Feb. 20

Mark 4

I often wonder why did Jesus teach in Parables?  Wouldn't it be easier if He just told us what He meant so we'd have a better chance of understanding?  The word parable comes from the idea "to set along side".  So the idea of Jesus speaking in Parables is meant for these illustrations to run parallel to the disciples lives (and ours) setting spiritual truth alongside daily living.  So as we read about seeds falling and spreading, being choked or taking root, Jesus is teaching us about fundamental Kingdom principles which are foundations for our lives, just as they were for the disciples.  Seeds, (The Word of God), work invisibly within us.  We can hear the Word or we can speak the Word, either way, depending on how it's received, it's up to God to grow the seeds as only He can.  Much like our prayers, we just have to trust the process. Jesus said that the Parable of the soils was a key for understanding other Parables, why?  I think Jesus is trying to show us that the Word of God works with His hidden and mysterious power, beyond what we can see or understand.  Perhaps the Parable of the mustard seed isn't so much about the size of the seed that we can barely see and we can't see grow, but about the size of our faith. Interestingly, the very same day that Jesus talks about these Kingdom principles and about faith, He tells the disciples, "let's cross over to the other side" referring to the water where satan would try to drown Him and His disciples.  Jesus didn't say "let's see if we will make it to the other side", which makes me think the One who knows the beginning and the end knew this storm was ahead of Him and perhaps was hoping that the disciples would have faith to get to the other side, considering Jesus just spent a day talking about it.  As I'm reading all of this, I see myself in the boat with the disciples.  A storm comes and my first response is "Lord we're perishing!"  Wait though, didn't we just read about faith?  Jesus was asleep, He wasn't even paying attention to the storm.  It wasn't the violent storm that woke Him, it was the hysterical disciples who He just got finished talking to about The Word being planted within them and growing faith being principles of God's Kingdom.  These guys were experienced fishermen, they knew what to do, How we perceive reality determines how we behave.  In that moment, they perceived "perishing".  Jesus told them when they first got in the boat, "let's cross", but they lost sight of their destination.  Don't we do the same?  I know I do.  Jesus' death on the cross made every promise in the Bible "Yes and Amen" and yet, the enemy slips into my mind and says "what if?"   My prayer for all of us it that by the power of God's Holy Spirit which lives within us, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.  I pray we are never afraid to go where Jesus leads us. I pray that the same mysterious power that makes seeds grow is the power that works within us to grow our faith and our lives are rooted, in Kingdom principles.

Randi