Mark 4: 21- 25
24 July 2011
A few weeks ago, a king in waiting graced us with His visit – along with his wife, of course. One comment that came back time and again is this. How simple and how ordinary they seemed. They talked to people. They looked genuinely interested in what people were telling them. They dressed like most people – Katherine actually wearing the same dress twice. To royal observers, William and Katherine are the hope for a new, better, accessible and up-to-date monarchy.
Having met Prince Andrew before, I wonder if it is not us, commoners, who are putting the royal family on a pedestal, thinking they are something they are not. I wonder if we do not make their life more complicated by making them something they are not.
It is the same with Christianity. Sometimes, as I sit in my office and read a book or an article towards a sermon or another ministry facet, I ask myself, “Does Christianity has to be so complicated?” There are so many ideas out there, it seems, trying to further explain what it means to be a Christian and what it means to live out one’s faith. I would be curious to know how many books are published on Christianity every week. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was not a dozen or so throughout the world. No wonder Christianity seems complicated.
As I read today’s passage and reflected on it, I don’t think it was Jesus’ intention to make following Him so complicated. Sometimes I wonder if the simplicity of His message is, well, just too simple for us. We have to make it more complicated so as to make it more sophisticated. We try to explain things away which cannot be explained except to say that they are mystery. Or we try to explain things so that Jesus’ words would be more appealing and not so startling.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus revealed a secret. If we want our faith to grow we have to trust God fully. And to trust God is more than just knowledge and more than just hearing the Word. It is to put into practice what Jesus taught and follow the example He gave us in His life. I mentioned that the message of the Good News is understandable. However, putting it into practice is another matter. If we want to grow, be strong and be fruitful, we have no choice but to cultivate the soil of our soils and put into practice God’s word.
Jesus makes the point of this simple secret in the passage we will look at today. It is found in Mark 4: 21- 25. “He said to them, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket, or under the bed, and not on the lamp stand? For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ And he said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’”
What Jesus is saying here is different from what He says in Matthew. In Matthew, Jesus is calling each of us to be a light into a dark world. In this particular instance, Jesus is referring to himself. He is the light and He did not come to be hidden under a basket or a bed. He came to be seen and to show clearly and plainly.
This reinforces what He says through the parable of the sower. In that parable the sower throws the seed liberally, everywhere. Jesus tells us that He came as the light to do the same. He didn’t come to be hidden. He came to shed the light of God’s kingdom all over this world. He came to be put on a lamp stand.
That is pretty easy to understand. It is quite obvious that Jesus did not try to hide the Good News of God’s kingdom during his three years of ministry. The four gospels record that very well. What does that have to do with us understanding what Christianity is all about, you may ask?
I think that when people first heard Mark’s gospel, they understood what or rather who the stand was meant to be. It was them. They were the ones who would hold Jesus high for all to see. And that is another aspect of the Kingdom of God that not all can see or understand.
“’Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’”
These words of Jesus are connected to the parable of the sower. For the more we cultivate our hearts so that the seed of the Good News can grow, the better our soil gets and the more fruitful and strong our faith becomes. Jesus continues that thought by saying that the more we lift up the light of Christ to shine, the higher we are able to let it shine.
You see, I think that the point Jesus is making in this statement is that we are not the light. The light is Jesus Himself. God will make Jesus shine no matter what because this is His plan – that the Good News will be known and will be seen. The challenge that Jesus issues us is this. We are in possession of light. What will we do with it? Will we attempt to hide, extinguish, aim it or let it shine wherever it may?
We have been entrusted with the Good News of the kingdom of God which tells us that God can be trusted for all that we need. The question is, what do we do with this knowledge? Do we live by that trust or do we live, not really trusting that God can and does provide?
What I mean is this: We all have heard that God has promised to provide for our needs. But what kind of provisions do we want? Do we want provisions like that of our neighbour? Are we looking for material provisions so that our lives can be enriched?
We who live in this land of plenty, how would we respond to the people who find themselves in the turmoil of civil war and drought like Somalia? What is the Good News for these people? How would we respond to people who live in China, working long hours, earning little and having to live in industrial cities far away from their homes and are so polluted that it is always hazy outside? What is the Good News there? And what about the farmer in South America who is asked to grow food using chemicals that are harmful to his and his family’s health, cannot read enough to know how to better protect himself and who will never earn enough money to send his children past elementary school? What is the Good News for them?
