Matthew 13:1-17
Finding our backstory
Have you ever heard the term “backstory” in a writing class or in literature? Do you know what it means?
A backstory answers the question, what is a character taking from their past into their present or even future lives? Backstories are an important literary tool used in storytelling to explain and give insight to the current behavior of the protagonist in a story, woven through the present day is a past event that is influencing the ongoing story. One great example of an author weaving a creative backstory into his writing style is the young adult book Holes, by Louis Sachar.
This is the introduction written on the back cover of the paperback edition of Holes.
“Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day, digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.
It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize that Camp Green Lake isn’t what it seems. Are the boys digging holes because the warden is looking for something? But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? It’s up to Stanley to dig up the truth.”
Like Stanley, each of us has a backstory. Issues from our past, generational curses or even traumas that are influencing our current life. In today’s passage Jesus is going to explain why he teaches in parables and his reasons are going to highlight the importance of identifying and understanding the power of our own backstory.
Let’s look at Matthew 13:9-17.
9 Let anyone who has ears listen.”
10 Then the disciples came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?”
11 He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them. 12 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand. 14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:
You will listen and listen,
but never understand;
but never perceive.
15 For this people’s heart has grown callous;
their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
otherwise they might see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and
understand with their hearts,
and turn back—
and I would heal them.
16 “Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them. CSB
Why did you think Jesus taught in parables? Jesus’ recognized that many in the crowds that had come out to hear him teach had grown callous hearts toward God. To be spiritually callous is to be made hard, insensitive, and indifferent to God.
Under what conditions might we desire change?We all like change when we are driving the metamorphous. For example, when we are building a new house that we will move into we are excited about the new changes that are coming to our lives, but when being fired from our job change is extremely painful.
Using the metaphors of spiritual ears and eyes, Jesus is going to go back and forth to illustrate this normal resistance to change. It is easy to misread the beginning of today’s passage. Notice in verses 13:12 Jesus says, “For whoever has more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” In verses 11-12 Jesus is showing us that when we harden our heart toward God we will experience a self-imposed spiritual famine where we cannot hear God speak, and we cannot not recognizing his activity (Amos 8:11). Plus in today’s passage we will learn that resisting change will not deliver us from the oppression of our own backstory.
To be delivered of our backstory we need to grow listening ears. In Matthew 13:9 Jesus says, “Let anyone who has ears listen.” How many times does this phase appear in the Bible? By my count it is over 21 times. It is found 3 times in the book of Matthew (11:15; 13:9,43), 3 times in Mark (4:9, 23; 7:16), 2 times in Luke (8:8; 14:35), 7 times in the book of Revelations (2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22), 1 in the book of Deuteronomy (29:4), 1 in Jeremiah (25:4), and 4 times in the book of Ezekiel (3:10; 12:2; 40:44; 44:5). I think this statement, “Let anyone who has ears listen” is an important caution.
Matthew goes on to quote Isaiah 6:9-10. “For this people’s hearts have grown callous.” Callouses form as a protective response to repeated friction or pressure on the skin, causing it to thicken or harden. Jesus is not talking about remedial learners in this lesson, he is referring to a willfulness on the part of his listeners to ignore God. This spiritual resistance has caused a callus heart. Isaiah says their ears are hard of hearing and they have shut their eyes.
Learning to hear God speak is more than just studying our Bibles. God is not interested in the size of our head knowledge, instead he wants us to progress toward a deep heart knowledge where the word of God now lives in us. Memorizing biblical facts might lead to that, but it could also lead to deadly spiritual pride. Knowledge puffs up, even spiritual knowledge. When we are teachable we desire to hear God speak. This is profoundly different than biblical knowledge because we are actually longing for God to initiate his change in our lives. Many in the crowd were just curious, but curiosity won’t deliver us from our backstory.
To be delivered of our backstory we need to see where God is at work. We need spiritual ears to hear God speak, but we also need to open our spiritual eyes to see where God is at work. Recognizing where God’s presence is manifest is critical if we want to be delivered of our back story. God is everywhere, but do we have the eyes to see and recognize the activity of God?
Why would God want to show us where he is working? Where God is moving is the place we need to move too. It is the place where his Holy Spirit is active. It is a place where miracles are taking place. It is a place where his peace and comfort are realized. We are to watch for the activity of God and when we find it we are to unite with him in that holy place.
To be delivered of our back story we need to let God heal us. We can’t stay where we are and link up with God. God has a plan to advance his kingdom here on earth. He is always moving, but, he is gentle. He will not force his healing on us. He values our willing cooperation too much to make us mere robots. With that said we need to recognize that only God knows the path that will bring us the most healing.
How might keeping our eyes and ears open to God facilitate our healing? Unless God shows us we won’t even understand the danger of our backstory, and we certainly won’t seek deliverance. For true healing to take place we are going to need a God size, heart revelation, and that will only happen when we can hear God speak and recognize his presence. Healing comes from God alone, but we decide if we want to keep our hearts hard. Nobody can believe for us.
Jesus closes today’s passage by saying many generations of righteous people had longed to see the Messiah in the flesh (Matthew 13:17). But sadly, the crowd who was listening in person were mostly just curious. They wanted to witness a circus show, not transformation. To become callus toward God means we have become deaf to his voice, and blind to his activity.
My husband Gary knew me like no one else has ever known me. It was easy for him to speak truth into my life without offending me because he had convinced me that he loved me. One time Gary and I were talking about a ministry invitation I had received to serve on a committee. Gary said, “Jan, I don’t think God has given you the gift of committees.” And, he was right. When I try to serve on a committee I am frustrated, the other people I serve with are frustrated, and it just doesn’t work. Nobody gets blessed when try to organize anything. Gary’s insights were said with extreme gentleness, and he was never trying to control me. Instead, he was always helping me identify where God was blessing my life. When I teach the Bible it is completely different then when I try serving on a committee. When I use my spiritual gift of teaching I experience the anointing of God. This doesn’t mean I always perfectly use my teaching gift.
God loves us more than Gary ever loved me. When God speaks to us he is wants to bless us. When he shows us where he is active he wants us to come too. Mercy, grace, and healing are found in the presence of the Living God.
Why would God want to show us our backstory?