Thematic Bible: Sermon
Thematic Bible
Sermon » Beside lake galilee
That same day, when Jesus had left the house and was sitting by the Sea, such great crowds gathered round him, that he got into a boat, and sat in it, while all the people stood upon the beach. Then he told them many truths in parables. "The sower," he began, "went out to sow; and, read more.
As he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once. As soon as the sun had risen, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some, again, fell into the brambles; but the brambles shot up and choked it. Some, however, fell on good soil, and yielded a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold. Let him who has ears hear." Afterwards his disciples came to him, and said: "Why do you speak to them in parables?" "To you," answered Jesus, "the knowledge of the hidden truths of the Kingdom of Heaven has been imparted, but not to those. For, to all who have, more will be given, and they shall have abundance; but, from all who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. That is why I speak to them in parables, because, though they have eyes, they do not see, and though they have ears, they do not hear or understand. And in them is being fulfilled that prophecy of Isaiah which says--'You will hear with your ears without ever understanding, And, though you have eyes, you will see without ever perceiving, For the mind of this nation has grown dense, And their ears are dull of hearing, Their eyes also have they closed; Lest some day they should perceive with their eyes, And with their ears they should hear, And in their mind they should understand, and should turn--And I should heal them.' But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear; For I tell you that many Prophets and good men have longed for the sight of the things which you are seeing, yet never saw them, and to hear the things which you are hearing, yet never heard them. Listen, then, yourselves to the parable of the Sower. When any one hears the Message of the Kingdom without understanding it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what has been sown in his mind. This is the man meant by the seed which was sown along the path. By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the man who hears the Message, and at once accepts it joyfully; But, as he has no root, he stands for only a short time; and, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, he falls away at once. By the seed which was sown among the brambles is meant the man who hears the Message, but the cares of life and the glamour of wealth completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But by the seed which was sown on the good ground is meant the man who hears the Message and understands it, and really yields a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold." Another parable which Jesus told them was this-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But, while every one was asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and then went away. So, when the blades of corn shot up, and came into ear, the tares made their appearance also. On this the owner's servants came to him, and said 'Was not it good seed that you sowed in your field? Where, then, do the tares in it come from?' 'An enemy has done this,' was his answer. 'Do you wish us, then,' they asked,' to go and gather them together?' 'No,' said he, 'for fear that, while you are gathering the tares, you should root up the wheat as well. Let both grow side by side till harvest; and then I shall say to the reapers, Gather the tares together first, and tie them in bundles for burning; but bring all the wheat into my barn.'" Another parable which he told them was this-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard-seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. This seed is smaller than all other seeds, but, when it has grown up, it is larger than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that 'the wild birds come and roost in its branches.'" This was another parable which Jesus related-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is like some yeast which a woman took and covered up in three pecks of flour, until the whole had risen." Of all this Jesus spoke to the crowd in parables; indeed to them he used never to speak at all except in parables, in fulfillment of these words in the Prophet--'I will speak to them in parables; I will utter things kept secret since the foundation of the world.' Then Jesus left the crowd, and went into the house. Presently his disciples came to him, and said: "Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field." And he answered: "The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world. By the good seed is meant the People of the Kingdom. The tares are the wicked, And the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest-time is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. And, just as the tares are gathered and burnt, so it will be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all that hinders and those who live in sin, And 'will throw them into the fiery furnace,' where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine, like the sun, in the Kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears hear. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again, and then, in his delight, went and sold everything that he had, and bought that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of choice pearls. Finding one of great value, he went and sold everything that he had, and bought it. Or again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was cast into the sea, and caught fish of all kinds. When it was full, they hauled it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted the good fish into baskets, but threw the worthless ones away. So will it be at the close of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous, And 'will throw them into the fiery furnace,' where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Have you understood all this?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they answered. Then he added: "So every Teacher of the Law, who has received instruction about the Kingdom of Heaven, is like a householder who produces from his stores things both new and old."
