1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,640
So I rode my bicycle for a year in 2010 from Canada to Columbia.

2
00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:10,520
And as part of that journey, I discovered that basically a billion people in

3
00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:13,240
the world didn't have access to clean drinking water.

4
00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:17,960
So I began this journey and did some higher level education and

5
00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:21,280
then on a series of trips with my friends in the last six years.

6
00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:26,080
That's all led us to this spot now we've become very interested in

7
00:00:26,080 --> 00:00:30,480
small scale decentralized desalinization projects.

8
00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:31,440
It's really the future.

9
00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:44,560
Hi everyone and welcome to today's beach talk.

10
00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:46,400
I'm so cute you could be with us.

11
00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,560
It's my passion to help us understand every word of God that's in the word of God.

12
00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,960
God has so many amazing things that he wants to say to us every day.

13
00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:59,760
If we'll just take the time to read and listen, try to apply it to our lives.

14
00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:01,600
My objective is always the same.

15
00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:05,760
It's disciples making disciples who plant churches that plant churches.

16
00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,200
So in this way we can see Jesus,

17
00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:14,080
his ideas be a grassroots movement that can go anywhere and everywhere.

18
00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:15,920
Today we're in Matthew 13.

19
00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:20,240
He says on the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea,

20
00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,800
like the ocean behind me, multitudes are gathered to him.

21
00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:28,920
So that they got into the boat and sat and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

22
00:01:28,920 --> 00:01:34,280
Then he spoke many things to them in parables, stories.

23
00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:38,040
So sometimes Jesus used a boat as his pulpit.

24
00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:42,520
It gave him a place to speak away from the press of the crowds.

25
00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:46,440
It provided good acoustics and probably a really nice backdrop.

26
00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:48,560
Just like here where I am in California.

27
00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:52,320
Now when Jesus taught from a boat, surely that was a new thing.

28
00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:54,880
We can imagine a critic saying, well, you can't do that.

29
00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:56,400
It hasn't been done before.

30
00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:00,160
Teachings belong in the synagogue or in some other appropriate place.

31
00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,760
It would have been easy to come up with objections.

32
00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:08,160
The damp air might make people sick or there's a lot of mosquitoes down by the shore.

33
00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:09,880
Someone might drown.

34
00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:14,800
But Jesus knew that teaching from a boat suited his purposes for

35
00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:16,680
exactly what he wanted to accomplish.

36
00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,960
Now the idea behind the word parable is to throw alongside of it.

37
00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,640
It is a story thrown alongside the truth to teach something.

38
00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:29,040
Parables have been called earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.

39
00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:33,080
Now the Greek parable is wider than our parable.

40
00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:37,280
It translates like a proverb or a wise saying.

41
00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:42,360
Now Matthew uses it for instance in Jesus' saying about defilement.

42
00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:47,600
In Matthew 15 and 24, it indicates a comparison.

43
00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:51,360
So they generally teach one main point or principle.

44
00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:56,400
We can get into trouble by expecting that they're intricate systems of theology with

45
00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,080
the smallest detail trying to reveal something.

46
00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:00,760
That's not what they're trying to do.

47
00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,400
William Barclay said a parable is not an allegory.

48
00:03:04,400 --> 00:03:11,920
It's a story with every possible detail trying to communicate a greater truth.

49
00:03:11,920 --> 00:03:16,400
We must be very careful not to make allegories out of parables.

50
00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:21,480
So verse 3 says, through 9 says, behold a sower went out to sow and when he sowed some

51
00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:25,480
seed fell by the wayside and the birds came and devoured them.

52
00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:31,480
Some fell on stony places where they didn't have much earth and they immediately sprang

53
00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,280
up because they had no depth of earth.

54
00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:40,080
But when the sun was up they were scorched and because they had no root they withered

55
00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:41,080
away.

56
00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,960
And some fell among thorns and the thorns sprang up and choked the others but others

57
00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:52,600
fell on good ground and yielded a crop some a hundredfold, some sixty and some thirty.

58
00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,440
Him who has ears let him hear.

59
00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:55,440
What's Jesus saying here?

60
00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:59,640
Well he spoke according to the agricultural customs of the day.

61
00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:04,360
In those days seed was scattered first and then it was plowed into the ground.

62
00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:09,640
So before one can become a sower he must be an eater and a receiver.

63
00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:14,940
This one came out of the granary or the place where the seed is stored and from this the

64
00:04:14,940 --> 00:04:18,560
Bible sower brought forth seed.

