Matthew 13:24-48. The Lord Often Taught With Parables

1. Parables: teaching divine truth in comparison to material things

2. Parable of the tares, parable of the mustard seed and leaven, parables of the treasure and the pearl of great price, and parable of the gospel net.

• The parable of the mustard seed describes the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because just as a mustard seed is small but grows into the greatest of all herbs, so the church will continue to grow from its small beginnings until it also, "becomes the greatest of all herbs. And it is truth, and it has sprouted and come forth out of the earth, and righteousness begins to look down from heaven, and God is sending down His powers, gifts and angels, to lodge in the branches thereof.” (Smith, Teachings, p. 98.)
• The parable of the gospel net describes why the Church sends out so many missionaries because the Church sends out missionaries to gather people of every kind. Just like the net catches every kind of fish in the sea, the missionaries search out all people who are willing. 
• The parable of the leaven describes the rapid growth of the Church. Leaven causes the bread to rise, just as truth came into the world through the Church and the Church continues to grow and rise each day. 
• The parables of the pearl of great price and the treasure describe why some members are willing to give up so much worldly wealth and recognition they have for the gospel. These parables teach us that when we find the gospel we should be willing to sacrifice all that we have to obtain membership in the Lord's church. 
• The parable of the tares teaches why some members of the Church choose to leave the Church. The tares represent the "corruptions of the Church" (Smith, Teachings, 98). Some members, if they do not have a solid foundation, or their roots are not deep enough, can be overcome by the tares and they will be plucked out with the tares. 

3. What would I be willing to sacrifice for the gospel? To be honest, I don't really feel like I have ever sacrificed that much for the gospel. Sure there were things like giving up sleep to get up early to study my scriptures, giving up friendships that weren't helping me remain true to the gospel, and things like that, but I don't really feel like I have given that much. And every time I do something little like these I am blessed so much in return that it doesn't even feel like a sacrifice! But I hope that I would be willing to sacrifice whatever the Lord asks for Him and this gospel! But one thing that was hard initially for me to sacrifice was my "plan" for my life. The Lord had a better plan for me than I did for myself, and once I realized that and was able to accept it I have been so so incredibly blessed! I hope that I will have the courage to give the Lord whatever He may ask of me and to do all I can to build up His Kingdom. 

3. I think that in the parable of the gospel net, the net represents all those that are reaching out and bringing others into the gospel. It represents the missionaries, the members, even the truths of the gospel that touch people's lives and help them come to the gospel. To be gathered into the net means to become a member of this Church. Then, I think what is represented in verses 48-50 in Matthew 13 is the last days when the wicked and the righteous will be separated. There will be those within and without the church that will be separated and only those who have been faithful to their covenants and the truths of the gospel will not be cast away.