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10 January 2017
READING: MARK 4:1-25
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered round him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: ‘Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.’
Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’
When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, ‘The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
‘“they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!”’
Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. 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. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 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. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 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. 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.’
He said to them, ‘Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.’
‘Consider carefully what you hear,’ he continued. ‘With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.’
REFLECTION
Hi and welcome to Tuesday’s Podcast. We’re continuing our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today’s passage, which I’d encourage you to read in full, comes from Mark 4: 1-25.
It’s one of Jesus’ most well known parables – the parable of the sower. Jesus tells the story of a farmer who scatters his seed across the land. The seed lands along the path, the rocky places and in the shallow ground – it doesn’t grow. But, as we read in verse 8, which I’d like to focus on today:
"Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.”
Using agricultural language, which would have been familiar to the original audience, Jesus refers to a farmer (God), sowing the seed (his Word) into different types of ground (which we can broadly understand as people). The illustration is clear, God’s plan for ALL his creation is to go and be fruitful – a life lived to it’s full potential, to extend God’s kingdom.
God creates each of us with the potential for growth, and we’re not just talking about a little bit of growth here. We’re talking about a 30, 60 even 100 fold growth. Again, going back to the agricultural metaphor from this parable, this would have represented an unbelievable return for the farmer. Normally, a good yield from a field of crop would be 10 fold. A 100 fold increase on what you started was almost unheard of.
The point is that we were made for growth – massive growth. We were made to take what God gives us, and put that to good use so that it might not only impact our lives, but many others around us too. We are made to extend the kingdom. Be encouraged!
In verse 8, Jesus refers to this ‘good soil’ where the 100 fold harvest is produced. Here, he is talking about the type of person that God can really use to grow his kingdom. The question we should ask ourselves as disciples is: what is this ‘good soil’ and how do I cultivate that in my life?
Put simply, the ‘good soil’ is a person who takes to heart Jesus’ teachings. Someone who is attentive – who hears what is God saying to them. To cultivate it is to accept the message and then begin the process of faithfully putting these things into practise.
So, I think the first thing to consider today is. Am I attentive to what God is saying to me? Am I allowing God to speak to me? God speaks to us continually, but often we find it hard to listen because we’re busy, stressed, tired or distracted. Are we creating time and space for God to speak to us? If you’re listening to this podcast, then well done, you’re already doing that!
Foundations daily are a brilliant resource. Each day it encourages you to do three things: give thanks, hear God’s word and pray. Knowing you’re part of a growing community that is doing these things day in and day out is a massive encouragement, particularly if you’re like me and sometimes find it a challenge to keep tuning into God when the day’s busyness takes over. Carving out time in our day to hear God speak to us is so crucial.
And then the second thing is: Are we actively cultivating this ‘good soil’? As we hear God speak to us, we should be challenged to take that what we hear and put it into practise. That’s why Foundations is such a useful discipleship tool. As we read God’s word and listen to a short thought, the speaker for that day poses questions that we need to ask ourselves so that we can continue to live this Jesus life out. In doing so, we continue to cultivate ‘good soil’ and this parable shows us that when we do that, and we continue to faithfully do that, we will see the 30, 60, 100 fold increase in our lives. We will see God develop that potential locked inside us. We see our lives being shaped by him, and then how he uses us to help others do the same.
PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you are continually speaking to us. Help us to take time this day to hear your voice – through this Podcast, through your word, through a song, through a conversation – Jesus, speak to us. And may we be challenged to act upon what we hear, and step by step see your kingdom grow in our lives, and in the lives of those around us.
How to access these podcasts: see http://stthomascrookes.org/podcast/
View all episodes
By STC SheffieldREADING: MARK 4:1-25
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered round him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: ‘Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.’
Then Jesus said, ‘Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.’
When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, ‘The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
‘“they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!”’
Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. 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. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 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. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 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. 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.’
He said to them, ‘Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.’
‘Consider carefully what you hear,’ he continued. ‘With the measure you use, it will be measured to you – and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.’
REFLECTION
Hi and welcome to Tuesday’s Podcast. We’re continuing our series on Mark’s Gospel. Today’s passage, which I’d encourage you to read in full, comes from Mark 4: 1-25.
It’s one of Jesus’ most well known parables – the parable of the sower. Jesus tells the story of a farmer who scatters his seed across the land. The seed lands along the path, the rocky places and in the shallow ground – it doesn’t grow. But, as we read in verse 8, which I’d like to focus on today:
"Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.”
Using agricultural language, which would have been familiar to the original audience, Jesus refers to a farmer (God), sowing the seed (his Word) into different types of ground (which we can broadly understand as people). The illustration is clear, God’s plan for ALL his creation is to go and be fruitful – a life lived to it’s full potential, to extend God’s kingdom.
God creates each of us with the potential for growth, and we’re not just talking about a little bit of growth here. We’re talking about a 30, 60 even 100 fold growth. Again, going back to the agricultural metaphor from this parable, this would have represented an unbelievable return for the farmer. Normally, a good yield from a field of crop would be 10 fold. A 100 fold increase on what you started was almost unheard of.
The point is that we were made for growth – massive growth. We were made to take what God gives us, and put that to good use so that it might not only impact our lives, but many others around us too. We are made to extend the kingdom. Be encouraged!
In verse 8, Jesus refers to this ‘good soil’ where the 100 fold harvest is produced. Here, he is talking about the type of person that God can really use to grow his kingdom. The question we should ask ourselves as disciples is: what is this ‘good soil’ and how do I cultivate that in my life?
Put simply, the ‘good soil’ is a person who takes to heart Jesus’ teachings. Someone who is attentive – who hears what is God saying to them. To cultivate it is to accept the message and then begin the process of faithfully putting these things into practise.
So, I think the first thing to consider today is. Am I attentive to what God is saying to me? Am I allowing God to speak to me? God speaks to us continually, but often we find it hard to listen because we’re busy, stressed, tired or distracted. Are we creating time and space for God to speak to us? If you’re listening to this podcast, then well done, you’re already doing that!
Foundations daily are a brilliant resource. Each day it encourages you to do three things: give thanks, hear God’s word and pray. Knowing you’re part of a growing community that is doing these things day in and day out is a massive encouragement, particularly if you’re like me and sometimes find it a challenge to keep tuning into God when the day’s busyness takes over. Carving out time in our day to hear God speak to us is so crucial.
And then the second thing is: Are we actively cultivating this ‘good soil’? As we hear God speak to us, we should be challenged to take that what we hear and put it into practise. That’s why Foundations is such a useful discipleship tool. As we read God’s word and listen to a short thought, the speaker for that day poses questions that we need to ask ourselves so that we can continue to live this Jesus life out. In doing so, we continue to cultivate ‘good soil’ and this parable shows us that when we do that, and we continue to faithfully do that, we will see the 30, 60, 100 fold increase in our lives. We will see God develop that potential locked inside us. We see our lives being shaped by him, and then how he uses us to help others do the same.
PRAYER
Jesus, thank you that you are continually speaking to us. Help us to take time this day to hear your voice – through this Podcast, through your word, through a song, through a conversation – Jesus, speak to us. And may we be challenged to act upon what we hear, and step by step see your kingdom grow in our lives, and in the lives of those around us.
How to access these podcasts: see http://stthomascrookes.org/podcast/