We who live in Canada are part of the world that cherishes everything that is material. When we think of the Good News, we think of it mostly in terms of benefit. It is something that is bound to give us an advantage, an edge that we wouldn’t have otherwise. And we most often think of the benefit as being material, and if not immediate, then something which will profit us fairly quickly. We are raised to think of the Good News as something that will make us happy and should prevent hardship. We think of the Good News in terms of success as either increasing our knowledge, our possessions and even our status. And the Good News does have a tendency to give us that in this part of the world primarily because of all the potential that exists here.
But Jesus did not address people for the sake of the material world. He addressed people for the sake of the eternal Kingdom. For sure, the Kingdom of God has an impact on the way we live in this material world. But the greater impact is on why we live in this world and what the next world has to offer. This is where justice and equality will ultimately conquer. This is where everyone will be judged according to what they have done with the seeds that were planted in their hearts. This is where it will be measured how well we allowed the light of Christ shine.
For two thirds of the world, this is the Good News. This is what really matters. For our third of the world, we who have been given much materially, I think in many ways we are the ones who have the least because we so quickly lose sight of the eternal message of the Good News. And we lose sight of what it means to truly trust in the providence of God.
May we truly hear what Jesus is saying about His kingdom and what it means to be one of God’s children in this world. May we lift up the light of Jesus high as we endeavour to learn and live as He has taught us.
Friday, July 22, 2011
A Secret Revealed
Mark 4: 1- 20
17 July 2011
One of the comments that I have often heard in the 25 years that I have been in the professional ministry is this: “How can I read the Bible so that it can make sense to me?” In other words, many people shy away from reading what is in the Bible because they are afraid they will not be able to understand what it says. Maybe you are finding yourself in that category. Relax, because you are not alone.
One day, Jesus was teaching people by the lakeside and He told the following parable. I read it last week and I will read it again, so that it is fresh in our memory. “‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen (Mark 4: 1-9 NRSV)!’”
To us, maybe this parable is clear but to Jesus’ closes friends, it certainly wasn’t. As Jesus was teaching, it would appear that they were feeling more and more in the dark. What was Jesus really talking about? What were these things He was talking about, trying to explain what the Kingdom of God was like?
So, “When Jesus was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that “they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven (Mark 4: 10- 12 NRSV).”
Jesus answer is a quotation from the prophet Isaiah (6:9-10). When I first read these words and thought about them, it would seem that God is keeping people in the dark on purpose. To me, that doesn’t make sense. It would be like my parents talking English to each other. I grew up in a French speaking home, both my parents from French speaking parents, grand-parents and so on. But any time my parents wanted to say something that they didn’t want us to hear or to know about, they spoke English to each other. It used to frustrate me. As much as I would plead for them to tell me what they had said to each other, they wouldn’t. Many times they would simply say,” you’ll see.”
Is God speaking a different language so that some people won’t understand Him? Given the generosity of His sowing, this does not make sense. How can God, the sower of the Good News, spread the seed so generously and liberally without paying any attention to where it may land, give messages that cannot be understood? Why spread the seed if is serves no purpose? Let’s see what Jesus answered his friends.
“ And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. The first are the on-the- path-people where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the rocky- ground-people: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those among- the- thorns- people: these are the ones, who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the good- soil- people: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold (Mark 4: 10- 20 NRSV).’”
Nowhere in Jesus’ explanation of the parable does he mention that people don’t understand the Word. Nowhere does He say that the message of the parable is hidden and God purposely hides the message of the Good News from anyone. It seems to be quite the opposite. People hear and people understand. It is what they do with the message that makes the difference.
What Jesus is driving at is this. When the hearer prepares the soil of their hearts properly, their heats, their souls will be fertile. They will produce fruits of the kingdom. However, those who do not have their soil prepared properly will not produce fruit. In fact the Word of God will wither away and die.
Jesus first points out to those who hear but their hearts are so hardened to God that they simply will not allow themselves to believe. They believe what they believe and that is that. Nothing and no one will ever change their minds on the subject. Those of us who have children might remember when they were little, maybe two or three years old. When they have something in mind, nothing can distract them. When a full blown tantrum arises it simply has to run its course. Jesus says that the on-the-path people live so much in the darkness that Satan comes and takes away the seed of Good News as if it never been planted.
