"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? ..." (Matthew 10:29-31)

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)

What does 'two sparrows sold for a penny' mean?

Jesus is indicating to his followers that the Supreme Being cares about each of us. Sparrows were sold for so cheaply at the market during those times. Yet God will care for them is a testament to the love God has for each of us.

This is communicated with "outside your Father's care" - which is being translated from the Greek phrase, ἄνευ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν.

This Greek phrase actually indicates that nothing happens to any of us outside of God's will. The word ἄνευ means without "one's will or intervention" according to the lexicon.

In other words, everything that takes place takes place because the Supreme Being allows it to happen. He is in complete control and nothing happens outside of His will.

This is a critical lesson for Jesus' followers. But does it assume there is no freedom of choice? That all things are pre-arranged?

Do we have choices?

The Supreme Being gives each of us choices. Ultimately, we each have the choice to love Him or not. This is because love requires choice.

And the Supreme Being also allows us to make other choices - each typically stemming from this ultimate choice.

This is the design of both the spiritual realm and the physical world. But the physical world is especially a place of choice: It is that place where are constantly being presented with choices.

But it is also a world where there are consequences for every choice we make. This is because the physical world is also a place of learning.

We might compare it to a child's bedroom. Everything in the child's bedroom was put in there by the parents. They also own the house. But this doesn't remove the freedom of the child from choosing which toy to play with. It also does not restrict the child from choosing to obey or rebel against his parents. The child can choose to rebel against the parents and rip everything up if he wants. Or he might just be a good boy and do what he is told.

These choices are up to the child. The parents cannot take the child's freedom of choice away. They might own the house and control what is in the house. But the child still has the freedom of choice within that house.

In the same way, the Supreme Being gives us certain freedoms to make choices. These are our choices to make. This doesn't mean He gives up control. Rather, He grants us freedom because this is necessary in order to enjoy exchanging love.

In other words, the Supreme Being is giving each of us the chance to decide for ourselves whether we want to love Him or not.

If we choose to partake in our natural loving relationship with the Supreme Being this is pleasing to the Supreme Being. If we rebel against Him and choose to forget Him, it is not pleasing to Him. Why not?

Because the Supreme Being enjoys loving exchanges. The Supreme Being enjoys exchanging love just as we do. This is why Jesus' most important instruction was:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed ...’” (Matthew 13:25-29)

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from? ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” (Matthew 13:25-29)

How is this different from the previous farmer sowing seed parable?

Notice that Jesus told a similar parable in Matthew 13:3-9. Both of these discuss a farmer that sows seeds. What is the difference between these two parables?

This parable discusses an enemy that came when the farmer was sleeping and planted weeds. The farmer and seed parable in Matthew 13:3-9 - the first one - discusses the outcome related to planting seeds in different environments.

The first parable is comparing the nature of the soil to the nature of our heart when we hear the Truth. A person who hears the Truth with a calloused heart will not allow the Truth to grow within their heart. But a person who is soft-hearted and seeking the Truth will receive the Truth with an open mind and allow the Truth to grow.

In this parable, Jesus is discussing our choices in life and the consequences of our choices. Let's discuss this meaning further.

What does Jesus mean by 'the kingdom of heaven'?

When Jesus says “The kingdom of heaven is like ...” he is not speaking of a physical place.

The word "kingdom" here is being translated from the Greek word βασιλεία (basileia). Here is what the lexicon states regarding its meaning: "royal power, kingship, dominion, rule: not to be confused with an actual kingdom but rather the right or authority to rule over a kingdom."

Jesus is speaking of the Supreme Being's dominion - His ultimate authority. So the kingdom of heaven relates to the consciousness of accepting the ultimate authority and dominion of the Supreme Being. This means essentially taking shelter or sanctuary in God.

During ancient times, tribal kings fought with each other over territory and people. This meant that in order to be protected, a common person had to choose to take allegiance from a particular king - in order to gain that protection. This was essentially taking refuge of that particular king.

This is what Jesus is alluding to - except that he is requesting that people seek the refuge and protection of the Supreme Being: By accepting His authority and dominion.

