Corona Chronicles - Crown of Thorns

Welcome back to the Corona Chronicles. We're in chapter 4 of book of Mark, and last time we saw this parable that Jesus told. About a sower of the seed. And we saw the explanation that the seed is the Word of God. And as it is sown, it will land in different types of soil, land on the path.

It'll land on rocky soil and land on good soil. And in between the parable and the explanation, there's this really interesting section. Where we learn something about the revelation of God and also the hiddenness of of of of the of the truth of the word. So we're gonna be reading from verse 9 of chapter 4 up till verse 13. Then Jesus said, whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.

When he was alone, the 12 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 seeding, but never perceiving, ever hearing, but never understanding. Otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven. Then, Jesus said to them, don't you understand this parable?

How then will you understand any parable? That's an amazing sentence. Because according to Jesus, there is something really significant about this story. Which, if we don't get it, we're gonna be frustrated in all of his other teachers. Because this paragon deals with how we hear the word of God.

And the word of Jesus. And this hearing thing seems to be a big thing, doesn't it? So verse 9, whoever has ears to hear let them hear, And then in the middle of verse 12, be ever hearing but never understanding. Yeah. So according to Jesus, we we need a double listening.

When it comes to his teaching, we need to both hear it, you know, audibly as you listen to it. But also, to have the kind of internal ears of the heart. Where we're listening and imbibing it and wanting to understand it and find out more, not just to hear with our ears, but to hear with our hearts. And That is what seems to distinguish the disciples from the crowds. So in verse 10, we're told when he was alone.

The 12 and the others around him. So I think we can assume that Jesus had taught the first part of the parable to the crowds, whoever has ears to hear let them hear, they all thought, okay. Well, that's, you know, sermon over what we'll be doing back to our And they'd heard it and perhaps been interested by it, but they hadn't they hadn't bothered to to kind of hang around and and hear with the heart, to go to Jesus and to seek the meaning. Whereas the 12 of the disciples wanted to know what it was all about. Mhmm.

So there's there's a there's a distinction there, isn't there? Yeah. There's a real humility in a sense. Because you can imagine the crowds that come to listen to Jesus. They've heard he's a good speaker.

And here he is giving another really amazing, unique, novel story about a farmer. Mhmm. And it's kind of a bit bewildering, but it sounds nice. There's some hope there. You know, something's gonna mog apply 30, 60, a hundred times, but then there's also a warning.

So there's like, it's a nice story. But everyone then seems to go home, either bewildered by it and happy to be bewildered, or applying their own interpretation of it going, oh, Jesus surely he he was talking about this. Whereas the disciples are are the only ones really stick around and sort of go to him. Like, do you know what? We don't we don't really understand what this was about.

Can you tell us? Yeah. Yeah. That's right. And and and, wonderfully, he does you know, he does tell them, doesn't he?

In verse 11, he says, the secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. And, you know, that backwards secret not you know, it's not as if Jesus is saying, you know, welcome to the secret society. Yeah. So I've got a little I did a secret for you that no 1 else can know. He he he's really saying actually, you know, the the mystery of the kingdom or the reality of the kingdom or the truth of the kingdom is given to you.

Because not not because you're more worthy than anybody else in this crowd. You know, your You're an ordinary fisherman there, ordinary fisherman. You're a market trader there market trader, you know. You're not there's nothing inherently perfect about you, which has made you worthy. But But actually, there is there is this sort of desire to seek and to learn from me, which which is which is rewarded by by light and revelation.

But then he says, you know, to those on the outside, everything in this set in parables, why so that? They may be ever seeing but but never perceiving and never hearing but never understanding. Otherwise, they might turn to be forgiven. And you know, people, you know, we we might rightly react to this and say, sorry, Jesus. You know, you sound part of the reason you speak in parables.

Is is so that people would not understand. And that is what he's saying. That that there is this kind of reality as the word of God goes out, that it brings both light and revelation, but also confusion and judgment. Upon people. And that's that's that's what it says here, and I think it's a call, isn't it?

To to have the kind of humble hearts that the disciples have. Because if we think, oh, Jesus, I know what he says, or I'm only interested in him for my own gain, you know, we might expect then his parables to actually cloud the meaning of the kingdom so that we won't understand it. Because we haven't got that right posture, you know, of heart. Yeah. Jesus is classic Jesus because what he does very often is is separate sheep from the goats.

Mhmm. And and where to our eyes, we would look at the crowd ago. Well, that was a successful sermon. Look at them hundreds of people that were there listening. We've all got away about exciting.

Yeah. Yeah. But actually Jesus has been able to in sort of 1 fast stroke, separate those who who genuinely want to seek him. Away from those who were just there for for some entertainment. Yeah.

So for those who who who who who genuinely want to know more and be a follower of Jesus and and go get I don't understand. But I want I want to understand that. Yeah. He he isn't he's given just enough like a little trail for them to to follow to go to him to find out more. Yeah.

And for those who would never really you know, are deep down, give themselves to him. There's enough there for them to be like, I don't get out bewildered, but I'm satisfied. So it's it's it's kind of a genius of of Jesus. It is. Yeah.

In a way to do that. It it is. And, you know, it follows it follows from Isaiah, you know, the old testament prophet as well, who's given the commission that no Christian wants really, which is, you know, who will go for me? Oh, I'll go for you, Lord. Right.

Well, I want you to go and preach in order to make their heart callused, and you think 1 who wants that ministry, you know. But, actually, again, that is part of the function of the word of God. Because if if we're like you know, the pharisees in the previous chapter, who have already decided that he's a minister of Satan. Yes. And is a worker of evil.

Then when they're standing, listening, God is God is speaking in such a way to to harden their hearts and prepare them for judgment. His word is not going to land fruitfully upon them. But if we've actually got this double listening, it's just this willingness to understand. Then then Jesus delights to speaking parables to reveal secrets to us. Mhmm.

And this then the invitation is there, you know, enough has been given for anyone who wants to know more -- Yeah. -- to seek more. Yeah. It's not that you have to be with certain intelligence. Yeah.

And any 1 of those varices had they had a humble heart could have could have said, you know what? I have believed my whole life that I'm an expert of the law. But I don't get this. So I'm gonna go to the teacher and ask you a hundred percent. And then he would have been, you know, welcomed as a sheep in that case.

Yeah. So It's it's it's kind of it's less about what Jesus has said and more about hours. It's all lookup. It's it's the parable of the soil, isn't it? What soil is your heart?

Is it 1 that sort of thinks it knows. So just I don't know if you're teaching Jesus. This is ping off me seeds. Is it, oh, that's interesting, but actually I'm more interested in this thing. So that gets choked or Or is it?

I I I need this to take root in my life. I need to understand this more. I need this to grow. Absolutely. Spot on.

And and that's why, you know, we we want to encourage people to to ask questions and to comment. And and not not maybe just to hear what Jesus is teaching, but to ask, what does that mean for me? How could I find out more? We'd love to help you to to find out more in that way.