Jesus then discusses those who hear the word, receive it, start to grow, but forget to continue to cultivate their soil and enrich it. As soon as hardship arises, their faith weakens. Their trust in God waivers until fear and anxiety takes over and they no longer trust in God. Mark’s listeners would know people like that because they lived in an atmosphere of persecution. Many people had heard the Good News of God and made the decision to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. But as the Romans made their lives difficult and as non followers of Jesus made fun of them and pointed their fingers at them from being different, they let go of their decision and went back to the way they were before.
Indeed, the soil of our hearts needs to be cultivated and enriched if our faith is to grow. Otherwise, at the sight of hardship, we will refuse to believe that God provides. Circumstances will want to tell us that He does not and we will believe that He cannot. In the midst of adversity, believing in God is difficult. Faith requires roots.
The thirds description that Jesus gives is the person who hears the Good News, is interested by it, but gets distracted by life. They really love what they have and the lure of what else they may possess that they let go of the Good News. They only think of the moment or of the immediacy of life. They don’t think of life from an eternal perspective. All they have and will ever have is here or will be here. There is nothing on the other side of this life. And if there is, they are not really concerned about it. I suppose one could say their motto is “Seize the moment.” Perhaps they are the people who hear Jesus saying “Count the cost of following me” and do so, deciding that the cost of following Jesus and living in God’s kingdom is too expansive on this side of life.
The last group of people Jesus mentions are the good- soil people. They are the people who hear the Good News of God and put it in practice. And as they do so, they discover that their faith grows stronger. And the stronger their faith is, the better they are at putting into practice what they hear, the more they understand what Jesus meant by His words.
All week long last week at our VBS, we talked about how upside down God’s Kingdom is. While most people put themselves first, in God’s Kingdom, it is God who is First. While most people put their wants and their desires first, in God’s kingdom, we put other’s needs first. To cultivate good soil for the seed of the Good News is to work on our trust of God.
I told the children last week that the number one thing that God desires for us is that we trust Him – not partially, but fully. This means that I will trust that He will give me what I need for life. I will trust that come what may, He will be there for me. This means that even if I don’t understand my circumstance I will trust that He has not abandoned me.
To trust God, it also implies that I believe in the direction He gives me for living. It implies that I trust his rules for living are the right ones, even if they are different from the ones my society believes. For example, our world tells us that to make it in the world we need all kinds of resources and education. Not that education and resources are bad or not necessary, but that is not what we need to make it in life. I have know people who had more resources and education than they knew what to do with. Still they were not content with life. They keep looking for more. And I have known people who have very little, financially and education, yet, they are the most secure, the most joyful people I have met. Why? It is because they have discovered the secret of life in God. And they cultivate the trust they have in God.
Cultivating the soil that is in our heart requires that we trust in God. And as I trust God, I can allow Him to use me to seed those around me. I seed other people by thinking of them before I think of myself. I think of the resources that I have been given and instead of seeing them as my reward for a job well done, as see them as a gift to be shared. You see, I am nothing more than a steward, as custodian of the resources given to me. I understand that God gives me so that I can give back. He gives me time that I use not just for my endeavours but for others too. He gives me talents in various areas for the purpose of using them to His glory. He has given me life to be a blessing to those around me.
I often reflect when I go to Evergreen to lead a worship service there, about the resident. Many don’t seem to be aware of their surroundings anymore. It would be easy for me to say how terrible of an ordeal this is. What possible purpose could there be in life like that? And I am brought back to the gift they give me. They allow me to love unconditionally. They allow me to learn about patience and about the value of the basic life. They remind me that every person in this world is a child of God and deserving of His love. And as I give, I receive their blessing too. There is a man that lives there who, at first glance, seems to be oblivious to me being there or even to participate in a church service. Yet, every time, after the service, when I go around shaking hands or touching a shoulder, he responds. And I know it was of value for him to be there and for me to have been there.
What I am saying, and I think this is what Jesus wants us to know, is that the soil that exists in our heart is ours to cultivate. God does not make it difficult for us to receive the seed of His unconditional love. What makes it difficult for us to make it grow is whether we cultivate our soil or not. Faith does not grow by itself. Although God will make the seed grow, this growth is dependent upon our cultivation and feeding of the soil. And this is all about putting into practice what we hear.
To grow in faith then, is a matter of simple belief, hard work and more hard work. But as a farmer enjoys the yield of their work, so do we when we not only put our trust in God but put that trust to work – actually believing that He provides, guides, and loves as we love, live and think the way Jesus has taught us to. And that is the secret that Jesus revealed in this parable.