65
00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:25,040
So as he sowed some seed fell by the wayside on stony places among thorns, on good ground.

66
00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,540
Now in this parable the seed fell on four different types of soil.

67
00:04:29,540 --> 00:04:34,480
Now the wayside was the path where the people walked and nothing could grow because the

68
00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:37,000
ground was too hard.

69
00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:42,560
Stony places where the soil was thin lying upon a rocky shelf.

70
00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:46,680
On this ground the seed sprang up quickly because of the warmth of the soil but the

71
00:04:46,680 --> 00:04:51,160
seed was unable to take root because it was on a rocky shelf.

72
00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:57,040
Now the thorns describe soil that was fertile, perhaps too fertile because thorns grow there

73
00:04:57,040 --> 00:04:58,040
as well as grain.

74
00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:03,320
And then there's the good ground and this describes soil that is both fertile and weed

75
00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,760
free, a good productive crop grows in the good ground.

76
00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:12,520
Now this was not all foreign to the listener rather it was a call for those who were spiritually

77
00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:15,680
sensitive to take special note.

78
00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:22,080
This was especially true in light of the next few verses in which Jesus explained the purpose

79
00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:23,560
of the parables.

80
00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:29,640
Now verse 10 through 17, And the disciples came and said to him, Why do you speak to

81
00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:30,640
them in parables?

82
00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:35,960
And he answered, And he said to them, Because it has been given for you to know the mysteries

83
00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:40,520
of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

84
00:05:40,520 --> 00:05:45,680
For whoever has to him will be given more and to him who will be given, he will be having

85
00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:50,880
abundance for whoever does not have even what he has will be taken away from him.

86
00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:57,240
So therefore I speak to them in parables because seeing they do not see and hearing they do

87
00:05:57,240 --> 00:05:59,920
not hear nor do they understand.

88
00:05:59,920 --> 00:06:05,920
And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled which says, Hearing you will hear and shall

89
00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:11,600
not understand and seeing you will see and not perceive for the hearts of this people

90
00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:13,040
have grown dull.

91
00:06:13,040 --> 00:06:18,720
Their ears are hard of hearing and their eyes have closed lest they should see with their

92
00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:21,440
eyes and hear with their ears.

93
00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:27,640
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn so that I should heal them.

94
00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:33,280
But blessed are your eyes when they see and your ears when they hear for assuredly I say

95
00:06:33,280 --> 00:06:39,520
to you that many prophets and righteous men desire to see what you see but did not see

96
00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:43,400
it and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

97
00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:44,960
Now what is happening here?

98
00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:50,000
Well the way Jesus used parables prompted the disciples to ask this.

99
00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:55,160
Apparently Jesus' use of parables wasn't as easy as simply illustrations of spiritual

100
00:06:55,160 --> 00:06:56,160
truth.

101
00:06:56,160 --> 00:07:01,240
Jesus explained that he used parables so that the hearts of those rejecting would not be

102
00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:03,160
hardened even further.

103
00:07:03,160 --> 00:07:08,880
The same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay and so the very same gospel message

104
00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:15,080
that humbles the honest heart and the humble heart leads to repentance may also harden

105
00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:21,120
the heart of a dishonest listener and confirm that they're on the path of disobedience.

106
00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:26,720
Now D.A. Carson said the parables spoke to the crowds do not simply convey information

107
00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:30,040
nor mask it but challenge the people who heard it.

108
00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:35,080
The idea is that those who are open and sensitive to spiritual truth more will be given through

109
00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:41,320
the parables yet to those who are not open who do not have these ones will end up in

110
00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:44,240
an even worse condition.

111
00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:52,160
So William Barclay said life is always a process of gaining more and losing more for weakness

112
00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:56,280
like strength is an increasing thing.

113
00:07:56,280 --> 00:08:00,960
In this sense the parables of Jesus were not illustrations making difficult things clear

114
00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:01,960
to all.

115
00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:07,000
They presented God's message to the spiritually sensitive could understand but the hardened

116
00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:13,400
would merely hear a story without keeping up additional condemnation by rejecting God's

117
00:08:13,400 --> 00:08:14,400
word.

118
00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:17,960
So parables are an example of God's mercy towards the hardened.

119
00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:22,640
The parables were given in the context of Jesus' Jewish leaders building rejection of

120
00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:24,080
Jesus and his work.

