Mark 4
Oh, there are sooooo many things that I could pick from. Once again, we see Jesus in the throws of His ministry. It says that there were so many people gathered around, that He had to get into a boat so that the crowd could gather around Him to hear. Can you imagine what that scene would've looked like? Amazing.
So, two things I'll take from this today: 1) Jesus decided to speak in nothing but parables to the masses. Why? Well, He tells us. But what does it mean, "Lest they should turn and be forgiven"?
Plain and simple.... it's Jesus being candid. Remember, Jesus said, only those that the Father has given Him will turn and repent. I believe that what this means is this: If Jesus just came right out and said everything in plain words, it would be no different than all the other philosophers and teachers of that day. However, by speaking in parables, those who were being drawn would hear these parables and the "seed" that Jesus was scattering, would not fall on shallow or rocky soil. Those who heard Jesus speak and were convicted of the truth, WOULD seek to understand the parables and WOULD turn and repent.
2) We don't know at what point in the ministry this happened, but the scene of Jesus calming the wind.... WOW! We know that Mark is not chronological in order, but I have to think, just by what Jesus says, that this happened a good few weeks into the ministry. They had seen everything that Jesus had been doing, and had heard all of His teachings, and yet, they still were asking who is this man that even the wind submits to His authority. But in the end, I believe that Mark wrote this because he knew that even though we can hear about all Jesus did, and still put our hope and salvation in Him, we would still lack faith at times. It just reminds me that I have to trust EVERYTHING to Him.
Robbie
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As we were speaking about yesterday, I am drawn to think of Abraham in Genesis 22 when he's about to sacrifice Isaac. He let's nothing- NOTHING- stand in his way of his faith in God. We are a "need more information" society. I know that if I was told in today's time, that I needed to prepare my child as an offering, to prove my Faith in God, that I would have to have 1000 questions answered before I even entertained that idea. Unfortunately, I feel like I would be right with the guys in the boat in the Abraham situation. However, with each and every sermon I listen to, with each lesson we further our knowledge with, it's easier to put faith in Him. I would like to say that if I'd been present for all of his teachings and seen all that he had been doing, that I would've had a different reaction to that storm. I know that my faith has carried me through some extremely difficult "storms" in my life, and I strive to strengthen that faith to carry me through what I endure in the future.
ReplyDeleteI have been studying the last few verses of this chapter in a bible study for a couple of weeks. Isn't it amazing how quickly the disciples lost their faith in Jesus at the first sign of trouble? They had already seen Jesus perform miracles and they had seen his power, yet as soon as they were placed in a tough situation, their first reaction was "what about us"?, "don't you care about us?" The disciples let fear take control of their thoughts at the first sign of trouble. To me, this is an example of why it is so important to keep our minds entrenched in the Word and make a conscious effort strengthen our faith in good times and bad. The disciples obviously weren't bad guys, they just hadn't developed a strong enough foundation in their faith at this point in their walk with Christ. It's easy to let fear take over, it's actually a natural response. We have to train ourselves to have a response of trust in God when the fear hits.
ReplyDeleteI thought the "lest they should turn and repent" statement was an interesting one as well. I assume Christ was speaking to a crowd which was a majority Jewish. Suppose they did turn and repent. If Christ ignited the whole nation of Isreal to repent and turn back to God perhaps Christ would not have had to die then, thus taking away the door for the Gentiles. If the Jews were to comprehend Chirst on a profound level the blessing of salvation may not have come to the Gentiles. Just a thought.
ReplyDelete"first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." Makes me wonder what stage we're at.
I read this and so many things pop up in my head. One is the good soil. I wonder sometimes if we rush and try to quicken the process of telling people about God before he has had a chance to really prepare their hearts. I guess I would rather caution on sharing the gospel than not, but at the same time I hope I can help be part of the preparation process that allows someone to hear God for the first time.
ReplyDeleteSecondly I love how God goes away from the crowd with his friends and rests. It's like he wanted to chill. Funny that even in that his friends all freak out and wake him up, but sometimes I like how he makes a point to be alone or at least to have some space from the crowds.
38But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" 39And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?"
ReplyDeleteIt's like we have to see to believe. After everything Jesus has done for us, we still don't fully trust Him to take care of us. We have to see the follow-through, not just the promise. With humans, we have learned not to trust, because a lot of the time, the promise isn't there. With Jesus, we need to learn to trust. Whatever He says is guaranteed to happen. Wait and see.
Lots to talk about in this chapter. The verses in which Jesus explains the parables spoke to me. Often I find myself living verses 15-19 wanting to be in verse 20. It's important that I understand and do whats necessary to make progress. Staying in God's word is progress and my participation in this blog is essential. If not I will be like a boat without anchor.
ReplyDeleteI love the parables because #1 I need them. To me they illustrate truth in daily life more on a level I can understand. In addition, maybe they were a way Jesus could teach openly yet conceal the message? Maybe they were a way of getting through different types of resistance we all have. Funny how often we pass judgement on circumstances and end up condeming ourselves. Jesus was a master at instructing those who chose to follow. I must have ears to hear!!
I found myself focusing on the beginning of the chapter (v1-20), even as I read further. This has always been one of my favorite parables because of its simplicity, and yet its' profound truth.
ReplyDeleteTwo things came to mind as I read:
1) I think many times I seem to lose confidence it my ability to witness, because I am looking to instantly see the "seed" produce a full grown "grain". We can't expect to go around sticking full grown plants in the ground, as we all had a maturation process in our walks with Christ. But also there will be times when my witness will be ignored, or eventually choked out. I can't be discouraged by this as God has a plan (1 Peter 2)
2) I forget sometimes how simple, daily things and many times just my actions, can serve as a "seed". I don't always to have the right words to say, or even the right answers to people's questions, but if they see how I carry myself and live my life with hope, joy, service to others, and love, that can serve as a seed that will prompt others to ask why.
These things don't change the fact that we should be spreading the word of God in the soil of our surroundings, but I was reminded to have confidence that God can use me in many ways to provide the seeds that can produce great things in this world and in His kingdom.
Can you think of people in your life that you have influenced for the kingdom, even though you don't really recall doing too much? I bet you can!
I think I related to the Lamp under the Basket verse the most. I have always struggled with ways to share my faith with others because I think I have felt like that if I started the conversation I better be confident that I can answer any question thrown at me and I know that I still have so much to learn about the bible that I tend to pick and choose my conversations with those that I think I can handle, but according to this verse Im doing exactly what I shouldnt be..Im putting the lamp under a table instead of right up in the middle of it, I should make sure I profess my faith to everyone no matter if I sound intelligent about it or not. I dont have to have all the answers, I just need to be able to explain what it means to me to live this life, each person has to figure their path out for themselves, its not up to me to explain it all. It is up to me to tell what I know and not hide it away.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read about the disciples with Jesus, I find myself putting myself in their shoes and wondering if I would have reacted the same way. We praise the disciples in one breath because many of them dropped everything and followed Jesus at the moment he said "Come." In the next breath, we give them a hard time because they were actually WITH Him and still questioned him. I can't imagine what it must have been like to actually be with Jesus as he spoke in parables and then to get to go "backstage" with him and get all the answers to them!
ReplyDeleteI love the verse where He sleeps in the storm. Jesus did not worry. He knew and trusted God to provide for them. I think I would have been really humbled and faith deepened if I'd been in that boat after Jesus calmed the wind. Hope so, anway.