Jesus uses some unconventional methods in His preaching. He's going to speak from a boat again today and I would be willing to bet that His countrymen never saw a rabbi teach from a boat before. But Jesus wants to reach as many people as possible every time He speaks, so it makes sense that He would preach in locations that have no walls. The message of the gospel never changes, but the method used to get the gospel to the world must change with the times.
Take the internet for example. When people started using the internet to share the gospel, I actually heard several folks say that the gospel didn't belong there. They said things like, "The internet has been used for bad things! There's all kinds of filth on there. You can't put the gospel on it!" But the Bible tells us, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21) Using the internet to share the gospel is a perfect example of overcoming evil with good! The apostles Peter and Paul often spoke to crowds of thousands, and if they'd had the ability to teach millions of people from the internet I don't think they would have scoffed at the idea. I don't think Jesus scoffs at it either. We have to be willing to embrace new methods and new technology if these things help us reach more people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has commissioned the church to "go into all the world and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15) and the internet helps us tell the gospel to people we may never have the opportunity to meet in the flesh.
"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. He taught them many things by parables, and in His teaching said: 'Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.' Then Jesus said, 'Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.'" (Mark 4:1-9) The sower is walking through the fields, reaching into his bag of seed and scattering the seed in an arc before him. Some of it will land in places where it will not flourish, but this is not the fault of the seed. It is the fault of the place where the seed lands. The seed of the gospel flourishes in soil that is ready to receive it, but the seed of the gospel does not flourish in the soil of a stony heart or in a heart concerned only with this world.
"When He was alone, the Twelve and the others around Him asked Him about the parables. He told them, 'The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.'" (Mark 4:10-12) Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10, repeating the words God spoke to Isaiah on the day He called him to be a prophet. When commissioning him as a prophet, God clearly warns Isaiah that his message will go unheeded by many and that the people will refuse to repent and that Babylon will come and destroy Jerusalem and take the people captive. In quoting from Isaiah, Jesus isn't saying He doesn't want everyone to be forgiven. He wants everyone to be saved, but not everyone is willing to be saved. He's saying that those who have no heart for the gospel are not going to take the parables seriously and learn anything from them, just as those who had no heart for God in Isaiah's day didn't take Isaiah's message to heart and learn anything from it. The disciples have what it takes to learn from the Lord, so Jesus is going to help them understand the parables. All who believe in the Lord Jesus have the capacity to learn from Him. But "those on the outside", as Jesus refers to the ones who have no heart for Him, hear the words but find them meaningless.
The Apostle Paul met with the same type of listeners as he preached the gospel, and he said of them, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:4) Paul says, "Satan has blinded them. They are more concerned with the cares of this world than of the destiny of their souls. 'The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.'" (1 Corinthians 2:14)
The disciples appear confused by the parable of the sower, but since they earnestly desire to understand it, Jesus explains it to them. They are a bit slow to catch on but Jesus is patient with them. I'm glad He's patient with all of us! I'm slow to catch on sometimes too, but I want to learn, and Jesus never turns away anyone who wants to learn. "Then Jesus said to them, 'Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop---some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown." (Mark 4:13-20)
Jesus' explanation tells us why some are able to listen to the word of God without it having any lasting effect on them. But thankfully all the disciples but Judas are fertile soil. The seed of the gospel will take root in them and will spread out to the world to bring others to Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment