0956 Mk.4.21-34 Revelation of the Kingdom
Notes
Transcript
I’m not sure, but I think this year might just be the one of the wettest years that I have known since arriving in Echuca in 2000
Usually, the plants struggle with drought & not getting enough moisture
Now, they are struggling with being drowned & are saying no more
Of course, root rot can also be a threat to plants apart from drought
------------------
Conditions in Australia sometimes or even, often, make it hard for the farmer to get by
In the end, a number of farmers either just survive or go out of business
Actually, for those of you who don’t know what started the Relief Centre that Jim & Pauline ran - it was started to provide the proud farmer with some groceries because farmers were not the sort of people who would go to Centrelink for a handout
Jim & Pauline, being ex-farmers themselves, thought that they would be more inclined to go to a garage at a house
At that time, farmers had coped a terrible drought, but then it was floods
Reports of suicides came in which is why the Relief Centre got going
--------------
I’d like to make a couple of points that I didn’t get to share last week
It involves the seed that the farmer sowed on different ground
I want you to note what was in the singular number & what was in the plural
Singular - “some seed” - fell beside the road
Singular - “other seed” fell on rocky ground
Singular - “other seed” fell among the thorns
Plural - “other seeds” fell into the good soil
“they yielded a crop & produced 30, 60 & 100 fold
----------------
So there are 3 seeds that got nowhere & 3 that produced a harvest of 30, 60 & 100 fold
We also need to recognise that 30, 60 or to even 100 fold is not representing 30, 60 or 100 fold extra work
If you look at the harvest of a seed of grain, like wheat, one seed that grows & eventually, the heads come out - but how many seeds are in the heads?
On average, there are 22 seeds per head and 5 heads per plant, or 110 seeds per plant
In any harvest, you might get several heads of grain per plant & you might get a single head of grain - there’s your 30, 60 & 100 fold
What you get here is a harvest, unlike the seeds that fell on the road, on the rocky ground & among the thorns
Only the latter seeds were the ones that gave the farmer a harvest, whether it was 30 grains, 60 grains or 100 grains
-------------------
Jesus, in this passage today, continues with His explanation of why some are given the knowledge & secret of the kingdom of God & others are as blind as a bat
Why some are insiders and some are outsiders
11 He told them, ‘To you is granted the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables, 12 so that they may look and look, but never perceive listen and listen, but never understand; to avoid changing their ways and being healed.’
That translation brings out the intent of those who are outsiders
“To avoid changing their ways & being healed”
---------------------
When Paul found closed hearts & minds among the Jewish community in Rome, he spoke this same passage from Isaiah & applied it to them
24 Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. 25 And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, 26 saying, ‘Go to this people and say, “You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
27 For the heart of this people has become dull, And with their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes; Otherwise they might see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.” ’ 28 “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”
1. The Message of the Kingdom Cannot Be Hidden Mk. 4:21-23
1. The Message of the Kingdom Cannot Be Hidden Mk. 4:21-23
Q. Does God want people to know about the kingdom of God or not?
Last week, we saw how the parables were deliberately meant to obscure the message so that people missed the message
“so that they may look and look, but never perceive listen and listen, but never understand; to avoid changing their ways and being healed.” (NJB - edited by a Catholic scholar)
so that (as Scripture says) they may look and look, but see nothing; they may hear and hear, but understand nothing; otherwise they might turn to God and be forgiven.’ (NEB Anglican)
so that ‘they may look and see but not perceive, and hear and listen but not understand, in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.’ ” (NAB - Catholic)
You get the sense that parables will confuse & confound
Q. It seems a bit unfair, do you think?
Although, perhaps, we should not be too hasty in that judgement
--------------------
The question is whether it is God’s intention to deliberately exclude people from hearing the message of the kingdom or whether this is merely stating the fact that some people have no intention of wanting to hear the message at all
In other words, is Jesus, in giving the parables, wanting to exclude people or is He wanting there to be a distinction shown between the outsiders & insiders
Between those who will be kingdom people & those who have no heart for it?
----------------------
In this passage, particularly, it is shown that the kingdom & it’s message will not be kept veiled
22 “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.