Our faith will not grow through knowledge of God alone. It can only grow by practicing what we learn from Him.
17 July 2011
One of the comments that I have often heard in the 25 years that I have been in the professional ministry is this: “How can I read the Bible so that it can make sense to me?” In other words, many people shy away from reading what is in the Bible because they are afraid they will not be able to understand what it says. Maybe you are finding yourself in that category. Relax, because you are not alone.
One day, Jesus was teaching people by the lakeside and He told the following parable. I read it last week and I will read it again, so that it is fresh in our memory. “‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen (Mark 4: 1-9 NRSV)!’”
To us, maybe this parable is clear but to Jesus’ closes friends, it certainly wasn’t. As Jesus was teaching, it would appear that they were feeling more and more in the dark. What was Jesus really talking about? What were these things He was talking about, trying to explain what the Kingdom of God was like?
So, “When Jesus was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that “they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven (Mark 4: 10- 12 NRSV).”
Jesus answer is a quotation from the prophet Isaiah (6:9-10). When I first read these words and thought about them, it would seem that God is keeping people in the dark on purpose. To me, that doesn’t make sense. It would be like my parents talking English to each other. I grew up in a French speaking home, both my parents from French speaking parents, grand-parents and so on. But any time my parents wanted to say something that they didn’t want us to hear or to know about, they spoke English to each other. It used to frustrate me. As much as I would plead for them to tell me what they had said to each other, they wouldn’t. Many times they would simply say,” you’ll see.”
Is God speaking a different language so that some people won’t understand Him? Given the generosity of His sowing, this does not make sense. How can God, the sower of the Good News, spread the seed so generously and liberally without paying any attention to where it may land, give messages that cannot be understood? Why spread the seed if is serves no purpose? Let’s see what Jesus answered his friends.
“ And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. The first are the on-the- path-people where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the rocky- ground-people: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those among- the- thorns- people: these are the ones, who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the good- soil- people: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold (Mark 4: 10- 20 NRSV).’”
Nowhere in Jesus’ explanation of the parable does he mention that people don’t understand the Word. Nowhere does He say that the message of the parable is hidden and God purposely hides the message of the Good News from anyone. It seems to be quite the opposite. People hear and people understand. It is what they do with the message that makes the difference.
What Jesus is driving at is this. When the hearer prepares the soil of their hearts properly, their heats, their souls will be fertile. They will produce fruits of the kingdom. However, those who do not have their soil prepared properly will not produce fruit. In fact the Word of God will wither away and die.
Jesus first points out to those who hear but their hearts are so hardened to God that they simply will not allow themselves to believe. They believe what they believe and that is that. Nothing and no one will ever change their minds on the subject. Those of us who have children might remember when they were little, maybe two or three years old. When they have something in mind, nothing can distract them. When a full blown tantrum arises it simply has to run its course. Jesus says that the on-the-path people live so much in the darkness that Satan comes and takes away the seed of Good News as if it never been planted.
Jesus then discusses those who hear the word, receive it, start to grow, but forget to continue to cultivate their soil and enrich it. As soon as hardship arises, their faith weakens. Their trust in God waivers until fear and anxiety takes over and they no longer trust in God. Mark’s listeners would know people like that because they lived in an atmosphere of persecution. Many people had heard the Good News of God and made the decision to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. But as the Romans made their lives difficult and as non followers of Jesus made fun of them and pointed their fingers at them from being different, they let go of their decision and went back to the way they were before.
Indeed, the soil of our hearts needs to be cultivated and enriched if our faith is to grow. Otherwise, at the sight of hardship, we will refuse to believe that God provides. Circumstances will want to tell us that He does not and we will believe that He cannot. In the midst of adversity, believing in God is difficult. Faith requires roots.
The thirds description that Jesus gives is the person who hears the Good News, is interested by it, but gets distracted by life. They really love what they have and the lure of what else they may possess that they let go of the Good News. They only think of the moment or of the immediacy of life. They don’t think of life from an eternal perspective. All they have and will ever have is here or will be here. There is nothing on the other side of this life. And if there is, they are not really concerned about it. I suppose one could say their motto is “Seize the moment.” Perhaps they are the people who hear Jesus saying “Count the cost of following me” and do so, deciding that the cost of following Jesus and living in God’s kingdom is too expansive on this side of life.
The last group of people Jesus mentions are the good- soil people. They are the people who hear the Good News of God and put it in practice. And as they do so, they discover that their faith grows stronger. And the stronger their faith is, the better they are at putting into practice what they hear, the more they understand what Jesus meant by His words.
