Parables #14: Small but mighty

Parables #14: Small but mighty

Little but strong

Passage : Mark 4. 21-34 ( Bible S21 Geneva Bible Society & The House of the Bible )

Evangelical Church Biblical Action Lausanne Renens , August 20, 2023

Preacher: Patrice Berger

A dish is never alone

We are ending this summer section on satellite dishes.

I hope we have retained

Dish hijacking

We are false prophets if we teach on a parable without taking into account what Jesus said before. Indeed, the parables always work in comparison with the teaching which precedes it (and sometimes which follows it)

Indeed, Jesus very frequently uses this introductory term for the parables

Mark 4 verse 26

“This is what it looks like “

Matthew 7. 24

Therefore, whoever hears these words of mine and does them,

I will compare it

Following what leads to parables

It is also very interesting to follow what leads to today’s text.

Context

The ministry of Jesus is very early confronted with contestation.

( Mark 3.21 )

Family . “He lost his mind.”

( Mark 3.22 )

Religious . “He has Beelzebub in him; it is by the prince of demons that he casts out demons.”

Jesus makes the sternest warning of His ministry. Attention, if you refuse the action of the Holy Spirit by attributing it to His enemy (it is a pretext) you are eternally lost.

( Mark 3. 21-30 )

Moreover, the famous verse

Mark 3. 29

…but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never obtain forgiveness: he deserves eternal condemnation.”

is related to a parable explanation.

Context

Mark 3. 22-23

22 “He has Beelzebub in him; it is by the prince of demons that he casts out demons.”

23 Jesus called them and said to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan?

2 parables 2 comparisons

The first parable

The illogicality of accusing Jesus of casting out demons by Satan

is compared

to the disappearance of a kingdom or a family that would have internal struggles.

The second parable

If Jesus has the upper hand over the occult world, it is because He is stronger and has total control over them.

is compared

to someone who totally overpowers a strongman before plundering his possessions.

Truth

Jesus is not linked to the occult world and if He masters the demons, it is because He is much stronger. In this, if you refuse the action of the Spirit of God through the ministry of Jesus, on the pretext of acquaintances with the occult world, you will be and will remain lost forever. Only the Spirit of God can convict you of sin to change.

Application

Let us always remain sensitive to the action of the Holy Spirit with a view to salvation without finding pretexts.

( Mark 3. 31-35 )

Moreover, the family of Jesus is made up of those who are sensitive to the Spirit of God in doing His will.

Sequence of parabolas

They follow a framework led by the Holy Spirit and it is very interesting because Jesus will show and expose the various attitudes towards hearing and the impact in the hearts of the good news of the Kingdom of God.

In Mark 4 , He will show it in a parable, that of the sower and the land.

Matthew 13/ 1-9 & 13/ 18-23

Comparison :

Receptivity to the Word of God

is compared

to lands more or less fertile for a seed.

Central truth:

“Listening to the Word of God is not enough, it must find a receptive heart to see its full potential”

or shorter

“Hearing is good, but what impact does it have on your life? »

This parable gives us some details of what is

unsuccessful listening:
Satan removes the word;
weathervane people, as soon as the wind turns, they turn;
problems of priority, the concerns of life come before God;
fruitful listening:
good priority and attentive and productive listening; obvious impact on their lives.

Observation

Jesus clearly says that the sower sows the Word ( Mark 4:14 ).

Subject

of protest and
of questioning
by opponents.

Will these pressures silence Jesus?

Jesus responds with another parable:

Mark 4. 21-23

21 He said to them again:

“Do we bring the lamp to put it under a bucket or under the bed?

Isn’t it to put it on its support?

22 There is indeed nothing hidden that should not be brought to light, nothing secret that should not be brought to light.

23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

It’s about Jesus and his teachings

Responsibility to highlight;

For Jesus, in fact, lamp – literally, erchetai, means “it comes” – and at the same time, responsibility for receptivity in our lives.

Mark 4. 24-23

24 He said to them again:

“Pay close attention to what you hear.

We will use the same measure for you as the one you used,

and we will add to it for you [who are listening]. 25 For those who have will be given, but even those who have not will be taken away from those who have.”

