Day 5

Mark 4

In this chapter, Jesus spends a lot of time teaching through parables. I used to wonder why Jesus didn't just come out and say what He meant without using stories. Doesn't He run the risk of being misunderstood? And what about people who get confused or don't want to spend the time to think through the images and what they imply? Does Jesus just intend to leave them behind? Why doesn't He just make it simple? I think the answer to that is found in verses 24 & 25. Jesus says that the more we listen to His teaching, the more understanding we'll get. But if we stop listening, we understand less. And the listening He's talking about isn't a passive thing. That's hearing. Listening involves us engaging with what's being taught. Wrestling with it. Meditating on it. Pulling the meaning out of it. And that's why Jesus taught in parables. For people who take the time to engage and question and put in the effort, parables get better and better every time you read them. It's like turning a prism. Each time you look at it from a new angle, you get a different set of colors. There's such beauty and genius to the way Jesus taught. The words He left us are enough to keep us engaged and growing in understanding for a lifetime. That's the power of parables. I don't know how many times I've read the story of the farmer and the seed and every time I engage, it teaches me. That's sort of what I'm hoping this year brings most of all. Me doing a lot more listening to the Word and God filling me with a lot more understanding.