Written by: John Bentley
Mark 3 v 31-35
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to tell him to come out.
Many people were sitting around Jesus, and they said to him, “Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside.”
Jesus asked, “Who is my mother and my brothers?”
The he looked at those sitting around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
My true brother and sister and mother and father are those who do what God wants.”
Notes
Take any family situation you like; a car journey, a trip to the shops, makes no odds what you choose, the end result will be the same, squabbling!
Families by nature squabble. Yet here in this passage, we see Jesus standing in the midst of the crowd, possibly in the house of His disciples Peter and Andrew and publicly declares these words, 'Here are my mother and my brothers, who ever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother'
My question for you, and this is one I have asked myself first before you think, 'Oh Yes!', is how do you see those around you? How do you cope with those who seem to take endless joy in throwing a spanner in the works?
Do you see what Jesus did and said is madness, impossible, 'He doesn't know what I have to put up with!' well I question whether you fully know what Jesus can do if that's the case. This is the challenge of following Jesus, this is the cost we have to pay, I want you to take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror today and ask, 'do I do what He asks of me, or am I still on the outside like His family in verse 31, am I trying to tell Him what to do instead of the other way round? My will or His?
The down side, I always think, of reading this passage is what a blow it must be first thing in the morning, waiting for the bathroom with all these newly acquired family! Still patience along with understanding, is yet something else He gifts us with if we ask!
Mark 4 v 1-9
Again Jesus began teaching by the lake. A great crowd gathered around him, so he sat down in a boat near the shore. All the people stayed on the shore close to the water.
Jesus taught them many things, using stories. He said,
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant his seed.
While he was planting, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
Some seed fell on rocky ground where there wasn’t much earth. That seed grew very fast, because the ground was not deep.
But when the sun rose, the plants dried up because they did not have deep roots.
Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants. So those plants did not produce a crop.
Some other seed fell on good ground and began to grow. It got taller and produced a crop. Some plants made 30 times more, some made 60 times more, and some made 100 times more.”
Then Jesus said, “You people who can hear me, listen!”
Notes
I got interested in gardening once, dad gave me some cuttings, small plants, pots and stuff. I kept them in the cupboard under the stairs in the house!
If stuff doesn't get what it needs to grow it dies! It goes without saying I didn't have anything to show at the local Flower Competition that year! But flowers, kids, animals, adults, whatever, need the right conditions to grow, this is natural and God’s intention for His creation.
Look around you, what's stood about you? Who’s there? What books? Videos? CD's? What makes up your growing environment? What influences your thinking, life-style?
It's a fact of life, if you grow up with the wrong stuff, you grow up to be like it. Jesus knew this, when He said 'birds' he wasn't referring to the Hitchcock classic! He meant those bad or wrong influences in our lives that hinder our growth, slow it, or stop it altogether. The 'rock' the 'hard place' is the pace of life we live at, that again hinders any real depth of growth, the 'thorns', good old materialism! All are bad places to try to grow.
The 'good soil' comes from those around you who care for you, want the best for you, protect you from yourself and the other influences that will only cause you grief. You grow best in an environment of love. Jesus is love, here his love comes in the form of solid, earthed advice.
So right now look at the 'field' as it were that you are in. What's in it with you, what's the main crop, who's tending the crop, deciding what it does? How it grows? If it's not Jesus it will be something or someone else! Let those who have ears hear.
Mark 4 v 10-12
Later, when Jesus was alone, the twelve apostles and others around him asked him about the stories.
Jesus said, “You can know the secret about the kingdom of God. But to other people I tell everything by using stories
so that: ‘They will look and look, but will not learn. They will listen and listen, but they will not understand. If they did learn and understand, they would come back to me and be forgiven.’”
Notes
There's a brilliant quote I heard from my brother-in-law.
'It is better to be quiet and not make a fool of oneself, than to speak out and remove all doubt!'
Information equals power, power in the wrong hands corrupts, information if not understood makes us look foolish. Jesus sits His team down to 'tell it as it is!' He gathers the boys and down loads sound information to their hard drive! There is more than vanity at stake here! He's not trying to save face or reputation! He's giving the programmes and the manual to make it work, this Is kingdom programming, principles we see at work in this scene.
Jesus does this to eliminate any misunderstandings. We too can miss what God is doing or saying to us because we haven't stopped to really learn the programme, get familiar with the package.
In Mark 8 Jesus meets a blind bloke, spits and rubs the spittle in the guys eyes. The great temptation here for the blind geezer was to say, 'Yep got it, I can see, cheers Jesus!' and trot off to do something interesting! But no, Jesus asks him if he can see and the bloke says 'yes, but everyone around me looks like trees' the bloke is honest. He could have gone off with only half the story, half of that which Jesus wanted him to have, we too can get half the picture, have misunderstood the information Gods handing down!
Verse 10 of our reading sees the boys asking Jesus about the plot, they were up front about what they saw and heard, this is today's 'sound bite' if you don't know for goodness sake ask! Don’t, as the quote I started with, go off half cocked and make a mug of yourself, or more importantly your God! Remember the old woman banging on the Judges door, get that determination in your life to know, to understand and therefore be able to use. So, 'ask, seek, knock but please ask'
Mark 4 v 13-17
Then Jesus said to his followers, “Don’t you understand this story? If you don’t how will you understand any story?
The farmer is like a person who plants God’s message in people.
Sometimes the teaching falls on the road. This is like the people who hear the teaching of God, but Satin quickly comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them.
Others are like the seed planted on rocky ground. They hear the teaching and quickly accept it with joy.
But since they don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives, they keep it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they quickly give up.
Notes
'Down to earth', that's Jesus is in the way He spoke, and dealt with those around Him, He's as real as they come, no one has ever told it straight like this guy did! Here we see Him laying it on the line for the team, taking them through the small print of the story, He'd given the package outline in general terms (Mark 4:1-9) now He's getting specific.
He’s giving it you straight! Outlining the dangers in life, the stuff that cause poor or bad growth. He starts with those interested in knocking you down, road flat, to use Jim Carries words from the Mask He's talking about the superficial ones, the rock people, they seem to know, seem to be going for it big time, yet when the heat is on they flag and die!!
So why is this 'hard teaching?' straight from the hip stuff? Well because it asks us to be aware of the areas in our lives still covered in tarmac, attitudes that are 'rock'. It asks whether we in our worst moments act like the 'birds' in verse 15? Whether in one of our comments or looks we haven't just crushed someone’s attempt or offering? He's saying these elements exist in your life!
Jesus is talking about life and people here, the response to Him. That's why it’s tough stuff.
Today check yourself out, are you the kind of person who's a 'rock man', 'Yes got it sewn up' whilst you’re fooling yourself and them! Beware you’re not fooling God! Or are you renowned for cutting words or cold stares? a real 'bird' of prey!
God wants us to know ourselves in the light of Him, not judge ourselves by our own standards, or those around us, but against His. How do you measure up today? If you recognise some stuff pray it through with Him, talk to someone else you trust, but don't leave it, get specific with yourself today.
Mark 4 v 18-20
Others are like the seed planed among the thorny weeds. They hear the teaching,
but the worries of this life, the temptation of wealth and many other evil desires keep the teaching from growing and producing fruit in their lives.
Others are like the seed planted in the good ground. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and produce fruit – sometimes 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more and sometimes 100 times more.”
Notes
'Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own!' Matthew 6:34
'Do not worry', that's a good one! I've always been a worrier; 'how does this look? not does my bum look big in these' but how does this sound! The list is endless, why? Why you feel these things?
