loudandclear

Mark 4:21-41

Notes by Niko Gruber

21 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. 22 For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. 23 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
 24 Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”

 26 Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. 28 The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”

 30 Jesus said, “How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? 31 It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, 32 but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.”
 33 Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. 34 In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

 35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
 38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”

 39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

 41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”

(((Jesus starts this passage by telling 3 parables about the Kingdom of God.  He starts the first with a question about where to put a lamp.  You don’t try to hide a lamp or block it’s light, you want to put it on a stand so that it can shine bright.   He is using the lamp to represent the Kingdom of God.  Eventually things that are hidden or secret will be known so that God can bring true justice to this world.  Because of this true justice we know we can have real hope.  Jesus then goes on to say a bizarre sounding statement in verses 24 and 25.  Saying that if they listen closer to Him they will understand more and when the Kingdom of God is fully realized they will understand even more.  Likewise, if they don’t take time to listen to Him even the little they understand will be taken away from them.)))

(((Then Jesus uses two parables about seeds to teach about the Kingdom.  The first He uses to explain that after we tell other people about the Good News, it’s not in our power to help someone grow.  God’s power alone allows someone to grow.  Just like a farmer we can help facilitate growth by preparing the soil and water, but in the end it is God’s work in us that causes growth in His Kingdom.  He then teaches that God’s Kingdom is like a mustard seed.  It starts out small, but will soon grow larger than all the other plants.  God will grow The Kingdom in His perfect timing.)))

(((The chapter closes with a story of Jesus and His disciples on a boat during a storm.  We have two big take-aways from this story.  First, we are once again shown Jesus’ power over all of creation, showing that He is still fully God while being fully man.  Our second take away is we should always turn to God in good times and bad.  The disciples were putting their faith into the strength of the boat to take care of them so they were worried, because they didn’t know how strong it was.  It wasn’t until they put their faith into Jesus that they were saved.  You can almost hear the frustration in Jesus’ voice as he says, “Do you still have no faith?”)))