As he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once. As soon as the sun had risen, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some, again, fell into the brambles; but the brambles shot up and choked it. Some, however, fell on good soil, and yielded a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold. Let him who has ears hear." Afterwards his disciples came to him, and said: "Why do you speak to them in parables?" "To you," answered Jesus, "the knowledge of the hidden truths of the Kingdom of Heaven has been imparted, but not to those. For, to all who have, more will be given, and they shall have abundance; but, from all who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. That is why I speak to them in parables, because, though they have eyes, they do not see, and though they have ears, they do not hear or understand. And in them is being fulfilled that prophecy of Isaiah which says--'You will hear with your ears without ever understanding, And, though you have eyes, you will see without ever perceiving, For the mind of this nation has grown dense, And their ears are dull of hearing, Their eyes also have they closed; Lest some day they should perceive with their eyes, And with their ears they should hear, And in their mind they should understand, and should turn--And I should heal them.' But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear; For I tell you that many Prophets and good men have longed for the sight of the things which you are seeing, yet never saw them, and to hear the things which you are hearing, yet never heard them. Listen, then, yourselves to the parable of the Sower. When any one hears the Message of the Kingdom without understanding it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what has been sown in his mind. This is the man meant by the seed which was sown along the path. By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the man who hears the Message, and at once accepts it joyfully; But, as he has no root, he stands for only a short time; and, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, he falls away at once. By the seed which was sown among the brambles is meant the man who hears the Message, but the cares of life and the glamour of wealth completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But by the seed which was sown on the good ground is meant the man who hears the Message and understands it, and really yields a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold." Another parable which Jesus told them was this-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But, while every one was asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and then went away. So, when the blades of corn shot up, and came into ear, the tares made their appearance also. On this the owner's servants came to him, and said 'Was not it good seed that you sowed in your field? Where, then, do the tares in it come from?' 'An enemy has done this,' was his answer. 'Do you wish us, then,' they asked,' to go and gather them together?' 'No,' said he, 'for fear that, while you are gathering the tares, you should root up the wheat as well. Let both grow side by side till harvest; and then I shall say to the reapers, Gather the tares together first, and tie them in bundles for burning; but bring all the wheat into my barn.'" Another parable which he told them was this-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard-seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. This seed is smaller than all other seeds, but, when it has grown up, it is larger than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that 'the wild birds come and roost in its branches.'" This was another parable which Jesus related-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is like some yeast which a woman took and covered up in three pecks of flour, until the whole had risen." Of all this Jesus spoke to the crowd in parables; indeed to them he used never to speak at all except in parables, in fulfillment of these words in the Prophet--'I will speak to them in parables; I will utter things kept secret since the foundation of the world.' Then Jesus left the crowd, and went into the house. Presently his disciples came to him, and said: "Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field." And he answered: "The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world. By the good seed is meant the People of the Kingdom. The tares are the wicked, And the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest-time is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. And, just as the tares are gathered and burnt, so it will be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all that hinders and those who live in sin, And 'will throw them into the fiery furnace,' where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine, like the sun, in the Kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears hear. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again, and then, in his delight, went and sold everything that he had, and bought that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of choice pearls. Finding one of great value, he went and sold everything that he had, and bought it. Or again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was cast into the sea, and caught fish of all kinds. When it was full, they hauled it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted the good fish into baskets, but threw the worthless ones away. So will it be at the close of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous, And 'will throw them into the fiery furnace,' where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Have you understood all this?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they answered. Then he added: "So every Teacher of the Law, who has received instruction about the Kingdom of Heaven, is like a householder who produces from his stores things both new and old."
