Matthew 13:36-43 The Fire
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: April 6, 2019, Matthew 13:36-43
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
(Understanding the Text) The first new thing I noticed is the phrase “they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin” because it dawned on me that Jesus is saying that there won’t even be anything to cause us to sin in heaven. One idea I get from that is that one reason it is so easy to fall into sin is the other sinners around us. They push and pull and entice and order others to do more sin. The second idea I got was that this is a promise that we will not have to worry about falling a second time to sin. It will not arise. This is also stated in the last comment “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” which says that we will be righteous in a way that will glow onto others. My sinful, cynical self brings up ideas of mind control and no free choice, and I have to remind myself of God’s character. He did not go through the cross to have robots or Stepford wives. He went through the cross precisely so that He could have intelligent loving beings freely choosing to be one with Him.
(Revelation of God) I forget many times that Jesus created the world. Jesus’ role as Creator is why this can be applied to people of all ages and not just the church. People always apply this parable of the wheat and the tares to the church and that is a valid application; however, it can also be applied to the history of humanity.
(Understanding the Text) I usually think of this as happening at Jesus’ second coming, but it is actually happening after the millennium. Well, maybe Jesus is combining both. The separation happens before the millennium. That’s a little confusing though because my understanding is that the angels gather in the righteous leaving the wicked to die in the glory of Jesus’ coming; however, the parable says they gather the wicked and then the righteous. Is this referring to the separation that happens before the coming? But Jesus says that two will be working in the field and one taken and that people would be carrying out normal activities together as in the days of Noah. I really need to study this more.
(Revelation of God) When Jesus speaks of weeping and gnashing of teeth, it seems heartless until I consider two aspects of the situation. First, Jesus was about to go through the second death that He was predicting for the wicked, so when He speaks of the fiery furnace and weeping and gnashing of teeth, He is speaking of His own fate. He has looked into His future and seen His own ordeal. Second, I have to consider that the Father is going to feel the same way when He finally destroys sin from the world as He rips His creations, who are somehow part of Him even when they choose to be separate, out of His heart into forgetfulness. That process may be excruciating, but He sees the end result will be His beautiful shining ones living in unity with Him at the end.
I found that there are many texts that call God a consuming fire. Isaiah 33:14 says “The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling has seized the godless: ‘Who among us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?’” Hebrews also speaks of this and makes things clearer. “For you have not come to what may be touched, a blazing fire and darkness and gloom and a tempest and the sound of a trumpet and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that no further messages be spoken to them. For they could not endure the order that was given, ‘If even a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned.’ Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, ‘I tremble with fear.’ But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:18-29).
(Understanding the Text) Jesus calls the good seed “the sons of the kingdom.” Yesterday, I studied how the kingdom of heaven grows in us. Thus, the righteous are the ones who have allowed the kingdom of heaven to grow inside of them. We allow God to recreate us into His image and become His sons again.
(Application / Prayer) My application for myself is that I need to have more faith that everything will turn out right in the end and that there will be happiness and satisfaction. Right now, I tend to just see the problems and the selfishness that infest and surround me. However, Jesus promised that there will come a time when all causes of sin and all law breakers are gone and that those who allow the kingdom of heaven to grow in them will shine like the sun and be sons of the kingdom, so I need to have faith in that promise. The time will come when the present situation will change. I won’t always be living in a world at war. There will be peace someday. I just need to stay connected to Jesus. I pray that the Holy Spirit will fill me and cleanse me and keep me connected to You. I pray to be Your child in all ways.