Mark 4:30-34

 

³⁰ And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? ³¹ It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, ³² yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” ³³ With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. ³⁴ He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

Mark 4:9-25

 

⁹ And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” ¹⁰ And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹ 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, ¹² so that “they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.”

 

¹³ And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ 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.”

 

²¹ And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? ²² For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

 

²⁴ And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. ²⁵ For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Mark 3:13-21 & the Twelve

• The Gospel of Mark is an ancient biography. In an ancient biography there was one hero who was to be admired and imitated. How has Jesus thus far shown himself to be the hero? How has he been understood to be something other than the hero by the scribes and Pharisees?

• According to Mark 3:14 and Acts 1:21-22 what is unique to the calling of the twelve apostles which sets them apart from other early followers of Christ? What else is unique to the Twelve in Mark 6:7 and 12? What are some of the transferable principles that apply to all disciples that underlie these unique aspects?

“Jesus called the Twelve to be with him so that he could give them specialized training for the role of assisting him in his earthly ministry as well as training that would equip them for their future role as apostles after his ascension. They were separated from their occupations, their families, and their regular activities so that for a period of time, somewhere around three years, they could be trained by Jesus.” from Following the Master by Wilkins

• Would you say that the Twelve were in a “Christian Bubble”? Why and if so how?  How does Acts 6:2-4 help us see Jesus’ long-term goal for them?

• What did Tim mean when he said that the Gospel according to Mark is “Eyewitness Testimony Translated” How does that relate to the Bible being both reliable and relevant? Where and when in your life do you have opportunity to speak for the reliability and/or the relevance of Scripture?

• The Twelve’s testimony guides us into the real Jesus so that by his impact upon us we can be a fully functioning hand wherever we are. (A guide into union with Christ for the sake of the world). Why then would understanding the gospel as information transfer be an insufficient appreciation of the Gospel?  Since the Gospel is not just information that fell out of the sky does that help you to sense a smile at the other end of the communication?

• Jesus chose Twelve to be with him more than the other disciples and three of the Twelve to be with him even more. Why is this a loving action on Jesus’ part?

Read Mark 2:23-28

What do you most remember from the sermon?

How does Jesus use the story of David and the bread of the Presence (1 Samuel 21:1-6) to argue for the kingdom of God being established despite human disregard for God’s holiness?

Why is that such an important thing to keep in mind?

How can things go wrong if we think that the kingdom of God is sustained by our Christian practices rather than Christ’s person?

How can things go right for a local church when they realize that sustenance for the kingdom is provided despite sin?

Tim said that for the Pharisees the Sabbath had become Lord, rather than Jesus. Have practices and habits of the Christian life become Lord of any churches you have gone to or individuals that you’ve known?

What is beautiful about a person who relates to Jesus Christ as Lord rather than to prayer, Bible Study, attendance to Sunday worship, etc. as Lord?