Thursday, December 06, 2012

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Thursday, December 06, 2012     The Farmer, the Seed, and the Soil       

Page 112-114         Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-9, 10b-20; Luke 8:4-15

In this story Jesus tells, some seeds don’t sprout, some sprout a little, others sprout more and then fade away. But some seeds take root and produce a harvest beyond anything the sower expected. In this story that Jesus tells, all eyes are on the sower, not the harvest. The sower is extravagant, so incredibly extravagant, sowing seeds here, there and everywhere. Such is the extraordinary nature of God’s grace.

In his parables Jesus used symbols and at times he used an ‘insiders’ vocabulary. Why? The truth was too revolutionary. The people of Israel wanted a Messiah who would deliver the whole country, all at once, from the oppression of Rome. If Jesus was that kind of Messiah, the Roman government would do all they could to stop him. If he wasn’t that kind of Messiah, the people would rebel against him.

The parable of the sower reveals that the Messiah wasn’t going to set the nation of Israel free. The parable reveals the sower (God) is setting individuals free, one at a time. The parable reveals three quarters of the people do not receive the liberating message of God. God’s plan of redemption did not meet the expectations of the people, so Jesus moves slowly, giving the people an opportunity to grow in their faith so that they would trust God with their future.

As Jesus explains this parable to his disciple, they realized they have already been introduced to all the people represented in the parable. The people in Nazareth, when hearing Jesus teach from Isaiah, trampled on the word as they rushed Jesus out of the synagogue. The Pharisee wanted to hear more of Jesus’ words and invited Jesus to dinner, but his prejudice against Jesus and the woman made Jesus’ words land upon the rocks and stones of his heart. The discontents responded to neither John the Baptist nor Jesus. Their lives had too many distractions that choked out the words of Jesus. However, there were also the Gentile Centurion, the woman at the table with Jesus, and the twelve disciples. All these received Jesus words and produced a harvest of fruit.

There was also the group of women who traveled with Jesus. There was a high cost to their discipleship. Not only did they support his ministry with their financial means, they did so with a willingness to go against many of the social customs of their day. These women were the first disciples to truly get out of their comfort zone and dare to live a new way in response to the life giving words of Jesus.

These courageous women, as well as the others who received Jesus’ words, challenge me to examine my own life. How much fruit is Jesus’ word producing in my life?

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Friday, December 07, 2012          I Calmed the Wind and Sea        

Page 117      Matthew 8:18, 23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25