Thematic Bible: Sermon
Thematic Bible
Sermon » Beside lake galilee
That same day Jesus went out of His house and was sitting on the seashore. And the crowds that gathered about Him were so great that He got into a boat and remained sitting in it, while all the crowd stood on the seashore. And in stories, by way of comparison, He told them many things, as He continued to speak: "A sower went out to sow, read more.
and as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up, and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil, and when the sun was up they were scorched and dried up, because they had no root. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. And some fell in rich soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty-fold. Let him who has ears listen." Then His disciples came up to Him and asked, "Why do you speak to them in stories?" He answered: "It is you and not they who are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. For to anyone who has, more will be given, and his supply will overflow, but from anyone who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I am speaking to them in stories, because they look but do not see, they listen but do not really hear or understand. So in them the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: "'You will listen and listen and not understand, and you will look and look and never see at all, For this people's soul has grown dull, and with their ears they can scarcely hear, and they have shut tight their eyes, so that they will never see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn to me, so that I may cure them!' "But blessed are your eyes, for they are beginning to see, and your ears, for they are beginning to hear. For I solemnly say to you, many prophets and upright men yearned to see what you are seeing, and did not see it, and to hear what you are hearing, and did not hear it. "Now listen closely to the story of the sower. When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit. And what was sown in rich soil illustrates the man who hears the message and understands it, and yields fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, another thirty-fold." He told them another story, as follows: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed seed in his field. But while the world was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed wild wheat seed in the midst of the good seed, and went away. And when the wheat plants grew up and yielded their ripened grain, the wild wheat plants appeared too. And the farmer's slaves came up to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where did the wild wheat plants come from?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' Then they said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them?' And he said, 'No, never, for while you are gathering the wild wheat plants you might root up the good ones with them. Let them both grow together until harvest time, and at the harvest time I will order the reapers, "Gather first the wild wheat plants and tie them into bundles to be burned up, but get the wheat into my barn."'" He told them this story, as follows: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the largest of plants; yea, it grows into a tree, so that the wild birds come and roost in its branches." He told another story: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to yeast which a woman took and worked into a bushel of flour until it all had risen." Jesus told the crowds all this in stories, and without a story He told them nothing, to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in stories, I will utter truths concealed since creation." Then He left the crowds and went into His house. And His disciples came up to Him and said, "Explain to us the story of the wild wheat in the field." And He answered: "The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the members of the kingdom; the wild wheat seed are the followers of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the close of the age, the reapers are angels. Just as the wild wheat plants are gathered and burned up, so it will be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all those who cause wrongdoing, and the wrongdoers, and will throw them into the furnace of torturing punishment; there they will wail and grind their teeth. Then the upright will shine out like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears listen! "The kingdom of heaven is like a pot of gold which was buried in a field, which a man found and buried again; and for joy over it he went and sold all he had and bought that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a gem-dealer who was looking for beautiful pearls. One day he found a very costly pearl, and he went and sold all he had and bought it. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was let down into the sea, and gathered fish of every kind, which, when it was full, the fishermen drew up on the shore, and sat down and picked out the good fish for their baskets and threw the bad away. So it will be at the close of the age; the angels will go out and separate the wicked from the upright, and will throw them into the furnace of torturing punishment. There they will wail and grind their teeth. "Do you understand all these stories?" They answered Him, "Yes." He said to them, "Every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who can bring out of his storeroom new furnishings as well as old."
