Tag Archives: parables

MARK’S GOSPEL …FORGIVENESS – 13

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10] When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. [11] He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables [12] so that, “ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ ”

The parable of the sower is a familiar story among Jesus’ parables, but the purpose of His parables perhaps not so well known or understood. This is where we part company with Jesus in His attitude to followers. 

If we were Jesus, we would want as many people as possible to follow us. We would make it as easy as possible to gather disciples, even lowering the standard if necessary to attract people to our cause.

Not Jesus! He was after quality, not quantity. His stories were intended to sort out the “sheep” from the “goats”. He was not interested in gathering casual followers or freeloaders. Following Him was serious and costly, as His disciples would discover when they were left to carry the torch for Him.

So, what did He mean by His explanation? First, the story itself was significant. Only approximately one quarter of the farmer’s seed fell into suitable soil. Three quarters of the seed was wasted and unproductive because the ground was either too hard, too stony, or too overgrown with weeds.

For the disciples, this meant that they should not anticipate a harvest from every seed they sowed. Most of their labour would be wasted. They should not expect anything else.

On the contrary, as in Jesus’ ministry, so in theirs, the very 
preaching of the message would harden the hearts of those who refused to believe.

“…But to those on the outside everything is said in parables [12] so that, “ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ ”

Jesus made it as difficult as possible for people to believe in Him so that those who followed Him would do so because they were convinced that He was who He said He was and that following Him meant all or nothing.

How different from much of today’s preaching! People are invited to follow Jesus for what He can do for them.. and when He doesn’t, they fall away or follow from a distance because He disappointed them.

What Jesus said sounds as though He didn’t want people to be forgiven. I think He meant that His forgiveness was not cheap. He did not want to dispense forgiveness that cost Him His life to people who would treat His gift lightly.

So, what do we gather from this parable and its interpretation?

Following Jesus is a serious and all-consuming business. To the would-be disciple, it means dying to self daily, setting aside all selfish and self-centred desires to love and obey the Master. When we receive Jesus as Lord, we commit to Him as our Supreme Authority.

Perhaps Francis Ridley Havergal’s well-known hymn says it best…

1. Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise.

2. Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.

3. Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee.

4. Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose.

5. Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.

6. Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.

Author: Frances Ridley Havergal
Source: https://www.hymnary.org

THE MYSTERY OF THE TREES

Christian Life, ,

THE MYSTERY OF THE TREES

I have often puzzled over the account of the Fall in Genesis 3. It’s a weird story if we take it literally. It’s no wonder sceptics question the truth of Scripture and read the story as a myth. Some of us simply ignore ordinary good common sense and believe the details as though they actually happened.

There is much in Scripture that is figurative, symbolic and makes no sense if taken literally.

Is this practice of interpreting everything literally a valid way of understanding the Bible? If so, then we must read every parable Jesus told as a literal story, and miss the deeper spiritual truths He was teaching.

One of His purposes for teaching in parables was to separate the casual hearer who had no intention of responding from the earnest listener who desired to have more of the truth. 

“He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding, otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven!’  … “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.  Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

Mark 4:11-12, 24-25 NIV

Hebrew people interpreted according to function, not form: for example, God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock and covered him with His hand. However, God is Spirit. He does not have hands, wings, feathers etc., according to the descriptions of Him in the Bible. To take this action of God literally would contradict who He is.

So, how do we interpret these details? Hebrews would ask the question, “What does a hand do? “, not,” What does a hand look like?”

What if the fruit trees in the Garden of Eden were not literal trees but something else with far bigger implications? What if they are symbolic of a theme that runs through the whole Bible?

“Fruit” in Scripture is often used of the consequences of words and actions, e.g.,

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.”

Proverbs 11:30 NIV

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Proverbs 18:21 NIV

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,…”

Galatians 5:22 NIV

God often used word pictures that people could understand to illustrate the deeper truths of His dealings with people.

Take, for example, Daniel’s prophetic visions about beasts representing kingdoms. God actually identified them as kingdoms in His explanation of the visions.

