The parable of the soils (seed) and a few observations in general
I noticed this morning that Jesus was supported in his ministry by people he had healed and discipled along the way. That stands in contrast to the way churches tend to operate today. We often are supported by people who have come from other churches, so one church swells while others dwindle, and so the cycle goes. But if we were to do this the way Jesus did it, every church would thrive. True, the churches wouldn’t be quite as large as the “mega-churches” are but they would be authentic, and creating authentic disciples.
I only have one observation on the parable of the soils today:
The seed is the Word of God, and it is God who causes the seed to grow. The thorns are the worries of this life, the rocky ground represents the problems of this life, and the fertile soil represents a disciple growing in a healthy church. Here’s my observation. None of this happens unless you and I plant the seed. God doesn’t plant it, we have to. Rather, you and I are privileged to plant the seed all over the world. In fact, this is the grand mission of the Church and the way in which we co-labor with Christ. This is how we partner with our parents, who are deity, to enable as many as are willing to enter into heaven. It is both a grand and sobering task, and it is ours. No one else can do it, and if we don’t share the Gospel, then the ground will remain bare. God has committed this enormously important piece of the salvation plan to you and I, and the whole mission hangs in the balance. Miss this, and the plan won’t work. As we used to say in the Army, “this task is mission critical”. I wonder how often we think about sharing the Gospel this way?
The parable of the Lamp puzzles me today.
I would say the light of the lamp is the wisdom that God gives, and the darkness is spiritual ignorance. Those who remain in spiritual ignorance will eventually perish because of it, so it is critical that the wisdom and knowledge of God reaches them all. That’s where you and I come in. If we are faithful to brightly shine, which would mean we proclaim the Gospel clearly, we will be given more light so we can shine further, thereby accomplishing the mission. If we receive the wisdom of God and don’t share it, then it will be taken from us.
On calming the storm and the healing of the demon possessed man:
I recently considered that the storm the disciples encountered was more than natural, because Jesus “rebuked” the waves. If the wind was simply doing what the wind does I don’t know that Jesus would have rebuked it. It’s almost as if someone or something was trying to prevent them from reaching the other shore. Hmmm. What happened when they landed? Oh yes, the demon possessed man is completely healed, runs and tells his neighbors what has happened and the ask Jesus to leave the area. The new disciple (the previously possessed man) wants to go with Jesus, but is commanded to stay and return to his family. Fast forward to the next time Jesus visits the area and scores of people meet him and many lives are changed, many miracles are performed. What happened? That lone disciple went and did his job, apparently. And it all goes back to Jesus setting foot on that property and changing his life.
I don’t think the devil can foresee the future, so he didn’t know any of this, but he did know that if Jesus showed up, he would be compelled to leave.
The same is true today. When Jesus shows up in power (through us) the devil and his demons have to flee. They have no authority over the body of Christ. I’m sure they know this, and for that reason they throw “storms” up in our path. We will not be deceived by them.
I’ll comment on the woman who has healed by touching Jesus in another post…but it’s the same idea as discussed here. Illness cannot stay in the presence of God, contact with God always brings healing.
Serving in joy,
PR