This also means accepting our own position as one of God's loving servants.

Do we have freedom of choice?

Some teach that our fate is sealed and we have no choices in life. Others teach that life is chaotic and there is no ultimate meaning.

Rather, this life is a teaching opportunity. Physical reality teaches us. Here we have the freedom to make certain choices in life, and those choices, and the actions we take, have consequences. It is these consequences that provide learning experiences for us.

Ultimately, we have taken on physical bodies in this environment to learn about love and our innate loving relationship with God.

Our issue ("the enemy" in Jesus' parable) is that we have become self-centered. As a result, the Supreme Being allowed us to exercise our self-centeredness by taking on a temporary physical body and exert our self-centeredness onto others to be someone we are not. At the same time, this world is designed to teach us the futility of self-centeredness.

This is because most of us in the physical world want to be the center of the universe. So our loving Friend God gave us a place where we could play that out. He is allowing us to pretend to be the center. Now the question is, how do we return home, back to our loving relationship with Him?

What are the metaphors of Jesus' parable?

The “man” and “owner” of the field symbolizes the Supreme Being. The field is His, and this is His creation.

The "owner's servants" and "harvesters" are the Supreme Being's loving servants and messengers, such as Jesus, as Jesus himself admits:

"My teaching is not my own. It comes from Him Who sent me." (John 7:16)

We have to remember that God’s representative is doing God’s will. This is why the "servants" ask the "owner" what to do about the "weeds."

The “seed” is the teachings of God that originate from the Supreme Being, and are passed out by God's messengers. For those who desire to return home, these seeds plant within the heart and hopefully grow until they mature into the flower of love for God.

The “enemy” is our self-centered desires - and the attractions of the physical world that reflect these desires.

The “sleep” represents our forgetfulness of the Supreme Being, and have our own self-interest in mind.

The “weeds” represent those who follow their self-centered lives and the speculations of the mind - ultimately those who choose not to return to their relationship with the Supreme Being.

Those who choose to return to our innate loving service relationship with the Supreme Being are guided back to Him - symbolized by the "harvesters." How does that work? Jesus described it here:

"If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." (John 7:17-18)

In other words, those who decide to return to their loving service relationship with the Supreme Being are given the understanding that allows them to determine who is speaking the truth. By following those teachings, they are guided back to Him.

Why didn't the owner pull the weeds?

Notice that in Jesus' parable, the "owner" didn't have the servants pull the weeds. He allowed them to keep growing.

This illustrates that the Supreme Being gives us the freedom to continue to grow, even if we are self-centered. We always are given the choice to love or not love, and to have a change of heart. This is freedom, because love without freedom is not real love, and the Supreme Being wants real love. This is why fanatical teachers and their institutions cannot represent the Supreme Being.

The burning of the weeds at harvest relates to the eventual outcome of our choices. Those who choose not to return to their loving service relationship with the Supreme Being will continue their self-centered existence.

But with that, they must also accept the hardships of the physical world in this lifetime and the next - that place where everyone else is also self-centered. This is a miserable and lonely existence - a place symbolized by "burning" because the emptiness inside (having lost our loving relationship with God) produces the burning of lust and greed, which can translate to anger and violence if stoked.

But for those who are serious about returning to our unique loving service relationship with the Supreme Being - His "harvesters" can teach us the tools to learn to love Him and serve Him again:

" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matt. 22:37-38)

“... none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” (Matthew 16:1-4)

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away. (Matthew 16:3-4)

Why is Jesus talking about 'signs'?

Because the Pharisees and Sadducees had a lack of faith in God, they were most interested in seeing some sort of 'sign' before accepting that Jesus was God's representative.

Jesus' reply here illustrates the pragmatic reality of 'signs.' He illustrates how one can simply read the signs about future weather just by looking at the sky. The sky will show signs of future weather. It is a practical matter.

But then Jesus states that instead of seeing practical signs about the current society, those who are “wicked and adulterous” are looking for some kind of "miraculous sign" from God's representative.

