Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome to another week of Corona Chronicles, and we are going into Mark chapter 4, and this is where Jesus is beginning teach lots about the kingdom of god in parables. And this 1 is particularly worth paying attention to because Jesus says, if we don't understand this parable, we're not gonna understand any parable. So in this parable is the key to understanding all of Jesus' ministry. And today, we're just gonna read the parable and the explanation. And then tomorrow, we're going to go for the meaning of the parables, or why Jesus teaches in parables.

So, here's verse 1 of chapter 4. Again, Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered round 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 us 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 roots.

Other seed fell among thorns, grew up and choke the plant so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying 30, some 60, some a hundred times. Then Jesus said whoever has ears to hear, let them hear. And then verse 14, the explanation.

The farmer sows the word. Some people, I like seeking along the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, satan comes and takes away the word that so did them. Others like seeds sewn on the 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 seeds, certain 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 30, some 60, some a hundred times what percent. Amazing turn of phrase by Jesus again. He's got such a great way of communicating really quite complex things, but really simply and using picture language that everyone even today, we can all sort of know what's going on here.

Yeah. All of us know what stony paths look like in rocky ground and roots and So so the maze he's such an amazing storyteller, Jesus, isn't he? He is. Yeah. Absolutely.

And he's constantly, as you said, using illustrations that are gonna connect these big eternal truths about the kingdom, in images and pictures that they can understand. And this 1 about farming, as you say, although not many of today would be involved in this kind of industry. We get it. We get it. We understand the image.

And this is probably 1 of Jesus' most famous parables, isn't it? Yeah. And it's what's great about it being accessible. So everyone is. You know, Jesus came and was preaching to the layman.

To the farmers. Mhmm. You would imagine like the pharisees and things would want to try and have a very sort of lofty, high explanation of something like this. But here Jesus comes and he wants to speak to people like me and you, the the sort of the farmers of the world, not the yeah. It was really lovely.

And kind of flips things on its head because the world and the pharisees in particular really look at the sort of the plant part of, well, the leaf and the flower part of the plant. So when so when you see things here like the seed falling in the rocky places, it springs up quickly. Mhmm. But because the soil's shallow, the roots don't take hold. And then, therefore, it's actually it's just It's just a puff of it.

A puff of air will knock it over. Yes. In in this world, we're obsessed with the outside appearance. Yes. But Jesus is really concerned with actually what's going on Yeah.

Absolutely. Yeah. In the depths of the soil, isn't it? Yeah. And, you know, the the power of it is so wonderful because it's illustrated and that explains.

So you've got this seed which which is the word of God, isn't it? The farmer sows the word, and so the seed and the words are are similar in the sense that as the seed has life giving potential when it's cast into the ground. So does the word. So whenever whenever God's word is opened, the red taut there is this sowing business going on that that Jesus did in his ministry, and we do in in every generation afterwards. And And so this word has the power, doesn't it?

To to transform a heart, to make a dead thing live a cold thing war, you know, to produce fruit where there is nothing. It has this spiritual life giving potential. As the as the as the word is sown and sown by Jesus ultimately, but but also by people who teach and and that kind of thing. But but there are different responses, aren't there? Yeah.

It's the seed. Yeah. It's effectiveness is not down to the quality of the seed. The seed is the same. You know, sown wherever it goes, to be honest.

But it it does depend on where it lands. As you said, And here, we've got a few different pictures. So we've got the path -- Yes. -- which doesn't even hit soil. It sort of bounces straight off, and then Jesus says, satan comes like a bird to to steal it away -- Mhmm.

-- hasn't even had a chance to to make any kind of penetration at all. No. And then we've got rocky places where there is some soil -- Yes. -- but not enough really to to take hold. And then you've got thorns where it's landed in good soil, but there's a ton of other things growing there already.

That kind of soil loves these other things that are going on and then, ultimately, that plant gets gets choked. And these these are quite good pictures. So taking the the the the thorn sort of illustration Jesus makes. Some pea but so that the words sewn into that kind of soil, that kind of person. Where they've got other things in their life growing up, entangling this kind of faith that's grown.

So so some people see they do sort of accept and get excited by sort of what we're seeing -- Yes. -- what we're seeing here Christianity. But then before long, they're dragged away by sort of something else and the life is squeezed out of of the faith. So, yeah, lots of different types of of people and responses. There are.

Yeah. And it and in once it's the goal of the sowing is the harvest, isn't it? So there is a sense in which only that last seed on the good soil -- Mhmm. -- is is the true life giving seed in that the goal is not just leaves and quick shoots from a harvest. And so, there is a sense in which none of these apart from the last 1 are true disciples.

Right. They may have all had some enthusiastic response to the gospel. Yeah. But it hasn't taken root in the way that Jesus intends. And yet, this is also true every time we hear the word.

Christian or not, isn't it? So it's kind of applied in lots of different ways. And, you know, sure, you know, and this is It's a warning to us, but I'm sure in our own ministry lives and the people watching, we've all sadly known instances like this, haven't really where. Where someone has perhaps come and they've heard the gospel, and they've made great gains, and they seem to be wanting Jesus. But then, something difficult happens in their life or a bit of persecution comes, and that which was so promising begins to wither in the heat of the day because it isn't accessing nourishment.

It hasn't really been planted. Mhmm. And as you say, there are others and and, you know, goodness, this happens to us, doesn't it? It's like, you know, we want to grow, but then anxieties, you you know, and and the deceitfulness of wealth and worries and pleasures. Begin to sort of strangle us, don't they?

And and and and divert us from looking at the sun. And we we don't bear fruit, you know. So, These are very evocative images, aren't they? And it's just powerful stuff. They they they sort of force you to inspect yourself -- Yeah.

-- to sort of look at yourself and go hang on. So what what kind of soil is is my heart. So when when the seed is sown into my heart, am I getting sidetracked by anxieties and and things in this world that are drawing my attention? Mhmm. Is it just about straight off, meaning I'm ignoring it completely.

Or or is it am I allowing it to take root and not just be a shallow thing like you say, but really, the success of it, as you say, is is the hard business. So am I then being fruitful? Is this seed changing the way that I live, because it's having a difference and and sort of impacting other people around me. Yeah. Yeah.

That that's right. And it's a spiritual thing, isn't it here? You've got satan involved. So, you know, you know, he he is 1 He knows, really, that this living word of God will will save people and will change people. And he's circling like the bird looking for an opportunity to take it away, you know.

And this this parable is playing out even that, wasn't it? And as people watch it, there'll be these different responses. Some might be watching it and already giving reasons why it's rubbish -- Yeah. -- and shouldn't be listened to. Others might be watching and think, yeah.

Yeah. Great. But actually, next week, what was that about? You know, others might be distracted, but but know, we wanna we wanna pray that, don't we? And to ask that the lord would help us to be like, this good soil, which is always receiving, always growing, and always bearing fruit.

So that's an encouragement for you.