All week long last week at our VBS, we talked about how upside down God’s Kingdom is. While most people put themselves first, in God’s Kingdom, it is God who is First. While most people put their wants and their desires first, in God’s kingdom, we put other’s needs first. To cultivate good soil for the seed of the Good News is to work on our trust of God.
I told the children last week that the number one thing that God desires for us is that we trust Him – not partially, but fully. This means that I will trust that He will give me what I need for life. I will trust that come what may, He will be there for me. This means that even if I don’t understand my circumstance I will trust that He has not abandoned me.
To trust God, it also implies that I believe in the direction He gives me for living. It implies that I trust his rules for living are the right ones, even if they are different from the ones my society believes. For example, our world tells us that to make it in the world we need all kinds of resources and education. Not that education and resources are bad or not necessary, but that is not what we need to make it in life. I have know people who had more resources and education than they knew what to do with. Still they were not content with life. They keep looking for more. And I have known people who have very little, financially and education, yet, they are the most secure, the most joyful people I have met. Why? It is because they have discovered the secret of life in God. And they cultivate the trust they have in God.
Cultivating the soil that is in our heart requires that we trust in God. And as I trust God, I can allow Him to use me to seed those around me. I seed other people by thinking of them before I think of myself. I think of the resources that I have been given and instead of seeing them as my reward for a job well done, as see them as a gift to be shared. You see, I am nothing more than a steward, as custodian of the resources given to me. I understand that God gives me so that I can give back. He gives me time that I use not just for my endeavours but for others too. He gives me talents in various areas for the purpose of using them to His glory. He has given me life to be a blessing to those around me.
I often reflect when I go to Evergreen to lead a worship service there, about the resident. Many don’t seem to be aware of their surroundings anymore. It would be easy for me to say how terrible of an ordeal this is. What possible purpose could there be in life like that? And I am brought back to the gift they give me. They allow me to love unconditionally. They allow me to learn about patience and about the value of the basic life. They remind me that every person in this world is a child of God and deserving of His love. And as I give, I receive their blessing too. There is a man that lives there who, at first glance, seems to be oblivious to me being there or even to participate in a church service. Yet, every time, after the service, when I go around shaking hands or touching a shoulder, he responds. And I know it was of value for him to be there and for me to have been there.
What I am saying, and I think this is what Jesus wants us to know, is that the soil that exists in our heart is ours to cultivate. God does not make it difficult for us to receive the seed of His unconditional love. What makes it difficult for us to make it grow is whether we cultivate our soil or not. Faith does not grow by itself. Although God will make the seed grow, this growth is dependent upon our cultivation and feeding of the soil. And this is all about putting into practice what we hear.
To grow in faith then, is a matter of simple belief, hard work and more hard work. But as a farmer enjoys the yield of their work, so do we when we not only put our trust in God but put that trust to work – actually believing that He provides, guides, and loves as we love, live and think the way Jesus has taught us to. And that is the secret that Jesus revealed in this parable.
Our faith will not grow through knowledge of God alone. It can only grow by practicing what we learn from Him.
True Generosity
Mark 4: 1- 9
10 July 2011
The parable of the sower – a well known and often told story found in three of the four gospels. There is much to say about this story Jesus told to those who were with Him that day. But before I say anything about it, let me read it to you, as Mark understood it.
“Again [Jesus] began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’”
I will continue on the rest of the story next week, because Jesus actually gave an interpretation to what He said. But this week, I want to focus on one aspect of the parable, and that is, the sower.
I don’t know how many farmers you know that purposely send seed on rocky paths, rocky grounds and unprepared fields? I don’t really know any. Of course, you’re bound to have some seed that falls in the wrong place, but most of it goes where it is intended to go. It seems that in this story, there is an equal amount of seed that is spread everywhere, even if it is known that the seed will not produce anything.
I was walking in a field a few weeks ago and I can attest that the seed was planted in the right place. The corn was growing inside the boundary of the field and there was none growing on the rocky path and none on the edges where grass was growing. Mind you, back in Jesus’ days, there were no mechanical equipment to seed fields. Still, even through broadcasting the seed by hands. One would be careful to sow where the seed will grow best.
So why would the sower be so indiscriminate in his sowing? Could it be that he didn’t care where the seed would fall because he believed that the seed has as much chance to grow in the path as in the prepared field?
