so much on your schedule there’s not time in your day to write one more appointment. You’re so anxious about getting to the next place, you’re flying through life without ever stopping to realize that you’re living. Jesus knows that this tendency to be consumed by other things will kill off the potential of the gospel to take its root and develop fruit bearing Christians. Remember, you cannot bear the kind of fruit Jesus wants if weeds have snuffed out all the vitality, which leaves us wilting and dying. Jesus wants us to be fruitful.
Two Stories of the Thorns
The Rich Young Ruler
Luke 18: 18-30
18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to [g]go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”
28 Peter said, “Behold, we have left [h]our own homes and followed You.” 29 And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”
The Successful Farmer
Luke 12: 15-21
Then He said to them, “Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.” 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night [i]your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Questions:
- What is the difference between things we want and things we need?
- In considering your possessions.. how many are “needs” and how many are “wants”?
- Do financial difficulties affect your spiritual walk? If so in what way?
- According to 1 Tim. 6:7-9 How do we get into financial trouble?
- Hebrews 13: 5-6 explains the confidence we should have in the Lord. How are you doing?
- How often do you consider the needs of others?
THOUGHT QUESTION:
The pursuit of wealth is one of the most driving and destructive forces in our lives. We believe when we achieve success we will be content and can relax. In fact the exact opposite is true. We should be content so we can relax and look forward to God’s blessing. In this way we have the opportunity to touch the lives of others. So how do you react to a person who approaches you in need? What is your response when asked to voluntarily work overtime though it will prevent you from being able to worship the God we love? When the end comes will any of our wealth or possessions be important? The
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