Matthew 13:1-52

Matthew 13 contains eight parables. These parables present big ideas that highlight the contrast between those who follow Jesus and those who do not. They illustrate this growing theme of acceptance and rejection of Jesus. And they do so by focusing on the nature of the kingdom.

Before we focus on the kingdom, however, the question we might ask, and it’s the same question the disciples asked, is, Why does Jesus speak in parables? What is their purpose, and what is their message?