Tag: Parables

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God wants seekers.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled: ‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven. Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Mark gives a now famous parable (a simple story with a hidden truth), and gives us the Jesus’ commentary, like the director’s comments about the story and the bonus explanation. Jesus wants his disciples not only know the meaning of the parable, but maybe even pickup the teaching style itself.

Does God hide for us to find him? Both Matthew and Mark write, “Then he told them many things in parables.” An old quote rings true, “For when the disciple is ready the Master is ready also.” Learning seems to require curiosity! Parables and object lessons both help us to mentally dig a little, forcing our brains to get a little messy meddling in the dirt of a plethora of information. Parables encourage us to connect the dots, to make sense of what we hear. How often do I approach God with everything but patience, humility and a holy openness of curiosity? I have needs. I want answers. But to sit and be still? Or to come to God’s Word just to hear His voice echo through the pages. As the reader, what am I looking for? Truth? Knowledge? Results?

I come to the words in this story without the context of the original listeners. I am missing the wispy-wind off the lake. That smell of fresh water mixed with what reminds me of lake-life. The feeling of sand beneath my feet. And hearing the Master’s words reverberating off the water.

I am not lost to the irony of Jesus telling a farming story while delivering it from a boat! Jesus often told stories while he was in the environment of the story itself. Picking a grape while talking about wineskins or picking figs along the road while teaching about the dangers of looking like religious leaders, but not capable of producing real spiritual fruit. Jesus speaks of sowing seeds while on the water. Maybe it was a farmer’s meetup at the Galilee shores that day?

Jesus, remembering the words of Isaiah (6:9-10), knew that he was both experiencing and fulfilling what the ancient prophet foretold – they will see and hear, but will learn nothing! Jesus was also fulfilling the truth of what Ezekiel was teaching the Israelites about disappointment of hearing, but never following through with doing. Ezekiel (33:32) writes, “Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.”

Doesn’t that just sound like us today? We may know a lot of God’s Word and even about God’s character, but it MUST show up in our lives as behaviors. Followers of Jesus were never meant to be simply Snapple-cap facts or some form of Bible-pedia. Jesus promises, when we seek we will find him. However, the proof of finding is most effective in others when we DO what God’s Word says to do. If you have found Jesus, now what are you going to do with your life?

Prayer

​Dad,
You found me. And, I was a mess when you did! I am so thankful you rescued me when you did. Now, I have spent the entirety of my life fulfilling Your calling on my life. The sum total of my life will be seen as a surrendering to Your will and Your ways. Let my actions always reflect what I know about You. May everyone see Jesus in and through me. Amen.

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Keys to the cypher.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.” Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭36‬-‭39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus told many parables, stories with hidden meaning. These stories were perplexing and mysterious. The curious, the learner would listen and think about these words and concepts for days, maybe even weeks. This is one of the ways Jesus revealed himself as God as well as shared the soon coming Kingdom of God, which he ushered in back then. The Kingdom is both here and still yet to be fulfilled, even today. This is also a mystery. Matthew writes, “Jesus always used stories and illustrations like these when speaking to the crowds. In fact, he never spoke to them without using such parables.” Vs. 34‬.

Privately, Jesus would sometimes pull his disciples aside to explain the parable, thus giving his followers the keys to the cypher. In this parable about the wheat and the tares, Jesus gives the key characters, unlocking the puzzle of who he was talking about. He describes himself as the planter of good seed. The field is the world in which we live. The seed itself, Jesus says is the people in the Kingdom. Many would suppose that the seed is the Word of God, but in this story Jesus says it is the people who believe and make up the residents of the Kingdom. The weeds are also described as people, but these are folks who belong to the evil one. Here, Jesus uses an interesting word for “evil one.” Sons of the evil one are the “ponéros: toilsome, bad,” derived from “pónos,” – pain, laborious trouble, pain-ridden, emphasizing the inevitable agonies (misery) that always go with evil. And finally, the weed planter is none other than satan, the “diabolos” – slanderer. Jesus goes on to describe, what many modern pho-theologians deny, as HELL. He says the weeds along with the weed-sower will be burned in the fire, thrown into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

There is a point to this entire chapter of parables. Those who want to find God, know God and have a relationship with him… will find and can KNOW, becoming a person of the Kingdom! Yes, it’s a narrow gate, a miracle, and it will cost one everything, but it is possible. God is not hiding so that one cannot find him. He wants us to seek, knock and pursue him. God is already waiting and already made a way!

