Investment: Lamps & Seeds, 13 August 2017
Investment: Lamps & Seeds
Series— Mark’s Gospel: The Real Jesus
Mark 4:21-34
Series Big Idea: The shortest gospel is filled with good news about Jesus!
Big Idea: Jesus blesses those who listen to his stories…and pursue him.
Introduction
Stories. We all love stories. We read them, we watch them on television and at the movies, we listen to them on podcasts, we tell them every day. Some are true, some are imaginary, and some are outright lies. Stories can inform, educate, warn, or entertain. They can be as simple as recounting what you ate for breakfast for as complicated as the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
As we continue our series on Mark’s Gospel: The Real Jesus, we have seen Jesus’ early ministry, his rise in popularity among the common people, and the growing envy and hostility toward him among the religious leaders.
This week we will continue to see Mark turn his attention from Jesus’ actions to his teachings, specifically special stories called parables. The original Greek word, parabole, means “putting things side by side.” Jesus is constantly teaching about one thing these people knew nothing about…another world…far, far away…called the kingdom of God. The central message of Jesus’ teachings was the kingdom of God, and he used parables to help his audience understand this new reality, this exciting world about to be born. We’ll look at two stories today, the parables of lamps and seeds.
Before we look at today’s text, it is important to understand the purpose of parables. First, there is always a context. I believe much of the problems people have with the Bible stem from ignoring context.
Jesus is a Jew. His people were oppressed under Roman rule. Israel as a nation had experienced tremendous victories and agonizing defeats. Jesus the storyteller has an important message, but it’s a dangerous message. It is not politically correct. He could—and would—get in so much trouble a contract would be out on his life! Rather than just speak plainly about things, he chooses parables as a literary device to code his teachings.
Imagine, for example, a political cartoon featuring a donkey and an elephant. If you lived in Africa, you might just think of survival of the fittest, the zoo, or even mascots of sports teams without deciphering the message of conflict between Democrats and Republicans.
Likewise, it’s easy for us to miss those messages, the context and symbols Jesus used two thousand years ago. Fortunately, Jesus often explains his stories to those who seek. But not all of the parables are clear to us. Sixteen commentators on a passage may yield sixteen different interpretations—which is not to say the Bible itself is unclear. Much of it needs no explanation—don’t murder, love your neighbor—but Jesus’ parables are deliberately for those who have “ears to hear.” I pray we do!
He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Mark 4:21-23)
In the previous verses, Jesus described the kingdom of God. He is continuing here, saying again, “If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” We might say, “Listen up! Pay attention!”
The original Greek text asks, “Does the lamp come for the purpose of being placed under the measure? Does it not come for the purpose of being placed on the lampstand?” It’s as if the lamp is a person…which most believe it is! King David was the lamp of Israel (2 Samuel 21:17; 1 Kings 15:4). Jesus may have been speaking of himself, in which case he’s talking about how his presence is a secret. Since the word “bed” may be a couch, one writer suggest maybe Jesus is saying, “The Messiah has come but he’s been shoved under the couch…until after his death and resurrection when he will be ‘brought out into the open.’”
“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 4:24-25)
Here again he begins by saying, “Pay attention.”
Back in the day, you couldn’t go to the grocery store and buy a pound of flour off the shelf. You would go to the market and ask the merchant for two measures of flour…or four or however many you wanted. He seems to be telling them to pursue God, and that if they seek, they will find. Again, his audience is mixed. There are critics, curious onlookers, and genuine God-seekers. He’s separating the fair-weather fans from the truly serious.
Our faith is not based upon a to-do list, but rather a person, the person of Jesus Christ, God who came to earth in the flesh. We can’t study people like we study rocks or flowers. People are complex. They can be mysterious. I’ve known my wife for almost 32 years and I’m still pursuing her, getting to know her, dating her, and making discoveries about her. God is even more fascinating. The title of A.W. Tozer’s classic book The Pursuit of God says it all.