and as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up, and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil, and when the sun was up they were scorched and dried up, because they had no root. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. And some fell in rich soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty-fold. Let him who has ears listen." Then His disciples came up to Him and asked, "Why do you speak to them in stories?" He answered: "It is you and not they who are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. For to anyone who has, more will be given, and his supply will overflow, but from anyone who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I am speaking to them in stories, because they look but do not see, they listen but do not really hear or understand. So in them the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: "'You will listen and listen and not understand, and you will look and look and never see at all, For this people's soul has grown dull, and with their ears they can scarcely hear, and they have shut tight their eyes, so that they will never see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn to me, so that I may cure them!' "But blessed are your eyes, for they are beginning to see, and your ears, for they are beginning to hear. For I solemnly say to you, many prophets and upright men yearned to see what you are seeing, and did not see it, and to hear what you are hearing, and did not hear it. "Now listen closely to the story of the sower. When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit. And what was sown in rich soil illustrates the man who hears the message and understands it, and yields fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, another thirty-fold." He told them another story, as follows: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed seed in his field. But while the world was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed wild wheat seed in the midst of the good seed, and went away. And when the wheat plants grew up and yielded their ripened grain, the wild wheat plants appeared too. And the farmer's slaves came up to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where did the wild wheat plants come from?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' Then they said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them?' And he said, 'No, never, for while you are gathering the wild wheat plants you might root up the good ones with them. Let them both grow together until harvest time, and at the harvest time I will order the reapers, "Gather first the wild wheat plants and tie them into bundles to be burned up, but get the wheat into my barn."'" He told them this story, as follows: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the largest of plants; yea, it grows into a tree, so that the wild birds come and roost in its branches." He told another story: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to yeast which a woman took and worked into a bushel of flour until it all had risen." Jesus told the crowds all this in stories, and without a story He told them nothing, to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in stories, I will utter truths concealed since creation." Then He left the crowds and went into His house. And His disciples came up to Him and said, "Explain to us the story of the wild wheat in the field." And He answered: "The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the members of the kingdom; the wild wheat seed are the followers of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the close of the age, the reapers are angels. Just as the wild wheat plants are gathered and burned up, so it will be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all those who cause wrongdoing, and the wrongdoers, and will throw them into the furnace of torturing punishment; there they will wail and grind their teeth. Then the upright will shine out like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears listen! "The kingdom of heaven is like a pot of gold which was buried in a field, which a man found and buried again; and for joy over it he went and sold all he had and bought that field. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a gem-dealer who was looking for beautiful pearls. One day he found a very costly pearl, and he went and sold all he had and bought it. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was let down into the sea, and gathered fish of every kind, which, when it was full, the fishermen drew up on the shore, and sat down and picked out the good fish for their baskets and threw the bad away. So it will be at the close of the age; the angels will go out and separate the wicked from the upright, and will throw them into the furnace of torturing punishment. There they will wail and grind their teeth. "Do you understand all these stories?" They answered Him, "Yes." He said to them, "Every scribe who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who can bring out of his storeroom new furnishings as well as old."
He continued teaching them by many stories. In His teaching He spoke to them as follows: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. read more.
Some fell upon rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up at once, because the soil was not deep; but when the sun came up, they were scorched and withered away, because they had not taken root. Some fell among the thorn seed, and the thorns grew up and choked them out and they yielded no grain. Some fell in rich soil, and came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." And He said, "Let him who has ears listen!" When He was by Himself, those who stayed about Him with the Twelve began to ask Him about the stories. Then He said to them, "To you the secret of the kingdom of God has been entrusted, but to those who are on the outside everything is presented in stories, so that 'They may look and look and yet not see, And listen and listen and yet not understand, Lest, perchance, they should turn and be forgiven.'" Then He said to them: "If you do not understand this story, how, indeed, can you understand any of my stories? The message is what the sower sows. The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts. In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy, but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. A different class are those people sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, but the worries of the times, the deceiving pleasures of being rich, and evil desires for other things, creep in and choke the truth out, and it yields nothing. And the people sown in rich soil are the people who listen to the message and welcome it and yield thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." Then He put a question to them: "A lamp is not brought to be put under a peck-measure or under a bed, is it? Is it not rather to be put on the lamp-stand? For nothing is ever hidden by people except for the purpose of having it known, and people do not keep secrets except to tell them. If anyone has ears let him listen!" And He was saying to them: "Take care what you hear. The measure you give will come back to you, and more besides. For whoever has will have more given to him, but whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away." He also was saying: "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground, then continues sleeping by night and getting up by day, while the seed sprouts and comes up without his knowing how. The ground of itself produces, first the stalk, then the head; at last there is the matured grain of wheat in the head. But as soon as the crop Will permit it, he puts in the sickle, for the reaping time has come." Then He kept on saying: "How can I further picture the kingdom of God, or by what story can I illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is properly sown, it comes up and grows to be the largest of all the plants, and produces branches so large that the wild birds can roost under its shade." With many stories like these He kept on telling them the message, as far as they could understand it.