The purpose of the lamp is to give light
Q. If it was hidden away or covered, what would be its point?
----------------
The lamp represents the revelation of that mystery Jesus spoke about - the mystery of the kingdom
It will not be hidden, in spite of the way people will take it
The tricky bit here is that this saying of Jesus has been used a bit differently by other Gospel writers
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Here Jesus is referring to His disciples as the light of the world & like a lamp that is not put under a basket
In Mark’s Gospel, however, Jesus is using the lamp illustration to refer to the message of the kingdom that is now being revealed
What should convince us of this is the next verse
23 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
This is not the first time, either, He has said this here - last week, it was in that passage too
8 “Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” 9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
So this lamp that is not put under a basket or bed is here the message of the kingdom, the mystery that Jesus now reveals to His disciples & the inner circle we call the insiders
But it is available to all if they seek it
------------------
The message of God’s kingdom now entering into the world through God’s king - Jesus- does not have the purpose of it becoming an underground movement
Despite what people may do with the message of God’s kingdom, that doesn’t change the fact that the kingdom message will continue on
In spite of those negative responses to it
Of His family saying He has become a nut job
Of the religious leaders, saying He is demonically driven
Of those who hear the parables & ignore or forget
Of those who hear, but are taken away by the pressure of the world to conform to its ways
Of those who hear, but are choked to death by the allurements & concerns for the world
------------------------
At this stage, the mystery of the kingdom is hidden from those who have no heart for it, but is revealed to those who seek it & are open to it
Like a person who organises a treasure hunt & hides say the lollies
Their purpose is not that the “treasure” remains hidden, but through seeking it, it may be found
No one organises a treasure hunt & hides the “treasure” so that it can’t be found - that would be purposeless
2. Who or What Are You Listening to? Mk. 4:24-25
2. Who or What Are You Listening to? Mk. 4:24-25
“You are what you eat”; “The belly rules the mind”; “You are the company you keep”; “Garbage in garbage out”
We have all heard of these sayings
The last 2 particularly address what is being said here by Jesus
24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. 25 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
Again, this is addressing the message of the kingdom & how it is being received
Interestingly, Jesus says, “take care what you listen to”
Or, consider carefully, or pay attention to, or pay close attention
This is not about hearing, but about how you hear
----------------------
Unfortunately, my ears are now losing a bit of the level of hearing that I have had throughout my life
When I hear now, I can hear well - i.e. I have no problem with picking up volume
It’s loud enough for me to hear
My problem is in clarity & I often find myself apologising to people & asking for them to repeat what they said
Usually, it is not because they said it too softly, but I’m just not as good anymore with picking up differences in sound
So its sound quality not quantity that I have a small issue with
-------------------
What Jesus says here has more to do with the ears of the “heart” which is not spiritual quantity but spiritual quality
The attention a person gives to what they hear is variable, depending on the person & their circumstances
I think what John says here actually can help us get an idea of all the other “noises” we have in life which stops a person from hearing what Jesus says
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
The one who does the will of God (in the last chapter) are Jesus’ brother and sister and mother
In other words, the ones who hear His message - His inner circle, His insiders - who produce a crop - 30, 60 & 100 fold
These are insiders who hear with the ears of the heart & give attention to what & how they hear
Like Nathaniel when Jesus simply made a statement about seeing him under the fig tree when Phillip called him & what was Nathaniel’s response?
48 Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Notice His statement there - “you will see greater things than these”
The light that Nathaniel received & expressed was but a snippet of what Jesus would open up to him
So we have in our passage today...
24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. 25 “For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”
Take care or pay attention to what you hear! Give heed!
The apostle John warns of the dangers of the world & how it can corrupt the person
We know that the seed that fell on rocky ground & seed that fell among the thorns were both related to the impact the world has upon the hearers
The world either persecuted the disciple of Jesus or it lusts & pleasures drowned & killed the disciple by choking the true life of Jesus out of the disciple
--------------------
John mentions the lust or desire of the flesh
That has to do with earthly desires
It could be for wealth, personal pride & success, it could be for worldly status or to look good to the people of the world so as to be accepted & to feel accepted
Those are weaknesses & failings indeed
I used to have many weaknesses like that
I hated the fact that I use to like being liked & having to bend my better judgement because I was too insecure in myself to stand up & be my own person
----------------
Insecurity can be a problem
However, in spite of weakness & insecurity, a person can resist
It’s simple, it means surrender - surrender to the Lord & He will make you whole & strong - that’s what happened with me
Although, yes, I fought against Him for some time
In the end, I just surrendered - it was the only way
---------------------
Then there is the lust or desire of the eyes
Hey, the grass is always greener isn’t it - on the other side of the fence
Discontent with what we have will stop us listening to Jesus & start us living the way the world says to live
If you want to be successful says the world, start using the world’s way of getting there
So the eyes say, “I’d like this”, “I’d like that” & although, it’s not wrong to want to have something, if it chokes out the life of Jesus & what it means to be a disciple, then we need to seriously consider that we might be getting caught up in the thorns or weeds
Take care what you listen to! The attention you give to what you hear from the word of Christ
--------------------
Oh, & the boastful pride of life
This speaks of the arrogance of man
It speaks of his determined independence from God’s sovereignty over his life
Many of Israel’s religious leaders were accepting of God, but they were opposed to God in reality - plainly - for they rejected Jesus & His kingdom
How blind they were - thinking they were on God’s side, when in reality they were opposed to Him
Paul found that out the hard way when on the road to Damascus, he went about persecuting the church of God, but was then brought to his senses, when Jesus appeared to him