“I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me. I approached one of those standing there and asked him the meaning of all this. “So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things:… “He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.”

Daniel 7:15-16, 23 NIV

Is it possible that the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” in the Garden of Eden also represented a kingdom – the one over which Satan had control?

“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his hordes: “ ‘Who can be compared with you in majesty?  Consider Assyria, once a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches overshadowing the forest; it towered on high, its top above the thick foliage…. “ ‘Which of the trees of Eden can be compared with you in splendour and majesty? Yet you, too, will be brought down with the trees of Eden to the earth below; you will lie among the uncircumcised, with those killed by the sword. “ ‘This is Pharaoh and all his hordes, declares the Sovereign Lord .’ ”

Ezekiel 31:2-3, 18 NIV

Ezekiel 31 is an interesting chapter about God’s judgement of the “trees” of Assyria and Egypt. Here, trees obviously represent the kingdoms of Assyria and Egypt.

THE WAR OF THE KINGDOMS

One of the great themes of the Bible is the war between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan which began in heaven.

Satan and his fallen angels rebelled against God, God’s angels made war in heaven against them, overpowered them and banished them to the earth.

“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”

Revelation 12:4, 7-9 NIV

What is the difference between these two kingdoms?

God’s rule is about relationships and is governed by love. In His kingdom, the governing principle is “God in the centre” and “others before self”. This makes for unity and harmony in every relationship. God’s Kingdom is unified because it governs every believer from within by His Spirit. His kingdom is about power to rule over self.

Satan’s rule is dominated by “me in the centre” and “self before others” no matter how much damage it does to relationships. Satan rules over “kingdoms” because his principle of self first operates in every system or “kingdom” that controls the world. His kingdom is about power to rule over others.

There is a close parallel between Adam’s temptation in the Garden and Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

In the Garden, where Adam and Eve enjoyed all the benefits and blessings of life under God’s rule (they “ate the fruit” of living in the kingdom of God), Satan intruded and lured them by deception into believing that it was better to live under his rule in his kingdom.

Adam chose rebellion against God, chose to eat of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”…and to be part of the kingdoms of Satan where he ( Adam, thought) he could make his own rules. Of course, Satan didn’t reveal the small print in this deal. He works by deception. Once Adam had made his choice, there was no turning back. Adam became the devil’s slave and could only do what Satan demanded in his kingdom.

… and the whole human race is still eating the fruit of that choice.

So, Adam DID die, emotionally, spiritually and physically.

The prize in this war would always be people. God wanted a family of sons and daughters just like Jesus, who would live together forever under His loving rule in peace and harmony. They would manage the earth for God under His direction so that His nature of ECHAD, unity in diversity, would be reflected in the whole universe.

Fot the devil, the prize was also people, not to bless but to destroy.

Satan tried the same tactic with Jesus.

Satan actually offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worship because he wanted to wrest control of the universe from God and control of all the people through deception. If Jesus accepted his offer, He would lose His title and role as Lord.

Jesus never fell for Satan’s lies for one simple reason. He had been sent by the Father to fulfil the law and to die as a law breaker so that He could reconcile fallen man to God. What was the law He came to fulfil?

“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”   “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’  The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:28-31 NIV

Put very simply, God in the centre, others above self. And Jesus lived it perfectly.

Now, let’s go back to the garden.

If my interpretation is accurate according to the whole scope of Scripture, the story in Genesis is a vividly symbolic picture of Satan’s battle to get control of what was most precious to God – man.

The tree of life represents the kingdom of God where the life of God, expressed through His love, keeps everything functioning in perfect harmony (good = functional), creating an environment for His human family to live in all the blessing He had for them.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil (functional versus dysfunctional) represents Satan’s kingdom, where everyone, enslaved by selfishness and greed, does his own thing, creating chaos, ruin, and death. Satan’s plan was to gain control by enslaving the whole human race so that God’s plan of a family like Himself would come to nothing.

