Learn from Jesus

Today’s Gospel Text: Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." 37 He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. Matt 13:36-43

Reflection: Life is a mystery and many things that we hear appear to be like parables, difficult to understand.

Human nature seeks to understand the many things of life and thus deep within we are satisfied after finding an answer to things, even though at times this knowledge could be false. 

Unfortunately, this nature to seek knowledge can even be based on wrong or unwanted desires or seeking unwanted knowledge. 

For example; why do we need to know the personal lives of people always and what they do?

Why do we need to know the hot gossips about celebrities and neighbors, especially those of our enemies?

Do we know our human situation, which by nature generally seeks every kind of useless knowledge of life and which will not benefit us for life?

Yet we do it again and again as if we have lost a sense of our direction and indeed we have! 

We may home correctly and could reach our house from any corner of the globe but when it comes to our eternal home or destination we are generally astray and confused.

Those confident do not know and do not realize what they are confident about; it is the like the confidence of a student who has studied well and knows for sure that success is his, even cent percent but has failed to realize that he has prepared himself to answer another subject.

Christ Jesus assures every individual who comes to him with sincerity of heart that he is the way , the truth and the life. (cfr. Jn. 14:6) He is our visible destination! 

Hence the dedicated disciples do right when they in their moment of confusion to understand the parable approach Jesus the right man: "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." (vs.36)

Prayer:  Lord, explain to us the parables of life; for you are the source of all wisdom and it is only you who can satisfy our desire to know the truth and lead us into eternal glory."

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us

The Wise Teacher

Scripture/Bible:  And Sad'ducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, 19 "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the wife, and raise up children for his brother. 20 There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no children; 21 and the second took her, and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; 22 and the seven left no children. Last of all the woman also died. 23 In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife." 24 Jesus said to them, "Is not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? 27 He is not God of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong." Mark 12:18-27

Reflection: You say, you believe and you are convinced and yet you ask a question. This doesn’t seem fare!

But all is fare if the intention of the question is to teach the other about your conviction with a sound question and if done within certain ethics, respect and openness to learn from the other then it opens a new window of thought.

It seems that the Sadducees were approaching Jesus with one motive; to teach Jesus. May be, for them, this will make Jesus see some sense and the foolishness of believing in the resurrection.    

It was a well thought of argument in order to prove a point. There was a hidden meaning to that question: Moses in the Law encouraged marriage to carry on the line (tribal thinking) precisely because there is no resurrection of the dead or else why will he encourage the family of brothers to carry forward the house name through marriage to a widowed sister-in-law?

Therefore whatever has to be eternal, it has to be in this life, carried forward from one generation to another. Like a baton in a relay, so was the thinking of the Sadducees concerning the resurrection.

But thanks to their question the Lord proved to them the greatness of him being a teacher par excellence, not just in wisdom but in humility, to answer them, so that at least some among them may receive the light of God.

Was he successful? The Lord manages to communicate to them that they were wrong in their thinking and that the resurrection is a reality. Later we learn that some among them may have been convinced by the Lord’s rebuke; the fact that they were found disputing among themselves by the Scribes is an indication towards the same. (vs. 28)

Prayer:  "Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you. God is greater than man. Why do you contend against him….For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.” Job 33:12-14 May I perceive what you have to give me Lord.

DD = Dedicated Discipleship:  Come grow in the Lord with us