I hope and pray that you are enjoying this journey in Mark. If you haven't joined us yet, you can. Simply go here and download the latest reading guide for Mark. I'm writing for two reasons. One, to give an example to those on this journey with us of how one might journal through a passage of Scripture. Two, taking time to write about Scripture for me helps my mind and imagination get into the story. It challenges me to read the passage a few times and reflect more than if I were doing a simple read through.
Come on this journey with us. You won't regret it!
South's SOAP for the Day
S-Read Mark 4:1-20
O-Jesus describes four basic types of people who encounter the word of God and how they react.
A-Where do you see yourself in the four descriptions given? What can you do to move closer to being in the good soil, or multiplying more if you are already in the good soil?
P-Pray that you make progress in multiplying and spreading the word to those around you.
I have been involved in summer church camp for the last two decades. Don't know what summer church camp is? Church camp is a place where students go for a week at a time to get away from life to focus on God and hang out with other students their age. I've been involved in organizing, planning, facilitating, and leading high school weeks of camp a long time. Its a lot of fun, very fulfilling, and it helps me to think that I'm still young.
This parable that we are reading today has a special place in my heart because of a week of camp at Rock Lake. I don't remember the theme for the week that year, but I do remember that the parable of the sower was an integral part of one of the days. We spent the whole morning digging into it. We even made the students walk around to different places in camp to help illustrate the different types of soil involved. I bet we walked them a mile to go from one side of the camp to the back 40 acres where there was as corn field. It was hot and miserable. But, we, being the leaders we were, pushed the kids through the adversity of foot travel to get the point...or so we thought.
Now, understand, there is a lot going on in this parable. There's the sower. There's the seed. There's the four different types of ground (the path, the rocks, the thorns, and the good soil). The sower throws the seed on the four different places and different things happen, the best being the good soil. Not real rocket science here.
Jesus closes out this teaching with a simple statement, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
Unfortunately, the disciples didn't get it. They wait till the crowd has gone so they can sit down with Jesus and say, "What? We don't get it." I wonder what their real confusion was? At camp, we'd been specific. We thought we had illustrated it well so the students would get it. But they did not. Our whole way back from the corn field we could hear them talking and asking, "Are we the soil? Are we the seed? Are we the sower?" I wonder what problems the disciples were having with understanding? Were they struggling with who in the parable they were like our students? Was there something else that had tripped them up?
As soon as we arrived back to the tabernacle, the large meeting place at Rock Lake, we sat the students down and walked through the parable again, specifically telling them what we wanted them to understand and get out of the teaching. Jesus did the same thing. He had to explain it point blank. I wonder if the disciples got it then, or if they looked at Jesus with the "yeah I get it, but I really don't" looks on their faces. Our students seemed to get it, for the most part.
The challenging thing with this parable is that depending on where you are at spiritually, you can be the soil or the sower.
Maybe in your life right now, you are the skeptic of this faith thing. You've heard people talk about Jesus, but you just don't buy it. You would be the rocky path. The good news is heard, but you don't really hear it and take it to heart. It doesn't even get the chance to germinate. The birds come along and eat the good news.
Maybe in your life right now, you hear the good news and you let it begin to effect you. But you simply aren't willing to fully commit to it. So, the influence of what you've heard is short lived--the roots never fully take. And it drys up and blows away.
Maybe you hear the good news and you want to fully jump in. Yet, around you are people who criticize you for this new faith you have and make you question your faith. You can't deal with the pressure from your friends or your family. Maybe its a coworker who mocks you for your new faith. You cave to the peer pressure. And your new found faith is wiped away.
Maybe you are like the good soil. You've heard the good news. You get it. Your in a place where you've been able to let it grow. You've given it the right things--good soil, good water. You've worked at it and grown faith that can withstand the peer pressure to the point where your faith is now a healthy, sturdy, growing plant.
The beauty of this parable is this: As a seed gets into the good soil and grows, it becomes a plant that produces more seed. It simply doesn't grow for itself. It grows to make more of itself. It becomes the sower, so to speak.
So, the question then becomes, where are you in the story? Be honest about it. I'm here at my computer in my office. You are there reading this blog. No one is going to judge you for being honest. Maybe you find yourself somewhere in the first three. Its ok. We all were once there in the first three soils. The challenge and my encouragement to you is to move yourself to be the soil. Allow the good news that Jesus has come to change your life and see what he does with your life!
Now, I know what you are thinking. "You have no idea who I am deep down inside! You don't know what history is in the closet of my life! I can't commit because of how it would affect my family!"
I could spend the next hour typing out legitimate concerns about not becoming fertile soil. All of your concerns can be answered with Jesus. Now, I know that sounds smug. I'm not being smug. I'm just as ugly as you are on the inside. I'm not proud of lots of what I've done with my life. My commitment to my faith has been a challenge on my family at times. As we read a few days ago in Mark 2, Jesus doesn't care about your past and your sin. He wants to forgive you. He wants to help you walk again. He wants to make you into something new, something that is growing, alive, and green.
One last observation, since this has gotten long again. If you are going to grow something, you have to work on it. Its not as easy as simply planting a seed and letting it go. There is work that the soil does in feeding the plant. There's watering that needs to happen. There's replanting and pruning that needs to happen. You are not alone on this journey. We are here to help. We want to help. All you need to do is ask. You have to have the want to change--to move towards being better soil so the good news can do amazing things. At the top of this page, there is a link to email me. Take some time to pray about what you need to do, and then shoot me an email. I will do everything I can to help you grow.
Lord, let us hear what you have to say. Let us hear what you are calling us to. Let us do more than simply hear. Let us become your Kingdom!
This parable that we are reading today has a special place in my heart because of a week of camp at Rock Lake. I don't remember the theme for the week that year, but I do remember that the parable of the sower was an integral part of one of the days. We spent the whole morning digging into it. We even made the students walk around to different places in camp to help illustrate the different types of soil involved. I bet we walked them a mile to go from one side of the camp to the back 40 acres where there was as corn field. It was hot and miserable. But, we, being the leaders we were, pushed the kids through the adversity of foot travel to get the point...or so we thought.
Now, understand, there is a lot going on in this parable. There's the sower. There's the seed. There's the four different types of ground (the path, the rocks, the thorns, and the good soil). The sower throws the seed on the four different places and different things happen, the best being the good soil. Not real rocket science here.
Jesus closes out this teaching with a simple statement, "Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
Unfortunately, the disciples didn't get it. They wait till the crowd has gone so they can sit down with Jesus and say, "What? We don't get it." I wonder what their real confusion was? At camp, we'd been specific. We thought we had illustrated it well so the students would get it. But they did not. Our whole way back from the corn field we could hear them talking and asking, "Are we the soil? Are we the seed? Are we the sower?" I wonder what problems the disciples were having with understanding? Were they struggling with who in the parable they were like our students? Was there something else that had tripped them up?
As soon as we arrived back to the tabernacle, the large meeting place at Rock Lake, we sat the students down and walked through the parable again, specifically telling them what we wanted them to understand and get out of the teaching. Jesus did the same thing. He had to explain it point blank. I wonder if the disciples got it then, or if they looked at Jesus with the "yeah I get it, but I really don't" looks on their faces. Our students seemed to get it, for the most part.
The challenging thing with this parable is that depending on where you are at spiritually, you can be the soil or the sower.
Maybe in your life right now, you are the skeptic of this faith thing. You've heard people talk about Jesus, but you just don't buy it. You would be the rocky path. The good news is heard, but you don't really hear it and take it to heart. It doesn't even get the chance to germinate. The birds come along and eat the good news.
Maybe in your life right now, you hear the good news and you let it begin to effect you. But you simply aren't willing to fully commit to it. So, the influence of what you've heard is short lived--the roots never fully take. And it drys up and blows away.
Maybe you hear the good news and you want to fully jump in. Yet, around you are people who criticize you for this new faith you have and make you question your faith. You can't deal with the pressure from your friends or your family. Maybe its a coworker who mocks you for your new faith. You cave to the peer pressure. And your new found faith is wiped away.
Maybe you are like the good soil. You've heard the good news. You get it. Your in a place where you've been able to let it grow. You've given it the right things--good soil, good water. You've worked at it and grown faith that can withstand the peer pressure to the point where your faith is now a healthy, sturdy, growing plant.
The beauty of this parable is this: As a seed gets into the good soil and grows, it becomes a plant that produces more seed. It simply doesn't grow for itself. It grows to make more of itself. It becomes the sower, so to speak.
So, the question then becomes, where are you in the story? Be honest about it. I'm here at my computer in my office. You are there reading this blog. No one is going to judge you for being honest. Maybe you find yourself somewhere in the first three. Its ok. We all were once there in the first three soils. The challenge and my encouragement to you is to move yourself to be the soil. Allow the good news that Jesus has come to change your life and see what he does with your life!
Now, I know what you are thinking. "You have no idea who I am deep down inside! You don't know what history is in the closet of my life! I can't commit because of how it would affect my family!"
I could spend the next hour typing out legitimate concerns about not becoming fertile soil. All of your concerns can be answered with Jesus. Now, I know that sounds smug. I'm not being smug. I'm just as ugly as you are on the inside. I'm not proud of lots of what I've done with my life. My commitment to my faith has been a challenge on my family at times. As we read a few days ago in Mark 2, Jesus doesn't care about your past and your sin. He wants to forgive you. He wants to help you walk again. He wants to make you into something new, something that is growing, alive, and green.
One last observation, since this has gotten long again. If you are going to grow something, you have to work on it. Its not as easy as simply planting a seed and letting it go. There is work that the soil does in feeding the plant. There's watering that needs to happen. There's replanting and pruning that needs to happen. You are not alone on this journey. We are here to help. We want to help. All you need to do is ask. You have to have the want to change--to move towards being better soil so the good news can do amazing things. At the top of this page, there is a link to email me. Take some time to pray about what you need to do, and then shoot me an email. I will do everything I can to help you grow.
Lord, let us hear what you have to say. Let us hear what you are calling us to. Let us do more than simply hear. Let us become your Kingdom!
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