Whoever has this kind of knowledge will be given more, until they have a great deal of it. But if anyone lacks this kind of knowledge, even what little they have will be taken away from them.
He’ll have a tool with him and use it to sort out everything on his threshing floor. He’ll gather the wheat into his barn, but he’ll burn up the husks in a fire that can’t be put out.”
He saw a fig tree by the road and went up to it, but he didn’t find anything on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Right away the tree dried up.
Make sure that no one misses out on God’s grace and that no bitter plant grows up, because if it does, it will cause trouble and make many people impure.
You didn’t choose me, I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit that would endure, so that you would receive from the Father anything you ask for in my name.
The seed on rocky ground stands for those who hear the message and receive it with joy, but who have no roots. They believe for a while, but when they are tested, they fall away from the faith.
These enemies left our community of believers, but they didn’t really belong to us. If they had belonged to us, they would have stayed with us. By leaving, they showed that none of them really belonged to us.
While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe through the name you gave me. Not one of them has been lost, except the one headed for destruction, so that Scripture would come true.
Jesus told them one more story. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast,” he said. “A woman mixed it into 60 pounds of flour, and the yeast worked its way through all of that dough.”
Everyone who has will be given more, and they will have more than enough. But as for those who don’t have, even what they do have will be taken away from them.
And some people, like the seed that was scattered on good soil, hear the message, accept it, and produce a good crop that’s 30, 60, or even 100 times more than what was planted.”
Some of the natural branches have been broken off. You Gentiles are like a wild olive branch that has been grafted onto the tree with the other branches. Now you’re enjoying the life-giving sap of the olive tree root.
Think about how kind God is! But also think about how strict he is! He was strict with those who stopped following him, but he has been kind to you. So you must continue to live in his kindness. If you don’t, you too will be cut off.