RETURN TO SYLLABUS
THE PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
LESSON #34
THE PARABLE OF THE UPROOTED PLANT (MAT 15:12-13)
AND THE PARABLE OF THE BLIND LEADERS (MAT 15:14)

• MEMORY VERSE: TITUS 2:1

• THE TWO PARABLES IN THIS LESSON ARE CLOSE IN PROXIMITY WITHIN THE CHAPTER, AND THEY ARE ALSO CLOSELY RELATED IN THEME. THEREFORE, WE WILL STUDY THEM TOGETHER.

• READ MAT 15:10-20 FOR THE CONTEXT OF THE TWO PARABLES.
• THE PARABLE OF THE UPROOTED PLANT (MAT 15:12-13)
• WHAT DOES THE PLANT REPRESENT? (17, 18)
• ACCORDING TO THE CONTEXT OF THE PARABLE, AND ESPECIALLY VERSES 17 AND 18, JESUS IS NOT TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE BUT ABOUT TEACHINGS OR DOCTRINES.
• THE UPROOTED PLANT, THEN, REFERS TO FALSE DOCTRINES NOT PLANTED BY GOD.
• EVERY ERROR THAT OBSCURES THE TRUTH OF GOD IS THE UPROOTED PLANT.
• EVERY ERROR THAT HURTS THE SOUL OF MAN IS THE UPROOTED PLANT.
• WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN BY, "ROOTED UP" (13)?
• IN GOD’S OWN TIME, ALL FALSE DOCTRINES AND ALL PERVERSIONS OF THE TRUTH WILL BE REVEALED AND JUDGED. THEIR ROOTS WILL BE EXPOSED TO THE LIGHT OF GOD’S WORD.
• SOME WILL BE REVEALED IN THIS LIFE.
• SOME WILL NOT BE REVEALED UNTIL THE FINAL JUDGMENT.
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE OF THE UPROOTED PLANT?
• LIKE THE DISCIPLES, WE TEND TO GET UPSET AT THE NUMBERS OF FALSE DOCTRINES AND ERRORS AVAILABLE TO MEN. HOWEVER, GOD IS IN CONTROL. IN GOD’S TIME ALL FALSE DOCTRINES AND FALSE MOTIVES WILL BE EXPOSED.
• A COMPARISON OF THE PARABLE OF THE TARES AND THE WHEAT AND THE PARABLE OF THE UPROOTED PLANT:

• THE PARABLE OF THE BLIND LEADERS (MAT 15:14)
• WHO ARE THE BLIND LEADERS?
• THE PHARISEES ARE THE BLIND LEADERS ACCORDING TO VERSE 12.
• THEY CHOSE TO BE BLIND.
• READ MAT 13:15
• IT WAS NOT THAT THEY WERE DECEIVED OR IGNORANT.
• THEY KNEW THE TRUTH AND PURPOSELY LED PEOPLE THE OTHER WAY.
• WHO ARE THE BLIND THAT THEY LEAD?
• THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SPIRITUALLY BLIND AS A RESULT OF FOLLOWING THE SPIRITUALLY BLIND PHARISEES WERE THE COMMON JEWISH PEOPLE.
• THE COMMON JEWISH PEOPLE WERE BLIND BECAUSE THEY TRUSTED THEIR RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND BELIEVED EVERYTHING THEY WERE TOLD WITHOUT QUESTION.
• THE PHRASE, "LEADERS OF THE BLIND", WAS A PHRASE IN COMMON USE TO DESCRIBE THE IDEAL OF A RABBI’S CALLING.
• WITHOUT A TEACHER, ALL PEOPLE ARE SPIRITUALLY BLIND.
• THE PHARIEES WERE TO BE A LIGHT TO THEM THAT WERE IN DARKNESS.
• READ ROM 2:17-24
• WHAT DOES THE DITCH REPRESENT?
• NOTICE IN THE PARABLE THAT BOTH THE BLIND LEADERS, AND THOSE SPIRITUALLY BLIND PEOPLE THAT THEY LED, FELL INTO THE DITCH.
• IN JESUS’ DAY, THE DITCH REPRESENTED THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM THAT WOULD COME UPON THEM IN 70 AD WHEN ROME DESTROYED JERUSALEM, THE TEMPLE, AND TEMPLE WORSHIP.
• HOWEVER, GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE DITCH IS THE BONDAGE AND HOPELESSNESS OF FALSE DOCTRINE THAT PRODUCES SPIRITUAL DEATH AND NOT ETERNAL LIFE.
• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE OF THE BLIND LEADERS?
• THERE WILL ALWAYS BE FALSE TEACHING AND FALSE DOCTRINE IN OUR MIDST THAT WILL LEAD MANY PEOPLE ASTRAY.

• APPLICATION AND DISCUSSION:
• DISCUSSION: BECAUSE FALSE TEACHING OR FALSE DOCTRINES ARE PRESENT EVERYWHERE, HOW CAN A PERSON DETERMINE WHAT IS TRUE AND WHAT IS FALSE?

• READ 2TIM 3:16-17
• READ ACT 17:11
• READ 2PET 2:1-3, 10-15, 17-22
• READ 1JOH 4:1-3
• READ JUD 1:12-13

• DISCUSSION: IS IT EASY OR DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE FALSE DOCTRINES?

• DISCUSSION: THE PHARISEES KNEW SCRIPTURE. THEN WHY DID THEY BECOME FALSE TEACHERS?

• READ JOH 5:31-47

• IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY PERSON TO DISCOVER TRUTH FOR HIMSELF:
• READ 2TIM 2:15-16

• APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE OF THE UPROOTED PLANT (MAT 15:12-13) AND
  THE PARABLE OF THE BLIND LEADERS (MAT 15:14):
• WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD YOUR SPIRITUAL LEADERS?

• WHEN YOU HEAR A SERMON OR A TEACHING, HOW MUCH DO YOU SEARCH OUT THE TRUTH IN THE WORD OF GOD?
• REMEMBER THAT EACH PERSON IS RESPONSIBLE FOR VALIDATING HIS OWN BELIEFS IN THE WORD OF GOD.

• ARE YOU OPEN TO BIBLE TRUTH WHEN YOU SEE IT IN THE WORD OF GOD EVEN THOUGH IT MAY BE DIFFERENT FROM WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS HEARD OR BEEN TAUGHT?

• PREPARATION FOR THE PARABLE OF THE PUPPIES (MAT 15:21-28) AND

THE PARABLE OF WEATHER FORECASTING (MAT 16:1-4)

• THE PARABLE OF THE PUPPIES:
• READ MAT 15:21-28
• WHO ARE THE CHILDREN?

• WHO DO THE DOGS REPRESENT?

• WHAT DO THE CRUMBS REPRESENT?

• WHAT DOES THE MASTER’S TABLE REPRESENT?

• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?

• THE PARABLE OF WEATHER FORECASTING:
• READ MAT 16:1-4
• WHAT DID JESUS MEAN BY THE PHRASE, "SIGNS OF THE TIMES"? (3)

• WHAT WAS THE SIGN OF THE PROPHET JONAH?

• WHAT IS THE CENTRAL TRUTH OF THE PARABLE?

• HOW DO YOU THINK A PERSON IS TO "DISCERN THE FACE OF THE SKY"? (3)

• MEMORY VERSE: ZEC 4:6 (THIS PART OF THE VERSE) "…NOT BY MIGHT, NOR BY POWER, BUT BY MY SPIRIT, SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS."