The Life of Christ

• Therefore, a 100-fold yield is the equivalent of reaching 100% of one’s spiritual potential.

The potential yield of a natural wheat harvest depends upon the following conditions: rainfall, rodents, weed control, and land availability. Whether a believer yields a 30, 60, or 100-fold spiritual crop also depends upon a different set of conditions:

• Quality of the word presented in this life (quality of teaching/preaching heard).

• The amount of spiritual rainfall resulting from prayer and worship.

• Willingness to keep weeds under control (sinfulness and cares of this life).

• Land availability: in the kingdom this means there are opportunities to follow spiritual pursuits, the person is in good physical health, and work and family obligations are reasonable.

Mt.13:9 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Another reason for this particular emphasis is to remind us that this is the parable that helps us understand all the parables.

Mt. 13:12 “For whoever has, to him shall more be given, and he shall have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

This verse provides one of the primary laws of the kingdom of God.

• If we will use what God has given us, more opportunities will come our way. • If, however, we don’t take advantage of the opportunity that has been given, then even that which we have been given will be taken away.

• Again, if we respond to what the Lord give us, He will give us more.

• However, if we hold back what He gives us, additional giftings will be withheld.

Example of this principle:

• Prov. 14:6 reads, “A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, but knowledge is easy to him who understands.”

Mt. 13:13 “Therefore, I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”

The disciples pull Jesus away and ask him why He speaks plainly to us who have left all to follow Him but speaks in encoded language to the others.

• In the kingdom there is an “us” and a “them.” The kingdom is freely given to “us” who have devoted our lives to Jesus; the disciples had left families and occupations to follow Jesus. These “seekers first of God’s will” had earned the plain truth rather than anything concealed in parables.

• “Them” were casual followers of God; they were there pretty much only to take. To them the kingdom principles would not be so obvious.

• The more one’s heart is open to truth, the better that person will understand kingdom mysteries.

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