Well in the beginning 'worry' wasn't in the dictionary that was until 'old Nick' put it there. It's not of God you see, it wasn't intended to be a part of life. Satan’s meddling came in the form of two questions, first 'Doubt', Genesis 3:3, then 'Disbelief', Genesis 3:4, both distract from the truth, both send you to a place called' 'Worry & Want'. There is nothing wrong with money or possessions, as long as we get them in order. Satan swapped the order, he's put them above God, His word & His teaching!
Today think, do you doubt? It’s OK to doubt as long as It doesn't lead to disbelief, as long as it leads to discovery of the truth and the falseness of Satan’s lies. Doubt in isolation leaves you at Vs 18 & 19, but searching, as Paul puts it in his letter to the church in Thessalonica, 5:21, 'test all things' leads to certainty, discovery of the lies and into all truth which God Is and all light, this is true growth. As Jesus said, Vs 20, 'then they grow and produce fruit-sometimes 30 times more etc.'
Test yourself today against these words. Take yourself armed with the truth of Gods word, for the story didn't stop there in Gen 3, it moved onto John 3 and verse 16! But test yourself out, and move onto the good stuff, as it says in mark 5:36; 'Don't fear, worry just believe' then what growth we will see!
Mark 4 v 21-23
Then Jesus said to them, “Do you hide a lamp under a bowl or under a bed? No! You put the lamp on a lampstand.
Everything that is hidden will be made clear and every secret thing will be made know.
You people who can hear me, listen!
Notes
This passage has nothing to do with temperament! If you're an extrovert or an introvert! It's not saying that if you are the sort of person who likes the limelight, centre of attention, you make the best light and therefore should be the one to get on the table and let your 100 watt bulb shine! If it were saying that it would mean by default the 10 watt guys would pale into insignificance and that cant be right because God doesn't work like that, so what is it saying?
Jesus is saying this, 'Hey you, yes you, I'm talking to you sat reading this! Get up on the table now', that's what He's saying to all who believe in Him, extrovert, introvert etc. Because, and here's the deal of the passage, we are not the light. It doesn't depend on who we are, how we are, It depends on Him! We are just the means by which this light comes into the world.
Today forget what type of individual you are, how much you do or don't want to do this and just Be. Be there for Him, be the means by which His grace & love, His mercy & compassion come into the world, into the lives of those around you. That's what He's asking you, to be the shop window others see and are drawn to, He's the goods, He's the stuff they need, you play your part by allowing the love of Christ to shine out of you for all to see.
He's counting on you & I, so get on your table, wherever that is and shine! Read Isaiah 9'.2-4 & 6-7, take your place in Gods shop window today with the other lamps and go for it, it's what you were made for.
Mark 4 v 24-25
“Think carefully about what you hear. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you, but God will give you even more.
Those who have understanding will be given more. But those who do not have understanding, even what they have will be taken away from them.”
Notes
I love the current Fiat Punto advert, two crash dummies sitting side by side, the car, in slow motion, running straight into the concrete block at the end of the track. The scene is about safety, but it ends with the two dummies talking to each other, Her 'Oh why don't you watch where you're going!' Him 'Sorry it just jumped out in front of me', Her (sarcastic, mimicking voice) 'It just jumped out in front of me!'
Most people travel through life without a thought for what may or may not lay around the corner thinking, 'It will never happen to me!' wrong answer!
It will happen to you, whoever you are, it will happen again and again and again! Jesus in Mark 4; 24-25 knew this and spoke these words to highlight this fad!
When we become Christians, it’s not 'everyone lived happily ever after!' that's crash dummy land, theology! If you're a Christian you are in Ephesians 6 land!
This is a real warning God’s leveling at us here. How we are is how He will be on the final day at the end of time. Are you going to be found in the crashed and burnt out 'Dummy' camp or are you going to be with those who have opened their eyes to the realities of life, the good and the bad stuff.
Jesus as always drives home His message like a car running into a solid object, but the choice as always is with us. So today choose to ask God for more insight ~ more understanding and the result of this is you will find yourself stood on the rock rather than under it!
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes