4:1-20 - There are basically four main reactions when someone comes in contact with the word of God. 1.) You come in contact and Satan immediately steals the word. Ex. Someone hears the truth about God, but allows doubts, questions, selfishness, Christian hypocrisy, etc...to turn them away from the truth. 2.) Shallow faith is destroyed by tough times. Ex. Maybe this person had a feel good experience with Jesus, and they think that life will be a fairytale land of perfection...until hard times hit and their shallow faith evaporates around them. 3.) Come in contact with the word of God, but outside influences pull you away. Ex. Being completely immersed in the world - materialism, serving yourself, ego, power, whatever...when that is the only thing you are being fed, the faith will die off. 4.) You find Christ and you live out your faith - you produce fruit. Ex. There is life change in your life and in the lives of people who come into contact with you. Which of these best describes you right now?
4:12 - Uh...wow...pretty harsh verse here don't you think. It seems the first time you read it like Jesus is basically saying, "I'm teaching in parables so that some people will never be able to understand and get saved." That sounds harsh doesn't it? What is really going on here? I think what we have to do is go back to the passage that Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 6:9-10. We have to understand the context...in Isaiah the verse is used ironically...what it means is that God is sending Isaiah out to speak truth to the people of Israel even though God knows they will not listen and will not change. Isaiah is instructed to go even in the face of imminent failure. Jesus is also using the passage ironically...in Isaiah's time the people could not understand the message of God and Jesus knows that the people he is speaking to will most likely not understand either...but he teaches them anyway. If anything...this passage shows us the love of Jesus - that he would continue to teach to a people he knows are going to reject him and ultimately kill him.
4:21 - If you faith is real, how could you possibly hide it? How could you ignore it? How could you keep it from people and act like it meant nothing to you? That would be like lighting a candle and putting it under your bed before you go to sleep...in a word, absurd! No one would do that - how can we justify ignoring life-giving truth if we really believe it is life-giving and all-important?
4:25 - Questions...why do so many life-long Christians live out a lukewarm faith? Why have so many people started out on fire for God and then found themselves wondering a few years down the rode where the fire went (I've been there)? Mark 4:25 - use it or lose it. How can we expect our faith to stay strong if we don't use it...if we don't step out in faith and trust in God?
4:39 - Does Jesus also not have the power to calm the noise and the storms of conflict raging within us? Would he be saying to us when we allow worries and trouble to cast our lives into chaos, "Do you still have so little faith?" Interesting for me to ask myself the next time I'm throwing one of my little pity parties.
2 comments:
I like how The Message puts verse 9 - "Are you listening to this? Really listening?" Can’t you feel Jesus get really quiet, lean into where you are sitting and look you in the eye, and say this? This is the “hello – McFly!” part. Am I really listening?
Why are we lukewarm – it is middle ground – safe – not a zealot, but not hell bound – and completely NOT what Jesus wants. Cowboy (or girl) up – give when you don’t have to, love when none is given to you – be the exact opposite of what this world tells you to be.
Burn for Him.
j
This is a challenging passage. The different parables, the reference to Isaiah, and closing out with the calming of the storm, Jesus rolls out the red carpet on who he is. i've been in awe lately of who God is. The beginning of Crazy Love talks about the need to be in awe of God. For us to ever truly grow and be the best we can be for Christ needs to start by being in awe of our creator. Since I've read that, God has been doing some things...
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