IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Eyes That See, Ears That Hear

Date: Jul. 19, 2015

Passage

Matthew 13:1-17  (ESV)

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

  “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
    and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15   For this people’s heart has grown dull,
    and with their ears they can barely hear,
    and their eyes they have closed,
  lest they should see with their eyes
    and hear with their ears
  and understand with their heart
    and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 13:16

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.

First, the parable of the sower (1-8). Jesus taught the crowds many things in parables. In one parable, a farmer scattered seed which fell on four types of soil. The seed that fell on the path, on rocky places and among thorns could not properly grow and produce a crop. But the seed that fell on good soil produced a large crop - a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. When God's word falls on the good soil of our hearts, God blesses our lives with a crop that is disproportionately more than what was sown.

Second, do you see and hear? (9-17) Jesus often taught in parables to emphasize the importance of remembering and understanding with our hearts. His parables distinguished between those who could truly hear God's word and see what God was doing from those who could not. Calloused hearts make people spiritually deaf and blind. Such people do not receive God's healing. But disciples of Jesus are blessed because they understand God's word with their hearts

Prayer: Lord, please give me ears to hear and eyes to see wonderful things in your word. Plant your word in the good soil of my heart.

One Word: See and hear God's word

Daily Bread

Peter is Rescued

Acts 12:1-17

Key Verse: 12:11

When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Read More

Intro Daily