What about you? Are you chasing after God? Do you, like the psalmist, long after God like a deer panting for streams of water? Do you truly want Jesus to be LORD of your life…or is he just an interesting person to study for an hour on Sunday?
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)
Again Jesus announces the subject of his metaphors: the kingdom of God. Of the four gospels, only Mark records this parable. What is most provocative is the phrase “all by itself.” The Greek word is “automatos,” the source of our word automatic. We know from last week the seed is the word of God. The sickle most likely refers to judgment day.
If you recall from last week, the Jews are waiting for the Messiah to come and overthrow the Rome, but Jesus is in no hurry. He’s saying the kingdom will emerge slowly. We must be patient. Yes, we long for the return of Jesus and even say, “Maranatha! Come quickly LORD Jesus!” but rushing the kingdom of God is like digging up crops hoping to harvest before they are grown. We are to sow the seed, the word, and trust God’s timing for the harvest.
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32)
The kingdom of God begins small…like a tiny seed. A mustard seed looks like a grain of sand. It’s so small! But it will grow! Many mustard bushes are twelve feet tall!
Similarly, from Jesus to a ragamuffin dozen to billions around the world, the kingdom of God has been growing and advancing. Even in 2017 when we hear bad news about the decline of Christianity in the west, it is exploding in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Hallelujah! It’s also advancing here in the Midwest.
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. (Mark 4:33-34)
Years ago, I wrote for a Christian music magazine doing album reviews and feature articles. One of the perks was getting backstage passes, meeting musicians, and seeing how they really behaved out of the limelight. The disciples must’ve felt special to get time alone with Jesus—and they were! Not only did they get to be with him, they were able to hear the explanations for the parables.
The aforementioned A.W. Tozer said:
To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul's paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart…Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking.
Jesus spoke in parables not to keep people from understanding the kingdom of God, but rather to see who really wanted truth, who really wanted to know God.
Do you? Are you a God-seeker? If you pursue God, you will find him.
Credits: some ideas from NT Wright, J. Vernon McGee, Scott Pinzon, Richard Niell Donovan, and David Garland.
Series— Mark’s Gospel: The Real Jesus
Mark 4:21-34
Series Big Idea: The shortest gospel is filled with good news about Jesus!
Big Idea: Jesus blesses those who listen to his stories…and pursue him.
Introduction
Stories. We all love stories. We read them, we watch them on television and at the movies, we listen to them on podcasts, we tell them every day. Some are true, some are imaginary, and some are outright lies. Stories can inform, educate, warn, or entertain. They can be as simple as recounting what you ate for breakfast for as complicated as the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
As we continue our series on Mark’s Gospel: The Real Jesus, we have seen Jesus’ early ministry, his rise in popularity among the common people, and the growing envy and hostility toward him among the religious leaders.
This week we will continue to see Mark turn his attention from Jesus’ actions to his teachings, specifically special stories called parables. The original Greek word, parabole, means “putting things side by side.” Jesus is constantly teaching about one thing these people knew nothing about…another world…far, far away…called the kingdom of God. The central message of Jesus’ teachings was the kingdom of God, and he used parables to help his audience understand this new reality, this exciting world about to be born. We’ll look at two stories today, the parables of lamps and seeds.
Before we look at today’s text, it is important to understand the purpose of parables. First, there is always a context. I believe much of the problems people have with the Bible stem from ignoring context.
Jesus is a Jew. His people were oppressed under Roman rule. Israel as a nation had experienced tremendous victories and agonizing defeats. Jesus the storyteller has an important message, but it’s a dangerous message. It is not politically correct. He could—and would—get in so much trouble a contract would be out on his life! Rather than just speak plainly about things, he chooses parables as a literary device to code his teachings.
Imagine, for example, a political cartoon featuring a donkey and an elephant. If you lived in Africa, you might just think of survival of the fittest, the zoo, or even mascots of sports teams without deciphering the message of conflict between Democrats and Republicans.
