The Net and The Weeds

Rolling Stone

February 3, 2013

Parables – The Net and the Weeds

The Weeds – Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43;  Mark 4:26-29

• Audience – the crowds; later the disciples only
• Context/Setting – many crowds had come to him; so he got in a boat and sat down while the crowd stood on the beach as he taught them in parables.  (Matthew 13:1-2)
• This is one of the parables that Jesus explains clearly, so there is little to be interpreted.  
• Who sows the good seed?
• Who sows the weeds?
• What does the field refer to?
• What is the good seed?
• What are the weeds?
• What does the harvest represent?
• Who are the reapers?

• Discussion:
• Read 2 Corinthians 4:18.  Remember that the disciples were very uninformed and uneducated on the Scriptures and the Law.  They did not have the New Testament or Revelation to refer to.  What did this parable help them understand about the unseen, eternal world?
• Read Matthew 13:28-30.  Why does the Master say not to go ahead and uproot the weeds?  What would this have meant for the disciples hearing this message?  (Look at 2 Peter 3:4-10 and Romans 8:28)  What does this mean for us as the Church with relation to our outlook on the world and our mission in the world?
• The parable of the mustard seed and the leaven comes between the parable of the wheat and the weeds and Jesus’ explanation of the parable.  How do those parables maybe shed light on the interpretation of this parable?  
• Read Matthew 7:15-20.  In the end, there will be a clear differentiation between the good seed and the weeds.  This distinction is difficult to see when the wheat and weeds are just sprouting.  How will we know according to this passage?  What does this mean to us as Christians in the meantime?
• Did you know that Jesus prayed for you specifically?  Read John 17.  Identify the parts of Christ’s prayer that relate to this parable of the wheat and the weeds.  How incredible is it that Jesus prays and intercedes for us!!!

The Net – Matthew 13:47-50

• Audience – Disciples
• Context/Setting – now in the house; more intimate conversation between Jesus and the disciples.
• Points of Reference:
• What does the sea represent?
• What does the net represent?
• Who are the good fish?
• Who are the bad fish?
• Who are the men that are sorting the fish?
• What is the fiery furnace?

• Discussion:
• Some of the disciples were fishermen.  They had witnessed Jesus catch many fish in a net in their first encounter with Him.  Read Luke 5:1-11.  How did this parable relate Christ’s promise to make them fishers of men?
• There are many parallels from the parable of the wheat and the weeds and this parable.  However, I want to focus on this idea of the net.  What does the net represent for the fish?  (Read 2 Corinthians 5:10)  
• Net represents anything that ensnares and traps.  For the fish, it meant death.
• A net is something you don’t see coming.  (Proverbs 1:17)

• What does Christ offer to the sons of righteousness?  (Read Psalm 25:1-15.  Pay close attention to verse 15).  What is similar between this passage and the passage about Joshua the High Priest in Zechariah 3?