Chapter 4 of Mark’s Gospel is four parables followed by Jesus calming a storm. At the end of the chapter Jesus challenges the faith of his disciples which is a way of emphasizing the phrase, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand”; a phrase Jesus used twice in chapter 4. (Verses 9 & 23.)
Mark concludes the first of today’s parables with a warning that if we do not seek to understand Jesus’ parables we are in danger of losing what we have. (v.25b) This is Mark’s way of emphasizing that Jesus’ parables are designed for his disciples to go beyond the superficial meaning to grasp deeper truths about God and His coming Kingdom. (When the church fails to go deeper the result is what we can see in Western Europe and the USA today; a declining presence of the Christian faith in the general population.)
The three parables in today’s reading all are built on Old Testament teachings about the establishment of God’s Kingdom. Jesus is teaching that God is moving and though the beginning of Jesus’ ministry may seem small and inconsequential, never-the-less God is at work and ultimately His Kingdom will provide shelter and comfort for the entire world.
Jesus’ ambition for his disciples, then and now, is that we would be people of faith. The disciples in Mark’s Gospel have already seen several miracles; which have not been sufficient to establish their faith. As we read on we will see this trend continue. Jesus wants our faith to be firmly established on the Word of God. Such faith comes by choice not by signs and wonders.
(I recommend two resources to help you go deeper into God’s Word. The first is a series of commentaries on the New Testament by N.T. Wright, “. . . for Everyone.” (Insert the name of the book in place of the . . .) The second is the Daily Study Bible by William Barclay. (We have this series in the Church Library if you want to check them out.)
What does today’s reading
reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do
or remember about this passage.
Does God want you to change
anything in your life?
27-Oct-11 Mark 5:1-20
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