Matthew 13

“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 ...” (23). Jesus taught that his gospel, the “message about the kingdom” (19), was explosively life-giving. Yet those who did not recognize its worth and grasp it as a treasure (44-45) would lose the seed, as the “the worries of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” choked its growth (22). Those with “ears to hear” (9) were those who actively received the gospel and nurtured their new life.

Nurturing the spiritual life Jesus plants in our hearts is worth every effort, including fleeing temptation, sacrificing comfort, or selling everything (44-46). He is the treasure beyond price.