What would be the outcome of this war? God predicted it in the Garden.

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3:15 NIV

His plan involved sacrificing the dearest treasure He had to offer, His Son. God literally put all His eggs in one basket to achieve His goal.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”

Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Revelation 11:15 NIV

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

Revelation 22:1-2 NIV

“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”

Revelation 22:14 NIV

“And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.”

Revelation 22:19 NIV

In the end, because God is God, the “tree of life” overcomes “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. Through the seed of the woman, God’s kingdom is established forever.

“But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Luke 1:30-33 NIV

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – THE PLOT THICKENS

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CHAPTER 12

THE PLOT THICKENS

​1 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away. Mark 12:1-12

Another parable but this time designed to reveal the plot, the story of the Bible in a nutshell. This time His story was very blunt. To the religious leaders, it was so clear that they immediately got the point. But instead of responding thoughtfully with the view to changing their attitude, they became even more murderous in their hearts. Jesus was slowly turning the tables on His tormentors. They had been hounding Him since the beginning of His ministry. Now He was exposing them and they didn’t like it. They couldn’t get away fast enough because the common people were always around and they, the religious leaders, were losing face by His exposure.

This parable was not difficult for them to understand. Since the Jews read (or heard) a story for identification, they easily identified the villains of the plot. There is also familiar symbolism in the parable. The Old Testament prophets used the vineyard as a symbol of Israel, e.g., Isaiah 5:1-7. In this story, the emphasis is not on the nature of the vineyard or the quality of the crops but rather on the ones responsible for caring for the vineyard and the landowner’s right to the harvest.

Although one does not necessarily interpret every detail in a parable, there are some details that are hints that bring a greater understanding of the kingdom, e.g., the landowner’s absence and his entrusting his vineyard to farmhands who would manage it for him. According to Genesis 1:26ff God has entrusted His creation to man to manage.

In this case, the farmhands would be the spiritual leaders who were entrusted with the care of God’s people – the vineyard. Instead of carrying out God’s instructions, they exploited the people for personal gain (see Mark 11:15-18). The servants sent to collect the farmer’s share of the profits would no doubt have been His prophets and the son obviously Jesus. The religious leaders immediately recognised their own identity in the story and rose up in anger against Him but, once again, they were afraid of the mob at this point. This was not the time to take action against Jesus. They would have to be subtle to win the people over.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK – FOUR SOILS… FOUR DESTINIES

Bible Study, ,

CHAPTER 4

FOUR SOILS… FOUR DESTINIES

​1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” Mark 4:1-20

Although this is a long passage, this parable and its interpretation need to be read and understood together as one. This is a familiar story, but its significance can easily be missed. In the Hebrew mind, stories were read for identification. According to Jesus, the Word of God is the seed. The soil is the attitude with which the seed is received.

Hard ground implies that beliefs and attitudes are so fixed that new ideas and new understanding have no place in the mind of that person. He refuses to entertain the idea that he may be wrong and needs to be transformed by the renewing of his mind. He is not open to truth and continues to live by the lies that shape his thinking and behaviour. The Word of God has no impact on his thinking and he just keeps living the old way with his unsolved hang-ups and issues.

Shallow soil represents hearts that readily receive the Word which begins to germinate and grow. However, the tender young roots soon meet the resistance of a hard layer under the shallow topsoil. There is an expectation based on a belief system that this new life does not meet – and the heart begins to resist the tests that are part of the character-building God is busy with. The new life eventually withers and dies.

The third soil already has stuff growing in it. The new plants of Christian character germinate among the weeds but, since there is no room for both, and since troubles and trinkets have a powerful hold, the delicate plants of character lose their foothold and die.

The fourth ground is fertile and free of other encroachments. The heart is open and willing to receive the truth and patiently applies it, learning to submit to discipline and receive the grace that transforms the life through a mind that is being renewed day after day. The fruit of the Spirit is being formed in the life; the character of Jesus slowly becomes a reality and there is eventually a full harvest of righteousness that imitates God’s character.