The Biblical Teaching of Disciples--7

After Jesus' disciples asked Jesus why he spoken to them in parables and he gave his explanation in Matthew 13:10-17, his disciples asked Jesus the meaning of the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat in Matthew 13:36-43:
     Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And HIS DISCIPLES approached him, saying,
      "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."
      He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;
      the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom;
      the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil;
      the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
      Just as the weeds are collectived and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
      The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all the causes of sin
                                      and all evildoers,
  and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
      Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
       Let anyone who hears listen!
     a. It is interesting that Jesus' disciples had no idea what the parable meant. Jesus had to explain to them its meaning.
     b. Unfortunately, many well-meaning Christians ignore or reject Jesus' message here. The message is: God our Father through Jesus Christ ultimately separates the righteous from the wicked, placing the righteous in the kingdom of God and placing the wicked in the furnace of fire, hell, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
     c. Would-be disciples must decide whether they accept or reject this message of Jesus, our Teacher and Only True Leader.

Matthew 14:1-12 describes the terrible act of Herod who beheaded John the Baptist. When that happened, THE DISCIPLES of John the Baptist took the body of John the Baptist and buried it. Matthew 14:12.

The next two stories about the disciples of Jesus deal with Jesus feeding the five thousand and Jesus walking on the water.

1. Jesus feeding the five thousand. Matthew 14:13-21.
    Now when Jesus heard this [the beheading of John the Baptist], he withdrew from there in a boat
            to a deserted place by him.
    But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.
    When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.
    When it was evening, THE DISCIPLES came to him and said,
     "This is a deserted place, and the hour is late;
     send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves."
     Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
     They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish."
     And Jesus said, "Bring them here to me."
     Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass.
     Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves,
      and gave them to THE DISCIPLES, and THE DISCIPLES gave them to the crowds.
      And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces,
                            twelve baskets full.
      And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
      a. Here the disciples learned a great example from Jesus. Jesus' disciples must learn to trust in God the Father through Jesus Christ when faced with difficult circumstances.
      b. God can do miraculous things before the world. The role of disciples is to follow Jesus' instructions and to share them with the crowds.

2. Jesus Walking on the Water. Matthew 14:22-33.
    Immediately he made THE DISCIPLES get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side,
                 while he dismissed the crowds.
    And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray.
    When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves,
                  was far from the land, for the wind was against them.
    And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea.
   But when THE DISCIPLES saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a
ghost!"
    And they cried out in fear.
    But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I, do no be afraid."
    Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water."
   He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.
    But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened,
    and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me."
    Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him,
    saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"
    When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
    And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
    a. Here again, Jesus' disciples learned a great lesson. When a terrifying storm faces God's people, one must decide whether to be afraid or to trust in God our Father through Jesus Christ.
    b. Peter sank in the water and was afraid because of his little faith, his doubt. May God's true disciples trust in him under all circumstances.

Share YOUR experiences and troubles and questions and doubts and faith with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis