July 9, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Mark? Here’s today’s reading:
Mark 4 (NIV)
The Parable of the Sower
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:..…..Continue Reading
I believe this passage lines up with Pastor Peters sermon on evangelism on Sunday and with my devotions of the ‘Great Commission’. More and more is being taught about receiving the gospel and spreading the gospel. The ‘times’ now more than ever dictate this. The revelations are at our door step. It’s up to us to be the good soil proven with our choices and actions which show where our ❤️ really is. It is also up to us to sow the seed hopefully on good ground.
Reflecting on the good soil.. and convinced that it has to be a continuous thing. I pray that I will be a good soil that is fruitful in God’s kingdom all the days of my life and get rid of things that are not in line with that goal.
Mark 1-4
Mark ch 3. Often wonder if I was a Pharisee. And saw what Jesus was doing. Would I take on the attitude of John the Baptist. He must increase. Or be afraid of losing my position.??? How could they miss the opportunity to follow God himself being the most intelligent religious leaders. Can jealousy be that overwhelming. Their attempt to prove him guilty of breaking a sabbath law leaves them with wanting to commit murder!!! The 12 apostles. All the people who followed him Chosen. Because?? Their faith. Position. Wealth. Intelligence etc. thank you Lord. It is the sick that need a doctor. Not the healthy. The Pharisees could not deny the supernatural power Jesus had. If they believed it was from God. Then I suppose they would have to believe he was messiah. So they accuse of Satan’s power. Jesus response proves they make no sense. The one sin not forgiven. Never really understood the discussions on this one. If you blaspheme the Holy Spirit. How could you be a believer !!!
Hey Mark, please check out my comment on Mark 3 and let me know if that helps with the question about the baptism of the Spirit.
Mark 4
I agree Sue! I also immediately thought of Pastor’s message on evangelism after reading this chapter. We all see that this world needs Jesus but it is clear that it is our job to share that good news. We are called to be disciples just like the 12 and continue the work they started.
We should be excited to show people through both word and action that we follow a God who controls the wind and the waves and if He can do this imagine what He can do in our lives and the lives of others when we allow Him in!
Jesus explains to the disciples the Parable of the sower.
The word grows depending on the soil, or the circumstances surrounding the soil. I think this is talking about God as the sower.
Then Jesus talks about man as the sower:
“And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”
It made me think about evangelism. We are to cast seed, we are not responsible for the soil. We don’t even need to know what kind of “soil” a person is. We probably shouldn’t be judging what kind of soil a person is. Sometimes you can tell if someone is “open” by their response to the gospel or spiritual things, but there are many people that one would never expect to accept Christ or the truth of the word that do. We “knoweth not how” but we should seek to harvest the fruit anyway!
I personally really enjoy the teaching in parables. “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
I especially liked the Parable of the Growing Seed, which is only in the Gospel of Mark. This parable emphasizes the Seed rather than the soil as in the Sower parable. The parable seems to be saying that the kingdom is ultimately God’s work and not the result of human effort.
This chapter also has one of my favorite lines in the Bible: “Who is this (Man)? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Awesome.
Mark 3-5
Mark 4
In an agrarian society, how wise for Jesus to teach using examples from farming. How much sense the parable of the sower makes. We know from our lives and the lives of others how truth can get swept away or choked out or distracted from. The main point is the choice is ours what soil we are. We are the only barrier for God’s work in our lives and we must hear and believe. And yet Jesus shares the parables to the crowd to make engagement with him not so easy and more intentional. He wants people who seek and persevere in learning as opposed to people who want to be spoon fed. The next 3 parables talk about the nature of the growth that happens when we make ourselves available to God. The first nature is that truth is to be shown and revealed: we are to let people see it and know it and when we live right, it won’t matter if people see it as well. And when we do that, things will be added to us. When we don’t do that, even the things we have will be taken away. The second nature is when we join God in spreading seed, there is power in that seed that defies our understanding or effort. It is about the work of God. And the third nature is with God, the seed doesn’t even need to be that big. When we invest our efforts in God’s work, God’s ability to grow and multiply our efforts is far greater than the efforts we make.
And what a great account that concludes the chapter. Storms in life can come out of nowhere and yet Jesus is at rest during the storm. It sometimes appears that He doesn’t care or He is not doing enough. And yet it is just the opposite. He just doesn’t see the storm in the same way you do. It’s not about instant relief but about faith. Are you willing to believe even when God is not doing what you think He should? He can and will handle it when the time is right. And when the time is right, He shows Himself to have power that is greater than we could have imagined. How great it is when we have the opportunity to say, wow, He could even handle that?!?
Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds and then latter explain the parable to His disciples. His disciples and other followers were to share the good news so others could hear it. He was preparing them for when He would be dying for the sins of the world and His resurrection. The good news. That people would come to Christ with a heart full of repentance and trusting Him only. We keep seeing how the disciples keep taking their eyes off of Jesus. This time during a storm while Jesus was sleeping. They are fearful and are afraid that they are going to die. He speaks peace be still and it became calm. He asks them why they are so fearful. That they have little faith. How many of us would had reacted the same way. How quick we are to take our eyes off of Jesus Christ ourselves when storms happen in our lives. Sometimes it is not one storms but many storms happening one after the other. But even during these times He is right there with us. If only we look to Him. Sometimes I have felt like Job and not understanding why these terrible things were happening to me and Melodye but we know that God is all knowing, all powerful, present everywhere, and cares for us as a Father would. That is a loving father. Going back to the sowing of seed; we are to spread the gospel wherever we are. We are to also share using the Word of God. God says that His word won`t return to Him void. Then He will work in the hearts of people to bring them to Himself. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;……….. [ Hebrews 12;2a ].
Allow your light to shine on all the people you encounter. Be thoughtful, kind, quick to forgive and strive to make peace whenever possible. When my faith in Jesus is weak, I am fearful, over emotional, and caught up in the need to control situations. When my faith in Jesus is strong, I can feel the fear but deal with it by believing that God will bring positive results and trusting that
“in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.“ Romans 8:28 Knowing that takes the pressure off and helps me to handle the difficulties of life.