Word@Work 044 - Mark 4:10-12
Published: Mon, 01/21/08
Word@Work from BeaconLight
Read Mark 4:10-12 When he was alone, the Twelve 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 seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!' " (NIV)
Some questions we do not ask, publicly, for fear of being thought stupid. Some answers need extra explanation and time to digest. And the disciples needed all the help they could get! But they started at the right place - they came to Jesus, away from the crowd, and asked him what the parables meant. It is always reassuring to know that you are taken seriously, and even more so when you find that you are entrusted with an answer that is bigger than you thought.
Jesus still treats serious enquirers in the same way. But it needs the 'secret place' of being alone with Him before the 'secret answer' is revealed. The parables were public appetite whetters: those who were hungry to know the truth asked Jesus. Of course, the 'secret of the kingdom' had been hidden until Jesus came - because He IS the secret treasure of God. Mercifully, Jesus did not come to tout religion but to reveal himself as the 'secret key' to the home of God.
What a privilege to be entrusted with that secret! What a responsibility too! In Christ, you have been given the same key to the heaven that the disciples had - the knowledge of who Jesus is and what He came to do for everybody. The prophetic task is the same that was given to Isaiah (Is 6:8-10), to announce the Kingdom in the full knowledge that many will want to stay on the outside. Discouraging prospect? Don't forget that the disciples were being taught that the seed has to be scattered everywhere; they had to learn that the right soil may be found in some of the unlikely places. So let's keep speaking of Jesus, feeding truth to the hungry and not being put off by those who don't get it.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for entrusting me with the key to Your kingdom - the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Keep me so confident in Your Word that I will keep on sowing wherever I can. Help me not to give up when friends and colleagues do not appear hungry for You, because I believe Your Word is still as powerful as ever to those who welcome what You say. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read more of this Bible passage online - in English and other languages - share the Bible with your friends!
Some questions we do not ask, publicly, for fear of being thought stupid. Some answers need extra explanation and time to digest. And the disciples needed all the help they could get! But they started at the right place - they came to Jesus, away from the crowd, and asked him what the parables meant. It is always reassuring to know that you are taken seriously, and even more so when you find that you are entrusted with an answer that is bigger than you thought.
Jesus still treats serious enquirers in the same way. But it needs the 'secret place' of being alone with Him before the 'secret answer' is revealed. The parables were public appetite whetters: those who were hungry to know the truth asked Jesus. Of course, the 'secret of the kingdom' had been hidden until Jesus came - because He IS the secret treasure of God. Mercifully, Jesus did not come to tout religion but to reveal himself as the 'secret key' to the home of God.
What a privilege to be entrusted with that secret! What a responsibility too! In Christ, you have been given the same key to the heaven that the disciples had - the knowledge of who Jesus is and what He came to do for everybody. The prophetic task is the same that was given to Isaiah (Is 6:8-10), to announce the Kingdom in the full knowledge that many will want to stay on the outside. Discouraging prospect? Don't forget that the disciples were being taught that the seed has to be scattered everywhere; they had to learn that the right soil may be found in some of the unlikely places. So let's keep speaking of Jesus, feeding truth to the hungry and not being put off by those who don't get it.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for entrusting me with the key to Your kingdom - the gospel of the Lord Jesus. Keep me so confident in Your Word that I will keep on sowing wherever I can. Help me not to give up when friends and colleagues do not appear hungry for You, because I believe Your Word is still as powerful as ever to those who welcome what You say. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
You can read more of this Bible passage online - in English and other languages - share the Bible with your friends!
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