Comparison

nothing hidden

By His coming, Jesus announces the divine revelation during His ministry, it cannot remain secret, it is normal.

She is compared

to the normal use of a lamp that is placed in the best place to illuminate as much as possible.

make a good use of things

The fundamental idea here is that a thing is really useful only if its use is in accordance with the purpose for which it was made. The context evokes the Word. It must be brought to light as opposed to hidden or secret.

Public and non-initiatory

Different from the pre-Gnostic and initiatory teachings, Jesus is the best example: a public ministry and a teaching in the presence of all (either the disciples or the opponents).

Truth

Jesus came to make the Father visible and He does so by teaching publicly; all that remains is to hear it, pay attention to it and make it come alive in our lives.

Application

Jesus did his part

Jesus fulfills the mission for which the Father sent him.

On our side, what do we do with what He tells us?

Our huge responsibility

God will use the same way of dealing with what He says as we do.

If we pay attention to it validly, God will do the same to us.

If we don’t care. God will do the same with us####

Again a matter of priorities!

A teacher like any other?

What listeners at the time could have objected was that there were rabbis teaching all the time.

And there, moreover, Jesus is all alone.

Come on, 12 guys with Him is a bit small, if it’s super important!

Miracles Show He’s More Than a Rabbi

Already no rabbi who had preceded him in the history of mankind had done repeated miracles like Jesus (which proves His divinity).

Jesus does not use this argument but comforts by using a parable.

Text

Mark 4. 26-29
26 He said again:

“This is what the kingdom of God looks like.

He is like a man throwing seed in the ground;

27 whether he sleeps or stays awake, night and day the seed sprouts and grows without his knowing how.

28 [For] of itself the earth first brings forth grass,

then the cob,

finally the grain fully formed in the cob,

29 and when the fruit is ripe,

we put the sickle there, because it is the time of harvest.

Mark 4. 30-32

30He said again, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we represent it? 31He is like a mustard seed: when it is sown in the ground, it is the smallest of all the seeds that are on the ground. 32But when it has been sown, it grows taller than all the vegetables and develops large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell under its shade.”

Mark 4. 33-34

33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as far as they were able to hear it. 34He did not speak to them without a parable, but in private he explained everything to his disciples.

Comparison 1

Mark 4. 26-29

God’s Assured Growth

Mark 4. verse 28

“By itself” = automatè

The Guaranteed Growth of the Kingdom of Heaven Taught by Jesus to His Apotheosis

is compared

to the automatic growth of a cereal seed until its harvest.

Truth

We know the match is won

The kingdom of God that Jesus presents will result in exactly what God intended.

We know that the match is won, the competition is won, the cup will be lifted.

Application

Encouragement

Although we observe from the Church (sometimes with difficulties, trials, etc.) the different stages, what is great is that we know that the outcome is guaranteed , even if it is very small.

Same in my life…

Examples

Several missionaries prayed and taught without seeing anything, then the following were there to reap, never neglect the apparent small beginnings.

12 disciples minus 1, and now…

Maybe alone or not much, where we are, strong encouragement,

to live the Words of Jesus
and pass them on,
and the encouragement continues.

Comparison 2

Mark 4. 30-32

Effectively insignificant to human sight, the Kingdom of God will be magnificent and spectacular for those who take refuge in it by being attentive to the Words of Jesus.

is compared

to the growth of the smallest seed which finally becomes a beneficent tree and where the birds dwell.

Truth

Let us be encouraged as we look to the apotheosis of the Kingdom of God, as what we see today is confidential

In our lifes,
in the church,
in the local church.

Application

Our witness of life and word may know many losses, not an echo of madness; we are not faced with an awakening every day.

However, let’s see the end result!

May the Lord renew us in our sense of being enduring with Him!

Hebrews 12. 1-2

1 So we also,

since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,

let’s cast off every burden and the sin that so easily envelops us,

and run with perseverance the test which is proposed to us.

2 Let us do this while keeping our eyes on Jesus, who gives birth to faith and brings it to perfection.