Of course, when Jesus told this parable, His hearers knew He was either talking about Himself as the sower, or He was talking about God as the sower. Although the sower holds the smallest part in this story, His role is nonetheless an important one. It speaks of His generosity and indiscriminate sowing. No matter how the seed will respond to the soil condition, the seed is spread. No matter what the soil looks like, the seed is spread.
This reminds me of what Jesus said at another time: God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5: 45). God treats everyone the same on this side of heaven. His love, His care, His Word and His providence is available to anyone and everyone. He does not look at someone and say, “I’m not so sure that you like me, so I won’t be kind to you today.” Neither does he look upon some people and says, “I don’t like the look of you so you better not expect anything from me, ever.” He doesn’t say either, “I can’t trust you because you’ve hurt me before, so I’m just going to ignore you.” No, God keeps giving and giving without counting. He gives indiscriminately. Whether we are a terrorist or a church goer, whether we are a Christians, a Muslim a Hindu, whether we are a clean living person or a hardened criminal, God offers His same love, His same offer of salvation and transformation. I know that for us humans, this is hard to understand, let alone believe. But God is God.
The other thing in this parable that concerns the sower, is that the original people who read or heard the Gospel according to Mark knew that the sower was not only God and Jesus. They knew that the sower also meant them. For they too were now entrusted with God’s message of Good News. They realised that it was also their duty to scatter the seed indiscriminately. Mark wants you to know that you are a sower too.
This week, this is what we will be doing at our church. We will sow the seed of God’s upside down kingdom to the children God will entrust us with. I trust that you will partner with those who will be here with the children by praying for them and that you will also pray for the children themselves and their families.
This morning, you will also sow seeds of a different kind as you search for God’s will for this congregation. In a few moments, you will be introduced to a candidate for the position of Associate Pastor of Children and Youth. As you listen to him do so prayerfully to see if this is indeed the person you believe God has sent to nurture the children, youth and their families that God entrusts us with.
May God bless our sower and may he stir us to continue the spreading of His Good News wherever we are.
10 July 2011
The parable of the sower – a well known and often told story found in three of the four gospels. There is much to say about this story Jesus told to those who were with Him that day. But before I say anything about it, let me read it to you, as Mark understood it.
“Again [Jesus] began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’”
I will continue on the rest of the story next week, because Jesus actually gave an interpretation to what He said. But this week, I want to focus on one aspect of the parable, and that is, the sower.
I don’t know how many farmers you know that purposely send seed on rocky paths, rocky grounds and unprepared fields? I don’t really know any. Of course, you’re bound to have some seed that falls in the wrong place, but most of it goes where it is intended to go. It seems that in this story, there is an equal amount of seed that is spread everywhere, even if it is known that the seed will not produce anything.
I was walking in a field a few weeks ago and I can attest that the seed was planted in the right place. The corn was growing inside the boundary of the field and there was none growing on the rocky path and none on the edges where grass was growing. Mind you, back in Jesus’ days, there were no mechanical equipment to seed fields. Still, even through broadcasting the seed by hands. One would be careful to sow where the seed will grow best.
So why would the sower be so indiscriminate in his sowing? Could it be that he didn’t care where the seed would fall because he believed that the seed has as much chance to grow in the path as in the prepared field?
Of course, when Jesus told this parable, His hearers knew He was either talking about Himself as the sower, or He was talking about God as the sower. Although the sower holds the smallest part in this story, His role is nonetheless an important one. It speaks of His generosity and indiscriminate sowing. No matter how the seed will respond to the soil condition, the seed is spread. No matter what the soil looks like, the seed is spread.
This reminds me of what Jesus said at another time: God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 5: 45). God treats everyone the same on this side of heaven. His love, His care, His Word and His providence is available to anyone and everyone. He does not look at someone and say, “I’m not so sure that you like me, so I won’t be kind to you today.” Neither does he look upon some people and says, “I don’t like the look of you so you better not expect anything from me, ever.” He doesn’t say either, “I can’t trust you because you’ve hurt me before, so I’m just going to ignore you.” No, God keeps giving and giving without counting. He gives indiscriminately. Whether we are a terrorist or a church goer, whether we are a Christians, a Muslim a Hindu, whether we are a clean living person or a hardened criminal, God offers His same love, His same offer of salvation and transformation. I know that for us humans, this is hard to understand, let alone believe. But God is God.