121
00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:28,680
In this sense they were examples of mercy given to the undeserving.

122
00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:34,440
But speaking in parables Jesus also fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah speaking in a way that

123
00:08:34,440 --> 00:08:38,920
the hardened would hear but not hear and see but not see.

124
00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:44,960
Now the heart of this people has grown dull is more literally fat instead of dull.

125
00:08:44,960 --> 00:08:51,400
Now in light of this those who do understand the parables of Jesus are genuinely blessed.

126
00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:57,280
Not only do they gain the benefit of the spiritual truth illustrated but they also display some

127
00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:00,800
measure of responsiveness to the Holy Spirit.

128
00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:06,400
Now verse 18 through 23 therefore hear the parable of the sower when anyone hears the

129
00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:11,780
word of the kingdom and does not understand it then the wicked one comes and snatches

130
00:09:11,780 --> 00:09:13,880
away what was sown in his heart.

131
00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:19,960
This is he who received seed by the wayside but he who received the seed on stony places

132
00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:25,080
this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

133
00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:30,920
Yet he has no root in himself but endures only for a while for when tribulation or persecution

134
00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:35,960
arises because of the word immediately he stumbles.

135
00:09:35,960 --> 00:09:40,920
Now he who received the seed among the thorns is the one who hears the word and the cares

136
00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:45,520
of this world and the deceitfulness of the riches choke the word out and he becomes

137
00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:46,720
unfruitful.

138
00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:52,680
But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it

139
00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:58,360
who indeed bears fruit and produces some a hundredfold some sixty and some thirty.

140
00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:04,340
Now as the birds devour the seed on the wayside so some receive the word with hardened hearts

141
00:10:04,340 --> 00:10:09,480
and the wicked one quickly snatches away the sown word the word has no known effect because

142
00:10:09,480 --> 00:10:12,580
it never penetrates into their hearts.

143
00:10:12,580 --> 00:10:17,880
Now the wayside soil represents those who never really hear the word with understanding.

144
00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:22,360
The word of God must be understood before it can truly bear fruit.

145
00:10:22,360 --> 00:10:28,680
Now one of Satan's works is to keep people in darkness regarding their understanding

146
00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:31,040
of the Bible.

147
00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:36,440
As seed falling on the thin soil on top of the stony places quickly springs up and then

148
00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:44,200
quickly withers and dies so some respond to the word and immediately are enthusiastic

149
00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:46,240
yet soon wither away.

150
00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:47,240
What happens here?

151
00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:51,120
Well the soil represents those who receive the word with a lot of excitement but their

152
00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:57,960
life is short lived because they're not willing to endure persecution and tribulation.

153
00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:02,560
Charles Spurgeon made a good point he said I want you clearly to understand that the

154
00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:07,120
fault did not lie in the suddenness of their supposed conversion.

155
00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:12,240
Many sudden conversions have been among the best that have ever happened.

156
00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:17,420
The problem was not their sudden growth but their lack of depth.

157
00:11:17,420 --> 00:11:22,840
Now as seed falling among thorns grows the stalks of the green were choked out so some

158
00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:27,760
respond to the word and grow for a while but are choked and stopped in their spiritual

159
00:11:27,760 --> 00:11:32,800
growth by competition from unspiritual things.

160
00:11:32,800 --> 00:11:37,760
Now the soil represents fertile ground for the word but their soil is too fertile because

161
00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:42,520
it also grows all sorts of other things that choke out the word of God.

162
00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:48,840
Namely it is the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches that choke out the

163
00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:50,000
word.

164
00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:56,200
Now as seed falling on the good ground brings a good crop of grain so some respond rightly

165
00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,320
to the word of God and then they bear fruit in their life.

166
00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:05,240
Now the soil represents those who receive the word and it bears fruit in their soil

167
00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:10,600
in differing proportions some a hundredfold some sixty and some thirty though each has

168
00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:12,680
a generous harvest.

169
00:12:12,680 --> 00:12:18,760
We benefit from seeing bits of ourselves in all four soils like the wayside sometimes

170
00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:24,800
we allow the word of God room in all of our lives like the stony places we sometimes have

171
00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:31,280
flashes of enthusiasm in receiving God's word but then we burn out like the soil among

172
00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:38,120
the thorns the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches are constantly threatening

173
00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:44,400
to choke out God's word and our fruitfulness like the good ground the word bears fruit

174
00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:45,400
in our lives.