Q. What a shock & how that flipped him upside down!
The very One he was out to persecute was the God he supposedly had served all his life
---------------------
The pride of man usually sets himself up as God’s equal
He chooses to think that he knows better
All these worldly desires set up the heart to be stone cold before the word of the kingdom
The word of the kingdom is the word of the rule of God that has come into the world
These people will end up losing any benefit that would have come to them through hearing the word of the kingdom through Jesus
What they had, will be taken from them
-----------------------
However, an openness to the things of God will allow you greater illumination & greater understanding
Hence, the command of Jesus: “take care what you listen to”
3. The Kingdom Will Grow In Spite of the Different Responses to It Mk. 4:26-34
3. The Kingdom Will Grow In Spite of the Different Responses to It Mk. 4:26-34
Here we see the message that the Kingdom cannot be stopped in spite of the fact that there are people who refuse to accept it
That we cannot comprehend the inner working or power of the kingdom that has broken into the world through Jesus, but it will have its effect for all to see
This is so true - Christianity is now the largest religion in the world
-----------------
I find these verses fascinating
27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 “The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 “But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
The expectation of the coming kingdom or coming rule of God to the Jews was that it would come with a bang
It would be all of a sudden & not something gradual
-----------------
But Jesus, in this parable, speaks as if the kingdom has a slow growth over time
But not only slow growth, but growth that is barely detected
The same for the farmer who goes to bed at night & doesn’t get to see how the growth unfolds even though it is happening right under his nose
------------------
However, there is an element to this which has a finale
When the crop permits - the grain in the head is mature - then, notice - immediately or at once, puts in the sickle because the harvest has come
So the fulness of the kingdom will come in with a bang & a speedy close
When Jesus returns, He will come in a blaze of glory & every eye will see
Unlike, His first coming, where He barely caused a ripple on the world stage & only some shepherds, Magi & some animals were present
There is no way we will miss the 2nd coming of Jesus & the fulness of His kingdom
14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
------------------
The kingdom will grow just as a plant has various stages of growth & even though the kingdom & the reign of God may seem rejected at various stages, the kingdom will continue to grow
To the point where there are over 2 billion Christians around the world - at least on paper
------------------
Furthermore, the farmer not only cannot see the growth, he cannot even contribute to the growth
Something beyond the farmers ability is growing that crop
All along, the kingdom, in spite of negative responses & outright rejections to it, is unstoppable
It will continue to grow whether a person likes it or not - whether they’re on board or not on board
For we all know, that the kingdom is God’s & there is no greater power in all the universe, than God
-------------------------
The last saying/parable is about a contrast between the smallest of seeds & largest of plants
It is saying the same as the parable of the farmer who witnessed small beginnings when he planted the seeds & then the full matured grain
It’s point is similar - the kingdom (the reign/rule of God) has a slow beginning, but will turn out to be a great blessing to the world - where the birds of the airs will nest under its shade
The reign of God, His kingdom, will bring blessing to the world
--------------------
Typically, this is made no more apparent then in when Jesus would drive out demons from people
20 “But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Q. How can we not think of Christmas & the angelic announcement to the shepherds?
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
----------------
Sometimes, it is easy to feel defeated as if we are constantly losing ground to Satan’s evil agenda in the world
But these parables are good reality check for us
God is working over generations & centuries & we can tend to be too limited in our perspective
Jesus here affirms that the kingdom has come and will start small, but will grow & that God will achieve all that He has planned
--------------------
It’s a message here about an insignificant beginning with an impressive final size
Yet a message that says not to fret over such small beginnings nor to be concerned because the end does not seem to be in sight
Remember that ad for Industry Super Funds - it drove me crazy but it got its message across
“From little things, big things grow”
------------------
So these parables that we have looked at today give us further understanding as to why so many are ending up as outsiders
The gradual growth of the kingdom will span time
In the meantime, the Kingdom will be like a magnet
A person’s polarisation will either propel it away, or attract it
Every person will have to make the choice, so cement these words in your mind
“Pay attention or take care to what you listen to”