The other thing in this parable that concerns the sower, is that the original people who read or heard the Gospel according to Mark knew that the sower was not only God and Jesus. They knew that the sower also meant them. For they too were now entrusted with God’s message of Good News. They realised that it was also their duty to scatter the seed indiscriminately. Mark wants you to know that you are a sower too.
This week, this is what we will be doing at our church. We will sow the seed of God’s upside down kingdom to the children God will entrust us with. I trust that you will partner with those who will be here with the children by praying for them and that you will also pray for the children themselves and their families.
This morning, you will also sow seeds of a different kind as you search for God’s will for this congregation. In a few moments, you will be introduced to a candidate for the position of Associate Pastor of Children and Youth. As you listen to him do so prayerfully to see if this is indeed the person you believe God has sent to nurture the children, youth and their families that God entrusts us with.
May God bless our sower and may he stir us to continue the spreading of His Good News wherever we are.
Are You In or Out?
Mark 3: 31- 34
3 July 2011
“Then Jesus went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ And Jesus called them to him, and spoke to them in parables. ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
‘Truly, I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but who ever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’ – for they said, ‘He had an unclean spirit.’
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘You mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.’ And Jesus replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother (Mark 3: 19b- 34).’”
This is such busy passage that I decided to split it in two. I said last week that there is a common thread in this event and the thread is really a question. What do we make of Jesus? Last week I focused on Jesus pronouncement that all sins and blasphemies are forgivable except for the one against the Holy Spirit. I said that this blasphemy is a total rejection of God in Christ. Indeed, when someone denies that God could possibly be in Jesus, it is to deny who God is and what He can do.
This week I want to focus on Jesus’ family. As I mentioned last week, Jesus’ mother and his brothers thought He was out of His mind. He had gone insane, not eating, not looking after Himself and making the religious authority upset. They – and they should know – had pronounced Him to be nothing but the devil himself. It goes to reason that they wanted to take him away to save him from himself.
But as they arrived to the house where Jesus was healing exorcising and teaching, they couldn’t get in. There were too many people there. So they were stuck outside. I think the imagery of Jesus’ mother and brother standing outside the house, unable to get in, is more than just physical. I think Mark wants us to know that because of what his family thought He was. And because they believed God was not in Him they now stood outside of a relationship with Him. This is quite something to think that Jesus’ own family was now on the outside because of their unbelief that He was God’s very Son.
As they were unable to enter the house, they sent word to Jesus that his family wanted to see him. What Jesus answers is even more disturbing. “My mother and brothers are looking for me? What are you talking about my family is looking for me? You who do the will of God are my mother and brothers.”
I have often been troubled by this passage. How can Jesus disown His own family – his own mother and brothers? What had they done that was so terrible that He would reject them? The answer, I am afraid is as simple as it is distressing. He disowned them because they didn’t believe who he was.
I say this is distressing because if he can quickly disown his own mother and brothers, can the same happen to me? I know the answer, and I think you do too. He can. No matter what we wish the answer to be, this event clearly shows what it takes to be in the house – or the kingdom -- and part of the family. It takes belief.
In order to be part of the kingdom of God -- and part of God’s family we have to believe that God did indeed send Jesus and that He is who He says He is. That is the first fundamental step into His family. It is not doing good things. It is not being a good person. It is not to living a good and honest life, not cheating others. It is not being kind to others. The very first step into God’s family and his kingdom is faith. It is belief that God is at work in the world and part of that work is Jesus, the Christ.
But that is not to say that this is the end of the story. This is not to mean that this is all there is for us to be part of the kingdom. There is an “and” – and it is a large one at that. The “and” of the believe is to do God’s will. It is to put into practice our faith.
Faith tells us that God can be trusted to provide. Do we really trust Him to do that? Faith tells us that what we need above all for our lives is a healthy relationship with God. Do seek to foster that relationship through spending time with God, either in prayer or meditation? Faith tells us that God wants us to live a certain way to foster our relationship with Him. Do we seek to find out how He wants us to live and then put what we learn into practice? Do we love, care, forgive, and bring healing, peace and justice the way God does? Or do we have other priorities that take over?
Notwithstanding the fact that we remain broken human beings thus susceptible to fail, is it our priority to live with God and for God? That is what faith is all about. It is the commitment to follow God – and Jesus. But faith is not enough by itself. If we are committed to God, then does it show in the way we live, in the choices we make and in the things we do? If it does, then Jesus gives us a clear assurance. We are in.
