John 16:25-33
Jesus Talks to His Disciples Plainly
25 “Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27 No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.28 I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
29 Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30 Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”
31 “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Matthew 13:1-23
Jesus Speaks in Parables
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you,but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Acts 4:13
Peter and John Speak Before the Sanhedrin
13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Matthew 16:13-20
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Jesus, before His arrest, told His disciples that He spoke figuratively to them...He often spoke in parables...Jesus spoke in figures of speech...He often spoke metaphorically...Figurative speech and parables are difficult to follow...To understand figuratively and figuratively speaking, we must use our imaginations more...He was not speaking plainly or literally to them...He was speaking, so it was hard to understand Him...And these were His disciples, those who were closest to Him...This type of speaking is hard for me to understand...
God's thoughts are not our thoughts...Man thinks differently from God and Jesus...Jesus answered why He spoke this way to His disciples, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them...Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand...In the parables this is fulfilled in the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving...For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes...Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’...But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear...For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."...
Even this is confusing answer from Jesus...What we learn in this world can choke us off from faith and the Truth...But those who can be the purest in heart, want to have faith...Faith helps us through temptations, corruptions and evils in this world...And faith is not a static thing...To keep out faith, we must use it...And a little faith goes a long way...If we are careless, the evil one can plant weeds and evil things in our lives...So, when we do not use our faith, it can leave us and our faith can get choked off...Truth is the same...When we find the Truth, we must learn more and more for it to grow...Those who do not use their faith and follow the Truth will become lost...When we have faith and know Truth, we must act on it, or we fall away from Him...For those wanting to understand Him, through faith and Truth, they would and could see He was and is the One to come...Those who had this faith, would believe in Him...Yet, others who could not have faith in Him, and they would miss out...They would not understand...They would not understand Him...They would miss God's word, and miss His Son...They would miss the Truth...The ones that Jesus called, the Twelve Disciples, would listen and wanted to learn from Him...They were common and ordinary, unschooled men...They eventually would see that He is the Son of God...And not only that, the Disciples would be taught by God's Son...Many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it...His Disciples and followers would get it...
The Disciples saw the Truth and would spread this Truth...They acted upon it...And their faith grew, as their Teacher told them it would...