175
00:12:45,400 --> 00:12:50,680
Now we notice that the difference in each category was with the soil itself the same

176
00:12:50,680 --> 00:12:56,480
seed was cast by the same sower you cannot blame the differences in the results on the

177
00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:00,200
sower or on the seed but only on the soil.

178
00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:06,960
Now the parable was also an encouragement to disciples even though it might seem that

179
00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:11,840
if you respond God is in control and the harvest will certainly come.

180
00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:17,800
This was especially meaningful in light of the rising opposition to Jesus even more than

181
00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:22,560
describing the mixed progress of the gospel message the parable of the sower compels the

182
00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:28,560
listener to ask what kind of soil am I how can I prepare my heart and mine to be the

183
00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:30,640
right kind of soil.

184
00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:36,840
This parable invites action so that we would receive the word of God to our full benefit.

185
00:13:36,840 --> 00:13:42,120
Now verse twenty four through thirty another parable he put forth to them saying the kingdom

186
00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:49,120
of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field but while men slept the enemy

187
00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:55,520
came and sowed tears among the wheat and went his way and when the grain and sprouted and

188
00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:58,720
produced a crop then the tears also appeared.

189
00:13:58,720 --> 00:14:04,240
So the servants of the owner came and said to him sir did you not know good seed in your

190
00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:06,880
field how then does it have tears.

191
00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:13,520
Now he said to them an enemy has done this the servant said to him do you want us then

192
00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:17,360
to go and gather them up but he said no.

193
00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:22,720
Less while you gather up the tears you also uproot the wheat from them let both of them

194
00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:28,560
grow together until the harvest and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers

195
00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:35,200
first gather the tears and bind them in bundles to burn them but gather the wheat into my

196
00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:36,200
barn.

197
00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:41,640
Now this parable describes the work of an enemy who tried to destroy the work of the

198
00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:44,560
man who sowed good seed in his field.

199
00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:49,960
The enemy's purpose in sowing tears among the wheat was to destroy the wheat but the

200
00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:54,120
wise farmer would not allow the enemy to succeed.

201
00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:59,120
Instead the farmer decided to sort it out at harvest time.

202
00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:05,760
Now we note that the parable clearly describes corruption among the people of God just as

203
00:15:05,760 --> 00:15:10,320
in the previous parable the wheat represents the people of God.

204
00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:16,400
Some corrupting influence is brought and an influence that may look genuine even as tears

205
00:15:16,400 --> 00:15:19,680
resemble real wheat.

206
00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:26,280
France the Bible commentator said we weeds probably endured and they were virtually indistinguishable

207
00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:27,600
until the ears formed.

208
00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:32,920
It is an interest of preserving and protecting the wheat the wise farmer did not separate

209
00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:35,920
the tears from the wheat until the time of the harvest.

210
00:15:35,920 --> 00:15:41,080
Now the wise farmer recognized that the ultimate answer to tears among the wheat would only

211
00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:43,720
come at the final harvest.

212
00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:49,080
Now knowing the explanation of this parable as explained in Matthew 13 we understand why

213
00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:54,400
Jesus said it was right after explaining the parable of the sower especially with the seed

214
00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:56,280
that grew up among the thorns.

215
00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:02,960
D.A. Carson said but one might ask whether the Messiah's people should immediately separate

216
00:16:02,960 --> 00:16:07,680
the crop from the weeds and this next parable answers the question negatively.

217
00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:11,200
There will be a delay in separation until the final harvest.

218
00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:16,640
Now verse 31 and 32 another parable he put forth to them saying the kingdom of heaven

219
00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:22,800
is like a mustard seed which a man took and sown in his field but indeed is the least

220
00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:29,560
of all the seeds but when it is grown is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree so that

221
00:16:29,560 --> 00:16:34,200
the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.

222
00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:36,080
Now what's going on here?

223
00:16:36,080 --> 00:16:42,720
Well some or even most regard this as a description of the growth and eventual dominance of the

224
00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:49,120
church the kingdom community yet in light of both the parable itself and the context

225
00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:54,960
of the parables both before and after this should be regarded as another description

226
00:16:54,960 --> 00:17:00,040
of corruption in the kingdom community just as the previous parable of the wheat and the

227
00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:03,680
tares described in Matthew 13 24-30.

