Transformed Lives
Friday- 04.22.2016
In life, we have many common experiences. One of these experiences is from elementary.
My second-grade class did it.
My children's classes did it.
I assume, no matter your age, you too participated in a similar project.
When I was a kid, we were told to keep our milk cartons one day at lunch. When we returned from lunch, we took turns rinsing the cartons out in the class sink.
The next day, the teacher had a large bag of soil and we each put a cup of soil in the milk carton after we skillfully cut the top.
Then, each student was given a seed to plant in their little carton of soil. The cartons were placed in the window and we eagerly waited for a green shoot to break the black soil.
Every class had that kid- the one who cannot wait for the green leaf to appear. Two days into the project, he goes to the window while no one is paying attention and digs into the soil to see what he finds (I use the male pronoun because it always seems to be a boy!).
In the days of the New Testament, a farmer sowed a seed for one reason- to produce fruit. Without the resulting fruit, plants were good for nothing. They were as worthless as the seed pulled out of the milk carton.
Mark 4:3-7 reads, "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain."
This imagery in this parable is one that would have been common to the original audience. The explanation that Jesus gives a few verses later seems only natural, "The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful" (Mark 4:14-19).
The symbolism in this parable is clear. There are people, in whom, the word of God is planted. This word grows and for whatever reason, this word does not take root. Some people might even sprout roots, but pressures of this world (the literal meaning of tribulation) do not allow the roots to delve into the soil.
Discipleship is hard.
Following Jesus is difficult.
I hope this parable challenges you. I hope it reminds us that there are plenty of ways for our faith to be choked out. There are days that the pressure seems too great.
There is hope.
Seeds are beautiful things. Their size is deceiving. They seem too small, but great things can come from the smallest seed.
They open and send a sprout up through the soil and roots deep into the soil.
A seed is transformed. If a seed stays the same, it cannot produce fruit.
It is only through transformation that a seed can produce fruit.
The question is– Are you willing to be transformed?
May you allow God to do the miraculous in your life!
My second-grade class did it.
My children's classes did it.
I assume, no matter your age, you too participated in a similar project.
When I was a kid, we were told to keep our milk cartons one day at lunch. When we returned from lunch, we took turns rinsing the cartons out in the class sink.
The next day, the teacher had a large bag of soil and we each put a cup of soil in the milk carton after we skillfully cut the top.
Then, each student was given a seed to plant in their little carton of soil. The cartons were placed in the window and we eagerly waited for a green shoot to break the black soil.
Every class had that kid- the one who cannot wait for the green leaf to appear. Two days into the project, he goes to the window while no one is paying attention and digs into the soil to see what he finds (I use the male pronoun because it always seems to be a boy!).
In the days of the New Testament, a farmer sowed a seed for one reason- to produce fruit. Without the resulting fruit, plants were good for nothing. They were as worthless as the seed pulled out of the milk carton.
Mark 4:3-7 reads, "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain."
This imagery in this parable is one that would have been common to the original audience. The explanation that Jesus gives a few verses later seems only natural, "The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful" (Mark 4:14-19).
The symbolism in this parable is clear. There are people, in whom, the word of God is planted. This word grows and for whatever reason, this word does not take root. Some people might even sprout roots, but pressures of this world (the literal meaning of tribulation) do not allow the roots to delve into the soil.
Discipleship is hard.
Following Jesus is difficult.
I hope this parable challenges you. I hope it reminds us that there are plenty of ways for our faith to be choked out. There are days that the pressure seems too great.
There is hope.
Seeds are beautiful things. Their size is deceiving. They seem too small, but great things can come from the smallest seed.
They open and send a sprout up through the soil and roots deep into the soil.
A seed is transformed. If a seed stays the same, it cannot produce fruit.
It is only through transformation that a seed can produce fruit.
The question is– Are you willing to be transformed?
May you allow God to do the miraculous in your life!
Listen!
Friday- 04.15.2016
Today's parable will probably turn into 'the rest of this month's parable.' There is just too much to cover in one week.
If you remember the setting for last week, we saw how Jesus' family thought he was 'out of his mind' (Mk 3:21). Mark wraps us that section with Jesus asking the question, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" A couple verses later, Jesus tells us, "...whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother."
This context opens the parable of the sower. If you look at Mark 4:1-9, you will see that Jesus is beside the sea and a crowd has gathered.
Let's focus this week on the sea. Next week, we will move into the actual parable.
I would ask that you read a few verses and look for similarities:
What do these passages have in common? I hope you noticed they all center around two things- the sea and the disciples. It seems that when Jesus is at the sea, his disciples need to pay attention! Mark is calling our attention to these things so that we sit up and take note.
The last point I would like for you to see today is this- Jesus begins this parable with a pivotal word in the Jewish world. Look at verse 3:
If you remember the setting for last week, we saw how Jesus' family thought he was 'out of his mind' (Mk 3:21). Mark wraps us that section with Jesus asking the question, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" A couple verses later, Jesus tells us, "...whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother."
This context opens the parable of the sower. If you look at Mark 4:1-9, you will see that Jesus is beside the sea and a crowd has gathered.
Let's focus this week on the sea. Next week, we will move into the actual parable.
I would ask that you read a few verses and look for similarities:
- Mark 1:16 & 17- Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
- Mark 2:13 & 14- He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
- Mark 3:7- Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea...
What do these passages have in common? I hope you noticed they all center around two things- the sea and the disciples. It seems that when Jesus is at the sea, his disciples need to pay attention! Mark is calling our attention to these things so that we sit up and take note.
The last point I would like for you to see today is this- Jesus begins this parable with a pivotal word in the Jewish world. Look at verse 3:
"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow."
"Listen!" This command would have taken the people back to the most important imperative in their faith, "Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is One."
Jesus opens this parable with a command, "Listen!"
Listen because a prophet is speaking.
Listen because God is speaking.
May we gather, as His disciples, to listen. So many things in our world fight for our attention. The voice of God is so easily drowned out and lost in the static of our world.
Listen because the Lord is speaking!
It is my prayer, that we sit up and take notice. God is speaking. May we turn off the noise around us to listen to the One who brings life.