Matthew 13:24–48. The Lord Often Taught with Parables
- In the Bible Dictionary,
read the first three paragraphs under the entry “Parables” (pp. 740–41).
- Read the following parables:
parable of the tares (Matthew 13:24–30); parables of the mustard seed and
the leaven (Matthew 13:31–33); parables of the treasure and the pearl of
great price (Matthew 13:44–46); parable of the gospel net (Matthew
13:47–50). Next to each of the following questions match the name of the
parable that best answers that question.
- What describes the future growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints? Gospel Net
- Why does the Church send out so many missionaries? The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
- How do you explain the remarkable growth of the Church,
considering that it is fairly new compared to most world religions and
started small in the American frontier? Gospel
Net
- Why are some members of the Church willing to sacrifice so much
worldly wealth and recognition in order to maintain membership in the
Church? Pearl of Great Price
- Why do some Church members choose to leave the Church? Tares
- Address the following
questions:
- Considering the parables of the treasure and the pearl of great
price (see Mattthew 13:44–46), what sacrifices would you be willing to
make to obtain the treasure of the gospel? What sacrifices have you or
those you know already made for the gospel? I’ve
thought about this and I immediately thought: I’d give up everything. But
then I thought of more specific things in my life that would be hard to
give up and I considered each one. Would I give up (this seems sad, but
it really is something I love) TV/movies? Or social media? Would I
sacrifice all my spare time? Yes. The worldly part of myself would think,
“Noooo!” But I still think the decision would be easy.
- What does the net represent in the parable of the net cast into
the sea? (See Matthew 13:47). What does it mean to be gathered into the
net? What is represented by the action of gathering the good into vessels
and casting the bad away? (See Matthew 13:48–50). The net being cast into the sea represents the Kingdom of Heaven.
It’s missionary work! The gospel will be spread throughout the world and
to be “gathered into the net” is to accept the gospel and be part of God’s Kingdom. The action of gathering the
good into vessels and casting the bad away is like the judgment of God.
I encourage you all to study the scriptures and other resources that the church has put forth. Really knowing the gospel is a blessing and we should all strive to be closer to the Lord in this way.