Then he taught them many truths in parables; and in the course of his teaching he said to them: "Listen! The sower went out to sow; And presently, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path; and the birds came, and ate it up. read more.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once; But, when the sun rose, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some of the seed fell among brambles; but the brambles shot up and completely choked it, and it yielded no return. Some fell into good soil, and, shooting up and growing, yielded a return, amounting to thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold." And Jesus said: "Let any one who has ears to hear with hear." Afterwards, when he was alone, his followers and the Twelve asked him about his parables; And he said: "To you the hidden truth of the Kingdom of God has been imparted; but to those who are outside it all teaching takes the form of parables, that-- 'Though they have eyes, they may see without perceiving; And though they have ears, they may hear without understanding; Lest some day they should turn and be forgiven.' You do not know the meaning of this parable!" he went on; "Then how will you understand all the other parables? The sower sows the Message. The People meant by the seed that falls along the path are these--where the Message is sown, but, as soon as they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and carries away the Message that has been sown in them. So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully; But, as they have no root, they stand only for a short time; and so, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, they fall away at once. Those meant by the seed sown among the brambles are different; they are the people who hear the Message, But the cares of life, and the glamour of wealth, and cravings for many other things come in and completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But the people meant by the seed sown on the good ground are those who hear the Message, and welcome it, and yield a return, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold." And Jesus said to them: "Is a lamp brought to be put under the corn-measure or under the couch, instead of being put on the lampstand? Nothing is hidden unless it is some day to come to light, nor was anything ever kept hidden but that it should some day come into the light of day. Let all who have ears to hear with hear. Take care what you listen to," said Jesus. "The measure you mete will be meted out to you, and more will be added for you. For, to those who have, more will be given; while, from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." Jesus also said: "This is what the Kingdom of God is like-- like a man who has scattered seed on the ground, And then sleeps by night and rises by day, while the seed is shooting up and growing--he knows not how. The ground bears the crop of itself--first the blade, then the ear, and then the full grain in the ear; But, as soon as the crop is ready, immediately he 'puts in the sickle because harvest has come'." Jesus also said: "To what can we liken the Kingdom of God? By what can we illustrate it? Perhaps by the growth of a mustard-seed. This seed, when sown in the ground, though it is smaller than all other seeds, Yet, when sown, shoots up, and becomes larger than any other herb, and puts out great branches, so that even 'the wild birds can roost in its shelter.'" With many such parables Jesus used to speak to the people of his Message, as far as they were able to receive it;
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once; But, when the sun rose, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some of the seed fell among brambles; but the brambles shot up and completely choked it, and it yielded no return. Some fell into good soil, and, shooting up and growing, yielded a return, amounting to thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold." And Jesus said: "Let any one who has ears to hear with hear." Afterwards, when he was alone, his followers and the Twelve asked him about his parables; And he said: "To you the hidden truth of the Kingdom of God has been imparted; but to those who are outside it all teaching takes the form of parables, that-- 'Though they have eyes, they may see without perceiving; And though they have ears, they may hear without understanding; Lest some day they should turn and be forgiven.' You do not know the meaning of this parable!" he went on; "Then how will you understand all the other parables? The sower sows the Message. The People meant by the seed that falls along the path are these--where the Message is sown, but, as soon as they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and carries away the Message that has been sown in them. So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully; But, as they have no root, they stand only for a short time; and so, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, they fall away at once. Those meant by the seed sown among the brambles are different; they are the people who hear the Message, But the cares of life, and the glamour of wealth, and cravings for many other things come in and completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But the people meant by the seed sown on the good ground are those who hear the Message, and welcome it, and yield a return, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold." And Jesus said to them: "Is a lamp brought to be put under the corn-measure or under the couch, instead of being put on the lampstand? Nothing is hidden unless it is some day to come to light, nor was anything ever kept hidden but that it should some day come into the light of day. Let all who have ears to hear with hear. Take care what you listen to," said Jesus. "The measure you mete will be meted out to you, and more will be added for you. For, to those who have, more will be given; while, from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." Jesus also said: "This is what the Kingdom of God is like-- like a man who has scattered seed on the ground, And then sleeps by night and rises by day, while the seed is shooting up and growing--he knows not how. The ground bears the crop of itself--first the blade, then the ear, and then the full grain in the ear; But, as soon as the crop is ready, immediately he 'puts in the sickle because harvest has come'." Jesus also said: "To what can we liken the Kingdom of God? By what can we illustrate it? Perhaps by the growth of a mustard-seed. This seed, when sown in the ground, though it is smaller than all other seeds, Yet, when sown, shoots up, and becomes larger than any other herb, and puts out great branches, so that even 'the wild birds can roost in its shelter.'" With many such parables Jesus used to speak to the people of his Message, as far as they were able to receive it;
Sermon » Of jesus, "on the mount,"
Sermon » Of jesus, "on the plain,"
Afterwards Jesus came down the hill with them and took his stand on a level place. With him were a large crowd of his disciples, and great numbers of people from the whole of Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast district of Tyre and Sidon, Who had come to hear him and to be restored to health. Those, too, who were troubled with foul spirits were cured; And every one in the crowd was trying to touch him, because a power went out from him which restored them all. read more.