I know this is a rather terse statement to make, but I sincerely believe that this is exactly what Jesus is saying through his mother and brothers. They stood outside because not only did they not believe in who He was, they did not follow Him either. And I think that Mark is pushing the point further by making sure those who read his gospel see where Mary and her other sons stood. They stood outside the house.
Once again, Mark asks: Where do you stand when it comes to Jesus? Are you in or are you standing outside? The decision can only be yours.
3 July 2011
“Then Jesus went home; and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, ‘He has gone out of his mind.’ And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, ‘He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.’ And Jesus called them to him, and spoke to them in parables. ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, it cannot stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.
‘Truly, I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but who ever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin’ – for they said, ‘He had an unclean spirit.’
Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘You mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.’ And Jesus replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother (Mark 3: 19b- 34).’”
This is such busy passage that I decided to split it in two. I said last week that there is a common thread in this event and the thread is really a question. What do we make of Jesus? Last week I focused on Jesus pronouncement that all sins and blasphemies are forgivable except for the one against the Holy Spirit. I said that this blasphemy is a total rejection of God in Christ. Indeed, when someone denies that God could possibly be in Jesus, it is to deny who God is and what He can do.
This week I want to focus on Jesus’ family. As I mentioned last week, Jesus’ mother and his brothers thought He was out of His mind. He had gone insane, not eating, not looking after Himself and making the religious authority upset. They – and they should know – had pronounced Him to be nothing but the devil himself. It goes to reason that they wanted to take him away to save him from himself.
But as they arrived to the house where Jesus was healing exorcising and teaching, they couldn’t get in. There were too many people there. So they were stuck outside. I think the imagery of Jesus’ mother and brother standing outside the house, unable to get in, is more than just physical. I think Mark wants us to know that because of what his family thought He was. And because they believed God was not in Him they now stood outside of a relationship with Him. This is quite something to think that Jesus’ own family was now on the outside because of their unbelief that He was God’s very Son.
As they were unable to enter the house, they sent word to Jesus that his family wanted to see him. What Jesus answers is even more disturbing. “My mother and brothers are looking for me? What are you talking about my family is looking for me? You who do the will of God are my mother and brothers.”
I have often been troubled by this passage. How can Jesus disown His own family – his own mother and brothers? What had they done that was so terrible that He would reject them? The answer, I am afraid is as simple as it is distressing. He disowned them because they didn’t believe who he was.
I say this is distressing because if he can quickly disown his own mother and brothers, can the same happen to me? I know the answer, and I think you do too. He can. No matter what we wish the answer to be, this event clearly shows what it takes to be in the house – or the kingdom -- and part of the family. It takes belief.
In order to be part of the kingdom of God -- and part of God’s family we have to believe that God did indeed send Jesus and that He is who He says He is. That is the first fundamental step into His family. It is not doing good things. It is not being a good person. It is not to living a good and honest life, not cheating others. It is not being kind to others. The very first step into God’s family and his kingdom is faith. It is belief that God is at work in the world and part of that work is Jesus, the Christ.
But that is not to say that this is the end of the story. This is not to mean that this is all there is for us to be part of the kingdom. There is an “and” – and it is a large one at that. The “and” of the believe is to do God’s will. It is to put into practice our faith.
Faith tells us that God can be trusted to provide. Do we really trust Him to do that? Faith tells us that what we need above all for our lives is a healthy relationship with God. Do seek to foster that relationship through spending time with God, either in prayer or meditation? Faith tells us that God wants us to live a certain way to foster our relationship with Him. Do we seek to find out how He wants us to live and then put what we learn into practice? Do we love, care, forgive, and bring healing, peace and justice the way God does? Or do we have other priorities that take over?
Notwithstanding the fact that we remain broken human beings thus susceptible to fail, is it our priority to live with God and for God? That is what faith is all about. It is the commitment to follow God – and Jesus. But faith is not enough by itself. If we are committed to God, then does it show in the way we live, in the choices we make and in the things we do? If it does, then Jesus gives us a clear assurance. We are in.
I know this is a rather terse statement to make, but I sincerely believe that this is exactly what Jesus is saying through his mother and brothers. They stood outside because not only did they not believe in who He was, they did not follow Him either. And I think that Mark is pushing the point further by making sure those who read his gospel see where Mary and her other sons stood. They stood outside the house.
Once again, Mark asks: Where do you stand when it comes to Jesus? Are you in or are you standing outside? The decision can only be yours.