Matthew 13
Jesus tells some parables and explains why he uses them
Discussion Questions
- Which of these parables can you relate to most? Why?
- What is the place of parable-like storytelling as we share our faith in the 21st century?
Share your thoughts below, or tweet about it with the #boundlessbible hashtag.
Going Deeper - from 'Words of Life'
Many men in the time of Jesus worked in the fields as farmers. Others were shepherds – watching over the animals for food, even for clothing. Some were fishermen, others worked the wine or olive press. There were men who were blacksmiths or carpenters, or even tax collectors. A fewwere doctors or scholars.
The women, however, didn’t get too many career opportunities. Some weaved clothes, others worked the grain mill. But most simply helped their mothers or husbands where they could, and took care of the children. Many of the boys received education, for they were a priority. The girls were not treated equally.
In describing the ideal Jewish home, first-century writer Philo said unmarried girls stayed in the private areas of the home. He was critical of girls and young women who broke that mould. Women should not expose their arms, they were not to speak in public and were to be subordinate and submissive to men – always.
The sisters of Jesus were probably typical young women of their day.
When children, they no doubt played with their brothers, including their eldest brother Jesus. They were a family unit. Yet they must have noticed there was something very different about Jesus.
There is no mention of this in Scripture, but I believe Jesus gave his sisters great respect and would have encouraged them in their godly pursuits. He would have shown love to them. And as they spun thread for clothing, or weaved the linen and silk, I’m sure he would have told them they could be ‘lights’ in a world filled with so much darkness. Jesus’ sisters would have intuitively known they were God’s children, very special in his eyes.
The sisters of Jesus were made in the image and likeness of God. So are we. All of us are precious to him. We are family!