Then, raising his eyes and looking at his disciples, Jesus spoke as follows: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they expel you from among them, and taunt you, and reject your Name as an evil thing--on account of the Son of Man. Then indeed you may be glad and dance for joy, for be sure that your reward in Heaven will be great; for that is what their ancestors did to the Prophets. But 'alas for you who are rich,' for you have had your comforts in full. Alas for you who are sated now, for you will hunger. Alas for you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Alas for you when all men speak well of you; for this is what their ancestors did to the false Prophets. But to you who hear I say--Love your enemies, show kindness to those who hate you, Bless those who curse you, pray for those who insult you. When a man gives one of you a blow on the cheek, offer the other cheek as well; and, when any one takes away your cloak, do not keep back your coat either. Give to every one who asks of you; and, when any one takes away what is yours, do not demand its return. Do to others as you wish them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, what thanks will be due to you? Why, even the outcast love those who love them! For, if you show kindness only to those who show kindness to you, what thanks will be due to you? Even the outcast do that! If you lend only to those from whom you expect to get something, what thanks will be due to you? Even the outcast lend to the outcast in the hope of getting as much in return! But love your enemies, and show them kindness, and lend to them, never despairing. Then your reward shall be great, and you shall be Sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the thankless and the bad. Learn to be merciful--even as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and others will give to you. A generous measure, pressed and shaken down, and running over, will they pour into your lap; For the measure that you mete will be meted out to you in return." Then, speaking in parables, Jesus said: "Can one blind man guide another? Will they not both fall into a ditch? A scholar is not above his teacher; yet every finished scholar shall be like his teacher. And why do you look at the straw in your brother's eye, while you pay no attention at all to the beam in your own? How can you say to your brother 'Brother, let me take out the straw in your eye,' while you yourself do not see the beam in your own? Hypocrite! Take out the beam from your own eye first, and then you will see clearly how to take out the straw in your brother's. There is no such thing as a good tree bearing worthless fruit, or, on the other hand, a worthless tree bearing good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. People do not gather figs off thorn bushes, nor pick a bunch of grapes off a bramble. A good man, from the good stores of his heart, brings out what is good; while a bad man, from his bad stores, brings out what is bad. For what fills a man's heart will rise to his lips. Why do you call me 'Master! Master!' and yet fail to do what I tell you? Every one who comes to me and listens to my teaching and acts upon it--I will show you to whom he may be compared. He may be compared to a man building a house, who dug, and went deep, and laid the foundation upon the rock. Then, when a flood came, the river swept down upon that house, but had no power to shake it, because it had been built well. But those who have listened and not acted upon what they have heard may be compared to a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation. The river swept down upon it, and the house immediately collapsed; and great was the crash that followed."
Then, raising his eyes and looking at his disciples, Jesus spoke as follows: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they expel you from among them, and taunt you, and reject your Name as an evil thing--on account of the Son of Man. Then indeed you may be glad and dance for joy, for be sure that your reward in Heaven will be great; for that is what their ancestors did to the Prophets. But 'alas for you who are rich,' for you have had your comforts in full. Alas for you who are sated now, for you will hunger. Alas for you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Alas for you when all men speak well of you; for this is what their ancestors did to the false Prophets. But to you who hear I say--Love your enemies, show kindness to those who hate you, Bless those who curse you, pray for those who insult you. When a man gives one of you a blow on the cheek, offer the other cheek as well; and, when any one takes away your cloak, do not keep back your coat either. Give to every one who asks of you; and, when any one takes away what is yours, do not demand its return. Do to others as you wish them to do to you. If you love only those who love you, what thanks will be due to you? Why, even the outcast love those who love them! For, if you show kindness only to those who show kindness to you, what thanks will be due to you? Even the outcast do that! If you lend only to those from whom you expect to get something, what thanks will be due to you? Even the outcast lend to the outcast in the hope of getting as much in return! But love your enemies, and show them kindness, and lend to them, never despairing. Then your reward shall be great, and you shall be Sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the thankless and the bad. Learn to be merciful--even as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and others will give to you. A generous measure, pressed and shaken down, and running over, will they pour into your lap; For the measure that you mete will be meted out to you in return." Then, speaking in parables, Jesus said: "Can one blind man guide another? Will they not both fall into a ditch? A scholar is not above his teacher; yet every finished scholar shall be like his teacher. And why do you look at the straw in your brother's eye, while you pay no attention at all to the beam in your own? How can you say to your brother 'Brother, let me take out the straw in your eye,' while you yourself do not see the beam in your own? Hypocrite! Take out the beam from your own eye first, and then you will see clearly how to take out the straw in your brother's. There is no such thing as a good tree bearing worthless fruit, or, on the other hand, a worthless tree bearing good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. People do not gather figs off thorn bushes, nor pick a bunch of grapes off a bramble. A good man, from the good stores of his heart, brings out what is good; while a bad man, from his bad stores, brings out what is bad. For what fills a man's heart will rise to his lips. Why do you call me 'Master! Master!' and yet fail to do what I tell you? Every one who comes to me and listens to my teaching and acts upon it--I will show you to whom he may be compared. He may be compared to a man building a house, who dug, and went deep, and laid the foundation upon the rock. Then, when a flood came, the river swept down upon that house, but had no power to shake it, because it had been built well. But those who have listened and not acted upon what they have heard may be compared to a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation. The river swept down upon it, and the house immediately collapsed; and great was the crash that followed."