4.1 Come and See!

The Samaritan woman, after an amazing encounter with Jesus, ran home and said, “Come see a man who told me everything I’ve ever done! This couldn’t be the Christ, could it? Come and see!” And the whole town, intrigued by her invitation, followed her to meet Jesus. As this great mass of people approached, the disciples, clueless as usual, bickered about food…

Jesus said to them, “Lift up your eyes and look upon the fields! They are white for harvest!” So the disciples looked toward the fields, expecting to see ripened grain. Jesus wanted them to see the throng of Samaritans coming across the field to meet Him. That’s what He was talking about! He wanted the disciples to know that the Samaritan’s souls were ripe for harvest.

After spending time with Jesus, the Samaritans pleaded with Him to stay longer. He stayed two more days, and many more believed. At the end of two days, they said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

Lift Up Your Eyes and See

The last three weeks we’ve looked at parables about the Kingdom of God. The parables seem to be about seeds, growth and harvest. But don’t miss it. Jesus is telling us about His Kingdom so we’ll know what it looks like when we see it. He’s telling us how to pray. Jesus tells us to pray “Your Kingdom come” and then He tells Kingdom parables and what to look for.

I am so encouraged that in just three weeks time, the character of our prayer together is beginning to change. Last Sunday night as our church gathered in the home of a member to pray, and again on Wednesday night during prayer meeting, I marveled at the prayers. We aimed high. We prayed that the Lord would more fully reign in our hearts, and in the hearts of all His children. And we prayed for people by name who don’t yet know the Lord – and we asked Him to use us to reach them. It’s wonderful! We’re praying Kingdom prayers. We’re praying, “Your Kingdom come.”

From small beginnings…

This week we’ll look at two very simple parables. But just because they’re simple, don’t make the mistake of skipping over them because they’re small.
In fact, these parables point out that though signs of the Kingdom may be almost imperceptible at first, the Kingdom is designed to grow to incredible proportions.

Let’s look at the parables for the week. Matthew 13:31 He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES." 33 He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened."

Look for the main ideas…

Just like last week, approach the parable by asking the question, “What is the main point?” Notice that both parables are very similar. That’s important. When God makes a point in His Word, and then makes a similar point (and sometimes even does it a third time) we should ask, “Why did Jesus say it twice – what are the similarities between them?” And also, “What are the differences between the parables?” In answering these questions we can begin to unlock parables and can better understand how to pray them and how to apply them.

Why are the parables so similar?

I think one reason Jesus uses so many similar parables in Matthew chapter 13 is because He wants His disciples to fully understand the Kingdom of God. He really wants us to get it.

By using multiple examples, He gives a vividly clear picture of the Kingdom of God. As a photographer, I know the importance of clarity. I need the right lighting, the right speed, and precision focus in order to clearly highlight the subject. The same is true with these word pictures. The clearer the picture, the better we understand and consequently the more specifically we pray.

I think another reason Jesus uses so many pictures of the Kingdom is to illustrate its importance. As I mentioned on the first day of our study, the Lord’s Prayer is all about the Kingdom of God. Jesus wants us to pray daily that His Kingdom will come. Why? Because His is the Kingdom and the glory and the power forever and ever! Amen.

Also notice the differences.

Both parables this week are similar, but they have distinct differences as well. Pay close attention to the details.

This is something I learned when I first began studying the Bible. To use another photographic analogy, look at the Scripture through various lenses. Use a wide angle lens to see the big picture and understand the main point, but also use a macro lens to get an up-close view to clearly see detail. What’s the point? The mustard seed is very small. So too is leaven. One little seed, one little bit of yeast may easily be overlooked. But look at what it does! The mustard seed grows and becomes a tree. Unlike most garden seeds, the mustard seed not only produces an abundance of seed, but it produces a very strong, sturdy plant. So strong in fact, that the birds find it very desirable as a place to rest. So too, just a bit of leaven causes a lot of dough to rise. A little bit goes a long way. Jesus said, the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to this.

Prayer Bullets

• Ask God to give you direction as you pray. Listen to Him.
• As a disciple, ask Him to help you understand the parables for this week, and ask Him to help you make specific application in prayer.
• Ask God to show you new things to pray – things to pray as a result of these parables.
• Ask God to lift up your eyes to see the things He wants you to see.
• Ask Him to use you to invite others to “Come and see” Jesus.
• Ask Him to give you a heart for those that don’t know Him.
• Ask Him to show you how to pray for those that don’t yet have the privilege of knowing Him.
• Ask Him to give you a passion to pray with His children about the things of the Kingdom.