This is because they were not sincerely seeking God. They also were not examining history. 

What does Jesus mean by "signs of the times"? Jesus is speaking of the state of that society at the time. He is seeing the natural progression for those within that society that had become less devoted to God.

What is the 'sign of Jonah'?

These points are clarified by Jesus' reference to “the sign of Jonah.” What is “the sign of Jonah?” 

In the Book of Jonah, we can read the beautiful story of Jonah. Jonah, a devoted servant of God, was requested by the Supreme Being to go to the great city of Nineveh to give them a message because the people of the city had abandoned their faith in the Supreme Being. 

They were living in ways that were not good for their spiritual lives. God asked Jonah to go to the city and preach to them to abandon their ways.

However, Jonah tried to escape the request of the Supreme Being by traveling by boat to Tarshish. As he was on the boat a great storm came up, and the other sailors were forced to put Jonah overboard to avoid the boat capsizing.

As soon as they did, the storm calmed. Then Jonah found himself swallowed by a large fish and for three days, Jonah lived inside the large fish until he was deposited onto the beach. During those three days, Jonah came to terms with the Supreme Being and committed to God a great prayer, often referred to as Jonah's prayer:

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and You listened to my cry. You hurled me into the deep, and the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all Your waves and breakers swept over me. I said, 'I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.' The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But You brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. When my life was ebbing away, I remembered You, Lord, and my prayer rose to You, to your holy temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:1-9)

This prayer goes to the heart of Jesus' message. Here Jonah submitted to the Supreme Being as he found himself in danger, and was given mercy and rescued by God. Once rescued, Jonah went on to follow God's instructions and preach to the city of Nineveh. He told them that they had forty days to make changes or the city would be destroyed. 

The people of the city responded, and the Book of Jonah closes with God clarifying to Jonah His compassion for the city's 120,000 people.

This “sign of Jonah” illustrates Jesus' role as well. Jesus is being sent by the Supreme Being to save the people of Israel. He was sent with a message. And what is that message? The same message that Jonah delivered, and the same message our current generation needs to hear: That we need to return to our loving service relationship with our Best Friend and ultimate Savior, the Supreme Being.

Why does 'a wicked and adulterous generation look for a sign'?

The word "generation" is quite misleading here. This word is being translated from the Greek word, γενεά (genea). Yes, this can relate to genealogy, but it also means, "the whole multitude of men living at the same time." 

Thus, a better translation of this word in Jesus' context would be "society," or "culture."

Yes, Jesus is speaking of a particular society or culture that at the time was focused upon giving notice to those who exhibited "signs."

What makes a society or culture “wicked”? It is turning away from our relationship with the Supreme Being. This produces a consciousness of self-centeredness.

A consciousness of self-centeredness produces a demand for knowing the future. This in turn makes us hungry to see a sign that indicates what happens in our future.

Jesus is indicating that seeking signs in order to know the future is not a suggested focus of our attention. We are here in the physical world to learn, and the future will play out according to what we need to learn, and how fast we learn those lessons.

The physical world plays out our consciousness and teaches us lessons that ultimately relate to love. Here we have a constant opportunity to give love to others, have compassion and mercy on others, and live a life that is true to ourselves and others. When we take that opportunity we gradually redevelop our spiritual consciousness, which is based on our loving nature.

By nature, we need to love and we need to be loved. Here in the physical world, we can pretend that others love us, and we can tell others that we love them. But true love originates from the Supreme Being. And by receiving His unconditional love we can know how to love others.

Yet we find many instances in the Old Testament that make God appear as an angry and jealous ruler who is also vengeful. How can we love someone like that?

This was part of Jesus' mission - to dispel the notion that God is someone to be feared. The Supreme Being is the most beautiful, gracious and compassionate being. He is the Source of love.

As Jesus pointed out regarding the Pharisees and Sadducees, they were not to be trusted. And the mischaracterization of God and mistranslation of the Old Testament Books was a result of such an institutionalized mishandling of Jesus' teachings and the Prophets' teachings.