Hiding InPlain Sight

Matthew 13

The Parable Stories of Jesus‘The Parable of the Sower’

The Pennsylvania State Police believe that they know exactly the area where the suspected

killer of Corporal Bryon

Dickson, and the wounding of Trooper

Alex Douglas, is hiding. They just haven’t been able to

locate him!

The Parable of the Sower seeks to

explain how God is making Himself known

and how He works in the

world!

Matthew 13:10-17

10 “And the disciples came

and said to Him, “Why do You

speak to them in parables?” 11 He

answered and said to them, “Because

it has been given…

…to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not

been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will

have…

…abundance; but whoever does not have, even what

he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not

see…

…and hearing they do not hear,

nor do they understand. 14 And in them the

prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which

says…

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And

seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts

of this people have grown dull. Their ears are…

‘…hard of hearing, And their eyes

they have closed, Lest they should

see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest

they should understand with

their hearts…

‘…and turn, So that I should heal them.’ (Isaiah 6:9-

10)

16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears

for they hear;

…for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets

and righteous men desired to see

what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you

hear, and did not hear

it.”

A Truth that Seems Like a

Mystery!

Matthew 13:11

“Because it has been given to

you to know the mysteries of the

kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.”

Sometimes things are plainly

obvious, but for whatever reason seem hard to find at times; your car

keys, purse/wallet, a tool or cooking

implement!

Yet, it sometimes

seems so vary hard to

experience God in our life and

in our circumstances!

‘ta mysteria’

the hidden things

the unobservable

workings

How Does God Work?

A Handy GoodLuck Charm!

A ConvenientInsurance Policy!

A Sophisticated Superstition

System!

God things do not Work

like Man things!

Matthew 13:12 “For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does

not have, even what he has will be taken away from

him.”

At First Reading It seems that God is the Big Daddy of the Double-Cross!

It is a Matterof Faith!

Hebrews 11:1-2 NCV “Faith means being sure of the

things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. Faith is the

reason we remember great

people who lived in the past.”

Hiding InPlain Sight!

Matthew 13:13

“Therefore I speak to them in

parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear,

nor do they understand.”

The verb ‘obfuscate’

render obscure, unclear, or

unintelligible, confuse, blur,

muddle, complicate,

muddy, bewilder, mystify, puzzle,

perplex, confuse, baffle

God Makes Himself known

to Us InJesus Christ!

What Is Keeping You From Taking

that First Step with God?

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep

to gain that which he

cannot lose.”Jim Elliot

Hiding InPlain Sight

Matthew 13

The Parable Stories of Jesus‘The Parable of the Sower’