228
00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:09,160
Adam Clark said it is a good example of the majority opinion on the meaning of this parable

229
00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:15,320
and the one following both these parables are prophetic and were intended to show principally

230
00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:20,360
how from very small beginnings the gospel of Christ should pervade all the nations of

231
00:17:20,360 --> 00:17:24,520
the world and fill them with righteousness and holiness.

232
00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:30,200
Again many or even most regard this as a beautiful picture of the church growing so large that

233
00:17:30,200 --> 00:17:35,400
it provides refuge for everyone in the world but this mustard seed plant grew unnaturally

234
00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:41,600
large and it harbored birds which in the previous parable were emissaries of Satan.

235
00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:47,320
So the mustard seed customarily never grows beyond what one would call a bush and at the

236
00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:51,040
normal size would be an unlikely place for birds nests.

237
00:17:51,040 --> 00:17:56,620
The tree like growth from this mustard seed described something unnatural.

238
00:17:56,620 --> 00:18:03,540
This was a tree not in nature but in size an excusable exaggeration in a popular discourse

239
00:18:03,540 --> 00:18:09,800
it serves admirably to express the thought of growth beyond expectation who would expect

240
00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:14,800
such a tiny seed to produce such a large herb or monster in the garden.

241
00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:20,120
Now this parable accurately describes what the kingdom community became in the decades

242
00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:23,600
and centuries after the Christianization of the Roman Empire.

243
00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:29,440
In these centuries the church grew abnormally large in influence and dominion and was a

244
00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,080
nest for corruption.

245
00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:33,800
Think about that.

246
00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:36,560
So big it got corrupt.

247
00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:40,720
Now verse 33 another parable he spoke to them.

248
00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:46,240
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of

249
00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:49,080
meal till it was all leavened.

250
00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:52,560
Now Jesus used a surprising picture here.

251
00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:58,040
Many if not most regard this as a beautiful picture of the kingdom of God working its

252
00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:02,680
way through the whole world yet leaven is consistently used as a picture of sin and

253
00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:09,640
corruption especially in the Passover narrative of Exodus 12 and again both the content and

254
00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:15,940
the context point toward this being a description of corruption in the kingdom community.

255
00:19:15,940 --> 00:19:19,280
This was an unusually large amount of meal.

256
00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:24,400
It was much more than any normal woman would prepare and again suggest the idea of massive

257
00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:26,320
or unnatural size.

258
00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:31,420
The Bible tater France points out that measures of meal would be about 40 liters which would

259
00:19:31,420 --> 00:19:37,640
make enough bread for a meal of 100 people a remarkable baking for an ordinary woman.

260
00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:44,040
Now the idea of hiding leaven in a tree measures of meal would have offended any observant

261
00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:45,040
Jew.

262
00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,460
This certainly isn't a picture of the church gradually influencing the whole world for

263
00:19:48,460 --> 00:19:50,360
good.

264
00:19:50,360 --> 00:19:56,280
Rather in the context of increasing opposition to his work Jesus announced that his kingdom

265
00:19:56,280 --> 00:20:01,800
community would also be threatened by corruption and impurity.

266
00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:06,600
Campbell Morgan wrote that the leaven represents paganizing influences that are brought into

267
00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:07,720
the church.

268
00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:12,800
Now this wraps up our time together looking at Matthew today.

269
00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:14,720
I always like to end in prayer.

270
00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:17,160
Prayer is just talking to God.

271
00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:18,160
Maybe you need a fresh start.

272
00:20:18,160 --> 00:20:21,100
Maybe you need to start doing some things in your life.

273
00:20:21,100 --> 00:20:23,800
Maybe you need to stop doing some things in your life.

274
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:27,200
I love to pray because it's always a chance to reset.

275
00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:31,760
Would you pray with me right now and just say God would you give me a fresh start in

276
00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:32,760
my life.

277
00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:33,760
Help me to hit reset.

278
00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,240
Help me to stop some things and start others.

279
00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:44,760
I ask for your help in Jesus name and as always have a great day.

280
00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:45,760
Thank you for your time.

281
00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:47,920
We would love to partner with you.

282
00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:48,920
Water is a global problem.

283
00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:52,680
It's going to take as many partners as we can to help solve this problem.

284
00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:53,680
We'd love for you to partner with us.

285
00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:54,680
You can go to our website at www.oceanwater.com.

286
00:20:54,680 --> 00:20:55,680
That's ocnwtr.com.

287
00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:56,680
We'd love that.

288
00:20:56,680 --> 00:21:23,680
Thanks a lot.