Some fell upon rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up at once, because the soil was not deep; but when the sun came up, they were scorched and withered away, because they had not taken root. Some fell among the thorn seed, and the thorns grew up and choked them out and they yielded no grain. Some fell in rich soil, and came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." And He said, "Let him who has ears listen!" When He was by Himself, those who stayed about Him with the Twelve began to ask Him about the stories. Then He said to them, "To you the secret of the kingdom of God has been entrusted, but to those who are on the outside everything is presented in stories, so that 'They may look and look and yet not see, And listen and listen and yet not understand, Lest, perchance, they should turn and be forgiven.'" Then He said to them: "If you do not understand this story, how, indeed, can you understand any of my stories? The message is what the sower sows. The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts. In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy, but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. A different class are those people sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, but the worries of the times, the deceiving pleasures of being rich, and evil desires for other things, creep in and choke the truth out, and it yields nothing. And the people sown in rich soil are the people who listen to the message and welcome it and yield thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." Then He put a question to them: "A lamp is not brought to be put under a peck-measure or under a bed, is it? Is it not rather to be put on the lamp-stand? For nothing is ever hidden by people except for the purpose of having it known, and people do not keep secrets except to tell them. If anyone has ears let him listen!" And He was saying to them: "Take care what you hear. The measure you give will come back to you, and more besides. For whoever has will have more given to him, but whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away." He also was saying: "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground, then continues sleeping by night and getting up by day, while the seed sprouts and comes up without his knowing how. The ground of itself produces, first the stalk, then the head; at last there is the matured grain of wheat in the head. But as soon as the crop Will permit it, he puts in the sickle, for the reaping time has come." Then He kept on saying: "How can I further picture the kingdom of God, or by what story can I illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is properly sown, it comes up and grows to be the largest of all the plants, and produces branches so large that the wild birds can roost under its shade." With many stories like these He kept on telling them the message, as far as they could understand it.
Sermon » Of jesus, "on the mount,"
Sermon » Of jesus, "on the plain,"
Then He came down with them and took His stand on a level place, where there was a great throng of His disciples and a vast crowd of people from all over Judea and from Jerusalem and the seacoast district of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be cured of their diseases. Even those who were troubled by foul spirits were being cured. So all the people were trying to touch Him, because power continued to go forth from Him and to cure them all. read more.
Then He fixed His eyes upon His disciples, and began to speak. "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours! Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be completely satisfied! Blessed are you who are weeping now, for you will laugh! Blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and denounce you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Burst into joy on that day and leap for ecstasy, for your reward will be rich in heaven; for this is the way your forefathers used to treat the prophets. But a curse on you who are rich, for you are now receiving your comforts in full. A curse on you who live in luxury now, for you will be hungry. A curse on you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. A curse on you when everyone speaks well of you, for this is the way their forefathers used to treat the false prophets. But I say to you who listen now to me, practice loving your enemies, practice doing good to those who hate you, continue to bless those who curse you, and continue to pray for those who abuse you. To the man who strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other too; and from the man who takes away your coat, do not keep back your shirt either, Practice giving to everyone who asks of you, and stop demanding back your goods from him who takes them away. Yes, you must practice dealing with others as you would like them to deal with you. Now if you practice loving only those who love you, what credit do you get for that? Why, even notorious sinners practice loving those who love them. And if you practice doing good only to those who do good to you, what credit do you get for that? Even notorious sinners practice the same. And if you ever lend to people expecting to get it back, what credit do you get for that? Even notorious sinners practice lending to one another, expecting to get it back in full. But you must practice loving your enemies, doing good to them, and lending to them, despairing of nothing; so that your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Continue to be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Then stop criticizing others, and you will never be criticized; stop condemning others, and you will never be condemned. Practice forgiving others, and you will be forgiven. Practice giving to others, and they will give to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, people will pour into your lap. For the measure you use with others they in turn will use with you." Then He told them a story: "Can one blind man lead another? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A pupil is not better than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you continue to look at the tiny speck in your brother's eye, but pay no attention to the heavy girder in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me get that tiny speck out of your eye,' when you cannot see the girder in your own eye? You hypocrite! First get the girder out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to get out the tiny speck in your brother's eye. "For there never is a healthy tree that bears poor fruit, nor a sickly tree that bears good fruit. For every tree is known by its fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or gather grapes from a bramble-bush. The good man, out of his good inner storehouse, brings forth what is good, the bad man, out of his bad one, what is bad. For a man's mouth usually speaks the things that fill his heart. "So why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' but do not practice what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and continues to listen to my words and practices their teachings, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man who was building a house, who dug deep, and laid its foundation upon the rock; and when a flood came, the torrent burst upon that house but it could not shake it, because it was well built. But the man who merely hears them and does not practice them is like a man who built a house upon the ground without a foundation. The torrent burst upon it, and at once it collapsed, and the wreck of that house was complete."
Then He fixed His eyes upon His disciples, and began to speak. "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours! Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be completely satisfied! Blessed are you who are weeping now, for you will laugh! Blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and denounce you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Burst into joy on that day and leap for ecstasy, for your reward will be rich in heaven; for this is the way your forefathers used to treat the prophets. But a curse on you who are rich, for you are now receiving your comforts in full. A curse on you who live in luxury now, for you will be hungry. A curse on you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. A curse on you when everyone speaks well of you, for this is the way their forefathers used to treat the false prophets. But I say to you who listen now to me, practice loving your enemies, practice doing good to those who hate you, continue to bless those who curse you, and continue to pray for those who abuse you. To the man who strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other too; and from the man who takes away your coat, do not keep back your shirt either, Practice giving to everyone who asks of you, and stop demanding back your goods from him who takes them away. Yes, you must practice dealing with others as you would like them to deal with you. Now if you practice loving only those who love you, what credit do you get for that? Why, even notorious sinners practice loving those who love them. And if you practice doing good only to those who do good to you, what credit do you get for that? Even notorious sinners practice the same. And if you ever lend to people expecting to get it back, what credit do you get for that? Even notorious sinners practice lending to one another, expecting to get it back in full. But you must practice loving your enemies, doing good to them, and lending to them, despairing of nothing; so that your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Continue to be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Then stop criticizing others, and you will never be criticized; stop condemning others, and you will never be condemned. Practice forgiving others, and you will be forgiven. Practice giving to others, and they will give to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, people will pour into your lap. For the measure you use with others they in turn will use with you." Then He told them a story: "Can one blind man lead another? Will they not both fall into the ditch? A pupil is not better than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you continue to look at the tiny speck in your brother's eye, but pay no attention to the heavy girder in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me get that tiny speck out of your eye,' when you cannot see the girder in your own eye? You hypocrite! First get the girder out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to get out the tiny speck in your brother's eye. "For there never is a healthy tree that bears poor fruit, nor a sickly tree that bears good fruit. For every tree is known by its fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or gather grapes from a bramble-bush. The good man, out of his good inner storehouse, brings forth what is good, the bad man, out of his bad one, what is bad. For a man's mouth usually speaks the things that fill his heart. "So why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' but do not practice what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and continues to listen to my words and practices their teachings, I will show you whom he is like. He is like a man who was building a house, who dug deep, and laid its foundation upon the rock; and when a flood came, the torrent burst upon that house but it could not shake it, because it was well built. But the man who merely hears them and does not practice them is like a man who built a house upon the ground without a foundation. The torrent burst upon it, and at once it collapsed, and the wreck of that house was complete."