Likewise, it’s easy for us to miss those messages, the context and symbols Jesus used two thousand years ago. Fortunately, Jesus often explains his stories to those who seek. But not all of the parables are clear to us. Sixteen commentators on a passage may yield sixteen different interpretations—which is not to say the Bible itself is unclear. Much of it needs no explanation—don’t murder, love your neighbor—but Jesus’ parables are deliberately for those who have “ears to hear.” I pray we do!
He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Mark 4:21-23)
In the previous verses, Jesus described the kingdom of God. He is continuing here, saying again, “If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” We might say, “Listen up! Pay attention!”
The original Greek text asks, “Does the lamp come for the purpose of being placed under the measure? Does it not come for the purpose of being placed on the lampstand?” It’s as if the lamp is a person…which most believe it is! King David was the lamp of Israel (2 Samuel 21:17; 1 Kings 15:4). Jesus may have been speaking of himself, in which case he’s talking about how his presence is a secret. Since the word “bed” may be a couch, one writer suggest maybe Jesus is saying, “The Messiah has come but he’s been shoved under the couch…until after his death and resurrection when he will be ‘brought out into the open.’”
“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 4:24-25)
Here again he begins by saying, “Pay attention.”
Back in the day, you couldn’t go to the grocery store and buy a pound of flour off the shelf. You would go to the market and ask the merchant for two measures of flour…or four or however many you wanted. He seems to be telling them to pursue God, and that if they seek, they will find. Again, his audience is mixed. There are critics, curious onlookers, and genuine God-seekers. He’s separating the fair-weather fans from the truly serious.
Our faith is not based upon a to-do list, but rather a person, the person of Jesus Christ, God who came to earth in the flesh. We can’t study people like we study rocks or flowers. People are complex. They can be mysterious. I’ve known my wife for almost 32 years and I’m still pursuing her, getting to know her, dating her, and making discoveries about her. God is even more fascinating. The title of A.W. Tozer’s classic book The Pursuit of God says it all.
What about you? Are you chasing after God? Do you, like the psalmist, long after God like a deer panting for streams of water? Do you truly want Jesus to be LORD of your life…or is he just an interesting person to study for an hour on Sunday?
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)
Again Jesus announces the subject of his metaphors: the kingdom of God. Of the four gospels, only Mark records this parable. What is most provocative is the phrase “all by itself.” The Greek word is “automatos,” the source of our word automatic. We know from last week the seed is the word of God. The sickle most likely refers to judgment day.
If you recall from last week, the Jews are waiting for the Messiah to come and overthrow the Rome, but Jesus is in no hurry. He’s saying the kingdom will emerge slowly. We must be patient. Yes, we long for the return of Jesus and even say, “Maranatha! Come quickly LORD Jesus!” but rushing the kingdom of God is like digging up crops hoping to harvest before they are grown. We are to sow the seed, the word, and trust God’s timing for the harvest.
Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” (Mark 4:30-32)
The kingdom of God begins small…like a tiny seed. A mustard seed looks like a grain of sand. It’s so small! But it will grow! Many mustard bushes are twelve feet tall!
Similarly, from Jesus to a ragamuffin dozen to billions around the world, the kingdom of God has been growing and advancing. Even in 2017 when we hear bad news about the decline of Christianity in the west, it is exploding in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Hallelujah! It’s also advancing here in the Midwest.
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. (Mark 4:33-34)
Years ago, I wrote for a Christian music magazine doing album reviews and feature articles. One of the perks was getting backstage passes, meeting musicians, and seeing how they really behaved out of the limelight. The disciples must’ve felt special to get time alone with Jesus—and they were! Not only did they get to be with him, they were able to hear the explanations for the parables.
The aforementioned A.W. Tozer said:
To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul's paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart…Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking.
Jesus spoke in parables not to keep people from understanding the kingdom of God, but rather to see who really wanted truth, who really wanted to know God.
Do you? Are you a God-seeker? If you pursue God, you will find him.
Credits: some ideas from NT Wright, J. Vernon McGee, Scott Pinzon, Richard Niell Donovan, and David Garland.