Jesus began to teach beside the lake again. Such a large crowd gathered that he climbed into a boat there on the lake. He sat in the boat while the whole crowd was nearby on the shore. 2 He said many things to them in parables. While teaching them, he said, 3 “Listen to this! A farmer went out to scatter seed. 4 As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path; and the birds came and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. 6 When the sun came up, it scorched the plants; and they dried up because they had no roots. 7 Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked the seeds, and they produced nothing. 8 Other seed fell into good soil and bore fruit. Upon growing and increasing, the seed produced in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of one hundred to one.” 9 He said, “Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!” 10 When they were alone, the people around Jesus, along with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. 11 He said to them, “The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables. 12 This is so that they can look and see but have no insight, and they can hear but not understand. Otherwise, they might turn their lives around and be forgiven. 13 “Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14 The farmer scatters the word. 15 This is the meaning of the seed that fell on the path: When the word is scattered and people hear it, right away Satan comes and steals the word that was planted in them. 16 Here’s the meaning of the seed that fell on rocky ground: When people hear the word, they immediately receive it joyfully. 17 Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. 18 Others are like the seed scattered among the thorny plants. These are the ones who have heard the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the false appeal of wealth, and the desire for more things break in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. 20 The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it. They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to one, and in another case one hundred to one.” (Mark 4:1-20, CEB)
“Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?”
If you didn’t have the explanation, would you understand the parable?
I think sometimes we give the disciples too much grief over not getting it. I mean, yes they did walk with Jesus and live with him and see everything he did, but they still didn’t get it. And I bet had I been one of them I would have been just as dense. Jesus spoke in parables so people wouldn’t understand and some would. But we get the author to explain them to us, so I wonder if we would have gotten it.
How do we really understand if it is in code and we don’t have the decoding ring?
Where do I need to go to buy the cracker jacks to get my decoder? Or is there one included that I just don’t know about?
Maybe the Spirit moves in and through us to help us understand what Jesus is saying and how God is moving in our lives.
Yes living in faith is confusing and filled with unknowns, but the one thing we do know is that God is always with us. God will never leave us nor forsake us.
God’s love will always be with us, even when we don’t understand.
So go into the world and share the love you have been given.
Love People. Love God.
aSacredRebel 