The Mysteries if
the Kingdom
Mark 4: 10-11
10 But when He
was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.
11 And He said
to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of
God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,
Jesus taught a multitude as He sat in a boat
by the shore. What He taught was the
parable of the sower and the seed. But
to the disciples, the spiritual meaning of the parable was not immediately
apparent. The disciples didn’t understand what Jesus meant, and they asked Him
about the parable. Jesus will answer the
disciples’ question about the parable, but first He wanted to explain to them why
He used parables.
He explained to them that they were given to
know the mystery of the kingdom - they could have His parables explained
clearly so they would understand what the meaning behind the parable was. In the Bible, a mystery isn’t something you
can’t figure out; it’s something that you would never know unless God revealed
it to you.
To those who are outside, all things come in
parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive’. Parables, in their spiritual function, are
more like riddles or puzzles than illustrations. They can be understood by
those who have right “key.” A parable
isn’t an illustration. A good teacher
can illustrate by stating a truth, and then illustrating the truth through a
story or an analogy. But when Jesus used
parables, He didn’t start by stating a truth. Instead, the parable was like a doorway. Jesus’ listeners stood at the doorway and
heard Him. If they were not interested,
they stayed on the outside. But if they
were interested, they could walk through the doorway, and think more about the
truth behind the parable and what it meant to their life.
But none of them could understand the
spiritual meaning until Jesus explained the key to them: The sower sows the Word
- Mark 4:14. If you miss the key, you
miss the whole parable. If you think the
seed represent money, you miss the parable. If you think the seed represents farming, you
miss the parable. If you think the seed
represents hard work, you miss the parable. You can only understand it by understanding
the key: The sower sows the Word – as in the Word of God.
By quoting this passage from Isaiah 6:9, Lest
they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them, Jesus explained why
He used parables. In teaching by
parables, Jesus offered His hearers the opportunity to dig deep and find the
truth, or to turn a deaf ear to a story. This would avoid a greater condemnation for
having rejected a clearly understood truth.
Jesus didn’t use parables to blind people, but because they were already
blind.
In light of this, how blessed are those who
do understand the parables of Jesus. Not
only do they gain the benefit of the spiritual truth illustrated; they also
display a measure of responsiveness to the Holy Spirit. Jesus calls all to come to Him for
repentance, but only those who choose to stay and ask and study and dig into
His Word will truly understand what He has to say. Then the seed (the Word) will take root in
their hearts and they will grow and produce fruit for the Kingdom.
Stephen Cram
June 29, 2014
Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil
you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men
according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.
Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture is
from the New King James Version of the Bible.
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