Mark 4:35-41 Jesus is about The Journey
The destination is important, but it’s the journey where the good stuff happens that makes the destination so beautiful, so desirable. It’s the journey where you learn about God. Think about the exodus. If it was so important for the Israelites to be in the land God promised them, they could have walked there in a matter of days, or God could have “beamed” them there. But God had them spend 40 years out in the desert. Evidently, the path is a necessary part of the promise. The way is important.
Rembrandt's view of the storm Jesus was sleeping through. How many times I have felt like those guys ... working my butt off through chaos and Jesus quiets it all with a few words.
In this little journey across the lake, Jesus reveals a little more of himself to his chosen boys. Just when they think death is imminent, they wake him up. With sleepy eyes and a yawn, he says a few words and the chaos that was threatening them stopped. But it was this hidden power in Jesus that really scared them … more than the wind and waves. They suddenly realized they had underestimated him. They thought they had him pegged. They thought they had him figured out, but they didn’t.
I think we ought to put ourselves in the disciples’ sandals and learn something from their journey with Jesus:
- Storms and choas don’t bother Jesus. He’s a heavy sleeper who is confident in God.
- Jesus cared for people and will save us from harm.
- He used this as an opportunity to teach them. What did he ask them about? He was concerned about their faith and their fears.
- They thought they understood everything about Jesus, but they didn’t. (This is my favorite part of the story. I too have underestimated God, and when he “woke up” and saved me from some threatening situation, he blew my doors off. The situation became tiny compared to my God who flexed his muscles just a little.)
THINK:
- Which would have frightened you more? The storm or Jesus?
- How do you react to Jesus when he seems to be asleep in your life?
- In your journey right now, what is Jesus teaching you about himself?
Mark 4:21-34 Parables of light and seeds
Jesus is teaching the crowd again. He basically tells 2 parables … and neither one of them is something we do well:
- Explain and tell the gospel to others
- Mature.
Parable #1: (vs 21-25) Lamps and their purpose
Jesus wrapped up the soil and seed parable by explaining that people who truly have had the message take root in them and who will not let it be choked out by the cares of this life … they will explain the message to others (vs 15-20). Jesus’ next parable is related.
He simply asks questions about what is the best way for a lamp to shed light. The light is the message of the kingdom. The Message, by Eugene Peterson, captures verse 22 well, “We’re not keeping secrets, we’re telling them; we’re not hiding things, we’re bringing them out into the open.” This message is too good to keep to ourselves.
And, the more liberal we are in sharing the gospel and the gifts of God, the more liberal God will be toward us.
God doesn’t leave this message to be taught and explained by angels. This is our job as disciples and followers. We are the ones to shine the light or spread the seed … whatever analogy you want to use. We who have been changed by Jesus are the ones to tell others about what Jesus can do for them. This is not the job of TV or internet evangelists.
Parable #2: (vs 26-34) Seeds slowly mature
These parables about the seeds show how the kingdom of God makes progress in the world and in us individually. When the message of the kingdom has good soil in a soul where it can develop roots, it will mature into a full grown plant … slowly.
From seed to sprout ... and a lot of growth to come. Notice the depth of the roots compared to the height of the plant?
Of all the miracles Jesus did, he never laid his hand on a child and said, “Become an adult this instant!” He left that process to nature. And the kingdom is the same way. It is slow growth in a person. The growth is always slow and gradual: first the blade; then the ear; after that the full corn in the ear. Did I mention it being slow?
This is an ancient God we serve. From what I’ve experienced, he is not into speed or comfort … he’s into thoroughness and process. Many people get frustrated with the slowness of God, his not answering their prayers, and his not explaining menial things to them like what happened to dinosaurs.
Don’t rush the process God has you in. We won’t understand it all in the beginning, and even less the more we learn. That sentence makes sense to mature believers.
We need to keep our eyes on him and his promises, really do our part, and be content with the growth as he does it in us. It is his word and Spirit working in us.
THINK:
- In terms of the light of Christ, are you a 20, 75, or 200 watt light bulb? Or are you a burned out bulb? Why?
- What does the parable of the mustard seed teach about God’s kingdom? What evidence of growth have you seen in the last year?
- Does knowing that the growth of the kingdom is ultimately in God’s hands cause you to rest or work more? Why?
- At what stage is the kingdom in your life now? Still a seed? Sprouting? Outgrowing the weeds? Producing a harvest?
Mark 4:1-20 Jesus confuses people
What a serene scene! Jesus gets into a small boat and pushes out a bit and anchors so he can teach the very interested and large crowd. HIs words travel easily on the water, so he doesn’t have to raise his voice. Everyone lines the water’s edge in anticipation of a life-changing message. Seagulls flap overhead in a gentle wind. It’s just Jesus, the gulls, the waves lapping the shore (remember it’s a lake, not an ocean). But shortly into his teaching, there was one other sound.
Across the crowd, a deep exhale takes place. This sigh is audible confusion. I think maybe a few people were thinking, “Hey, the chosen one isn’t the best teacher. Do you get anything he’s saying?”
Dirt? Seeds? Birds? Rocks? Crops? And Jesus wraps up his very impacting sermon with this dandy, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
I wonder if Jesus wrestled with low self esteem after preaching? Did he wonder if people got it? Were enough lives changed? Was anybody changed? As a pastor I know the angst of not clearly communicating something that I earnestly want to, but I’m still clueless as to why Jesus taught this, when he only wanted the 12 to understand it (vs 11).
At first, even the 12 golden boys didn’t get what the heck Jesus was saying. So they kindly waited until Jesus finished his “clear as mud” sermon and asked what it meant. This happened a lot. Many times, they waited patiently until everyone was gone, and then asked Jesus, “What were you really trying to say back there?”
I love it when people in our church ask me that after a message. At least I know they are interested in what I was trying to convey.
Matthew 13:1-23 records this same parable. In my opinion, it’s easier to understand when reading Matthew 13:18-23. The basics are these:
- The seed is the message about God’s Kingdom: it is here, how to enter, how to live inside it, why you will like it, etc.
- The 4 different soils are different people.
- Packed soil is a path, where the seeds just gets eaten by birds. These are people who hear about the kingdom but don’t understand. Satan comes along and takes away what they heard.
- Rocky soil receives the seed and produces a plant, but it can’t develop roots because of the rocks, it is short lived. These are people who receive the truth and are joyful about it, but because they aren’t rooted, when trouble comes, they quickly fall away.
- Thorny soil receives the seed, but its necessary nutrients are stolen by the thorns. These are people who receive the truth, but their worries about life and security and their desire for other things choke out the message of the kingdom.
- Good soil receives the seed and produces a large crop. These are people who hear the message and receive it. Because the seed is the message or the word about the kingdom of God, they create more seeds. This means that good soil people will produce a hundred times more seed that what they received. They will be people who create opportunities for other people to hear the message.
THINK:
- What are the thorns/worries in your life that choke out your spiritual life?
- What are the stones in your life that keep you from growing spiritual roots?
- What do you know about the birds that try to steal the messages of God’s kingdom in your life?
- How do we change what kind of soil we are? Are we doomed to always be the same? What steps could you take to improve the soil of your spiritual life?
- What crop does Jesus want to yield?