Prayer

Dad,
I ache for those who are miserable and blame you for it. My heart breaks for those who have suffered or are suffering and see nothing but darkness and doom ahead. But, I also know that you are there for them, if they will turn and lean in to find you. Thank you for doggedly, constantly, consistently pursuing us by your grace. Come close to the broken, that they may be healed and find peace.

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What farmers know that I don’t.

Reading Time: 4 minutes 
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.” Luke‬ ‭8:11-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

​Thank goodness Jesus explained this one to his disciples, thus explaining it to all of Luke’s readers! I love the fact that Jesus told stories and parables that were fitting for the audience who,was listening. This is an “aggie” story. This is a story for farmers and families who live in an agricultural community. Jesus wouldn’t have told this story, say in downtown Los Angeles. And he wouldn’t have told an urban story to a bunch of Fresno, California peeps. These are rural stories for rural people.

As a non-farmer and the son of a non-farmer, I can get the point, but I will never be able to feel the story or experience the story like those who hands are worn with dirt. How could Jesus, being a Rabbi and a mason, tell a good ‘ol farmer story. I believe Jesus spent an enormous amount of time with a massive cross section of people from all walks of life, all income brackets and social standing.

Did you know that Jesus often told stories with words and concepts from the entertainment industry of that day? Yeah, one example is using the word “hypocrite.” The word comes from theatre troops, popular in Jesus’s day. Jesus would not have attended many of these performances, because they were NSFW, but he did talk with theater people. Same here. Jesus probably did not farm himself, but he spent a lot of time with ordinary farmers. His ability to not just BE with people, but to listen and learn their lingo and their needs is extraordinary! I read this story of “a farmer goes out to sow seeds” and it feels a little flat to me. I’ve never gone out and sown seed. And when I read it, I think, “why is the guy throwing seed on paths, weed patches and unprepared ground?” Seems like a waste of seed to me. But you know what? I’m NOT a farmer, so I have no idea what they really do or why they do it! But the audience knew exactly what Jesus was taking about, probably nodding their heads in agreement with each point he made.

I have friends that live in places like Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas who constantly educate me on the ways of agriculture or livestock. I don’t think our school even had a 4h club, so I wasn’t going to learn about the land that way.

Jesus’ parable, especially with the key-code to unlock the mystery really helps. And, it helps understand a facet of how God works and the Kingdom of God works among us.

One more question before I wrap this up. When Jesus said, “The seed is God’s Word,” I wonder – exactly what “Word” was Jesus referring to? The Old Testament Law? The entire Old Testament, including Psalms, Proverbs and the Prophets? Was Jesus referring to himself, the “Logos” even as he was living and speaking while he was Son of Man/Son of God on the planet? The gospels and the epistles (letters) wouldn’t be written down for several decades, possibly even a hundred years.

I believe, wholeheartedly in the now written Word of God, but I also believe that God continues to speak to men and women’s hearts through all kinds of ways. I don’t claim that any of it is scripture, but God still has ways of delivering his seed, his word our world today. And as it is scattered everywhere in hopes that it finds fertile ground, it is still up to the soil/heart of the hearer to keep their soil in good shape or for sure, clear out rocks, weeds and hardness to allow God’s word to be productive in our salvation and redemption.

Prayer:

Dad,
I love the parables and stories, filled with mystery and just begging to be explored by curious or needy minds. I love the beauty of Jesus’ ability to talk with any and every human no matter their background or way of life. You know us so intimately! You love us so thoroughly. I am grateful that we get to be seed sowers of your love and grace. We get to be wild and liberally tossing out your gracious words of hope and not have to be concerned that every seed finds its rich target in good soil. And, we even get to continue to keep our own heart and soul in a state of preparedness taking care of our own hardness, rockiness, weedyness. I take it this picture of a farmer sowing isn’t a one and done kind of story. It continues on while we live on a very earthy, soiled planet!