Parables of Jesus: Teaching & Changing

Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.  Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.  And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.  And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."  And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."  And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,  so that  "'they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.'" And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.  And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.  And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.  And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word,  but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.  But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." - Mark 4:1‭-‬20 ESV

Rev. Travis Drake

What is a parable? Speech whose meaning does not lie on the surface, but requires investigation. It will not just enlighten, but challenge and even change us.

Understanding the parable

Jesus speaks about a person who goes out to sow seeds to produce a crop. And this person keeps trying and failing. He sows seeds and birds eat it. He sows again and it doesn't take root. Nothing. So we might feel something for this sower. We've taken loses in our stocks, retirement accounts. We've lost our community, replaced by conference calls. Finally, some seeds take root in good soul and produce a wonderful crop. The sower is sowing the word of God. 

The soil does not change. The rocky soil isn't suddenly deep. The parable clearly makes us desire to be the good soil. But we are not good soil. None of us desire the word of God. We are not to simply just accept our current state. We are to consider that God is changing us. He is tilling, removing rocks, and fertilizing. The soil does not fix itself. The soil needs someone to come change us. The parable is not here to beat us up as bad soil. 

The stony pride has been removed. The soil has been made deep. It has been weeded of thorns, distractions from God. 

Being changed by the parable

Wake up to the state of your heart. Pray and confess the stones of pride in our lives. Ask God to remove thorny things that crowd out God, his presence, and his calling for us. If you see sin, then thank God. It is an opportunity to remove that thorn.