Matthew 13:24-58
In verse 24, Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and tares. In verse 36, we read the meaning of the parable, which is prophetic of the future. There are those who chose to live for God. There are those the enemy has won over, who live for him. At the end of the age, after the Millennium, Christ will separate people, according to the kingdom to which they belong. Some will continue in His kingdom, and others will be thrown into a fire of torment. This happens at the Bema seat judgment. After the millennium there is a the Great White Throne judgment where those in Hades will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.
In between the parable and the explanation of the parable, there are other parables that are also kingdom oriented. There is the parable of the mustard seed, the parable of the leaven, the parable of the hidden treasure, the parable of the pearl of great price, and the parable of the dragnet.
In verses 53 through 58, Jesus is rejected in His home town of Nazareth. It is said, “He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” There is a saying, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” They saw Jesus as the carpenter’s son, putting Jesus into a box. They failed to see Him as the Son of God because they had already assumed that they knew all there was to know about Him, all there was for Him to do, all there was for Jesus to have. They were mistaken. God had more!
Too often we get familiar with people, and we fail to recognize the call and anointing on their lives. Let’s choose to see each other as containers of the glory of God. Let’s not put a limit on the people with whom we are sharing the planet as sojourners. The Spirit of God resides on the inside of us. We have the delegated authority of Jesus. The power of heaven backs us up. Nothing is impossible to the one who makes himself or herself available to God!
Genesis 49-50
Chapter 49 gives Jacob’s prophetic words over each of his sons. From these sons come the tribes of Israel. Instead of a tribe of Joseph, we have Manasseh and Ephraim. The tribe of Levi was separate, serving in the temple.
Jesus came through the tribe of Judah. In verse 10 Jacob (Israel) prophesies that the scepter shall not depart from Judah. A scepter was a symbol of kingship. He also spoke of Shiloh’s coming, and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Shiloh in Hebrew, from shel and loh, means “to whom it belongs,” meaning “to whom dominion belongs” and “He whose right it is to reign.”
In chapter 50, Jacob (Israel) is buried. In verses 15-21, Joseph reassures his brothers that he will continue to provide for them after his father’s death. The idea that his brothers thought he would turn on them after Jacob passed caused Joseph to weep. His answer showed Joseph’s submission to God and his forgiveness for his brothers, “for am I in the place of God?” Then he acknowledges the bigger plan that God had all along, and even if they meant it for evil, they were still tools in the hand of God to do good.
Joseph then died, after running his race and finishing his course, like we all do. We live our life, hopefully for the Lord, and then we pass the baton to the next generation. How I enjoy reading the hall of faith in Hebrews 11, one story after another, one generation after another. Let’s make sure to honor these previous generations for their surrender, their obedience, and their lives that have impacted ours. One day, we will all be together, and what a day that will be!
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