Daily Lesson for Thursday 25th of July 2024

Most of the Gospel of Mark has parallels in either Matthew or Luke or both. But that is not the case with this parable. It is unique to Mark. The focus of this brief parable is the growing process. Jesus indicates that this is how the kingdom of God works. Humans have a part to play, but the real growth is the work of God. It is not an endless process. The story comes to an abrupt end with the maturation of the grain. Just so, the return of Christ a second time will suddenly bring an end to our world’s history.

Image © Krieg Barrie from GoodSalt.com

This parable stresses how something very tiny grows into something remarkably large. Mustard seeds measure typically one to two millimeters in diameter (.039 to .079 inches). The plant described here is probably the black mustard (Brassica nigra), which has tiny seeds (more than 700 seeds in one gram). While not the smallest seeds in the world, they are quite small, especially in comparison to the plant they produce, which can grow as large as three meters (ten feet) tall. Jesus notes that birds even nest in the branches of the mustard plant. This last reference is an allusion to Psalms 104:12, with an allusion to Daniel 4:10-12, as well. Psalms 104:1-35 speaks of God’s power in creating the world, and Daniel 4:1-37 represents Nebuchadnezzar as a great tree under which all the world finds shade and food.

The point Jesus makes is that the kingdom of God, which began very small, will become large and impressive. People in Jesus’ day may have looked down on the dusty itinerant preacher from Galilee with His band of disciples, but time has shown that His kingdom of grace continues to expand throughout the world.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24c-04-parables-of-growing-seed/

Daily Lesson for Wednesday 24th of July 2024

Houses in that part of the world in Jesus’ day varied in size and construction, all depending on location and wealth. The houses came to follow a Greek pattern of being built around a courtyard but with varying levels of sophistication.

Image © Graham Braddock at Goodsalt.com

Or Jesus may be talking about smaller houses of peasants. Big house or small house, the issue is this principle: one day the truth about Jesus will be revealed.

Jesus asks two questions in Mark 4:21. The first one expects a negative answer—“The lamp is not brought to be placed under the basket or under the bed, is it?” The second question expects a positive answer—“It is brought to be placed on the lampstand, isn’t it?” Jesus presents an absurd, almost humorous scenario to make His point. Lamps are for giving light, or they lose their purpose. Mark 4:22 explains the parable by referencing the idea of secrets being made public. Anyone whose email or computer has been hacked understands the possibility of secrets being made public! But what Jesus is talking about is the gospel.

In many locations in the world, fresh produce is sold in open markets. Sellers typically have a device for measuring the product they are selling. It is a common practice of such sellers to add just a bit more to a sale to help the buyer feel he or she is being treated fairly. Jesus picks up on how good sellers treat buyers to make a point about openness to the truth. If one is open and follows the light, he or she will get even more. But if he or she rejects the light, even what they had before will be taken away.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24c-04-lamp-and-measuring-basket/

Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example. And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor. 1 Peter 5:2-4 NLT

A Google search will confirm for you that in the United States respect for pastors is at an all time low. Part of this is because respect for the Bible itself is at an all time low. However, we have all, at one time or another, had a pastor who abused his position and influence and abused the flock he was entrusted to care for. This is very unfortunate for the entire Christian community. Speaking as someone who has spent plenty of time in the church as a lay member, and plenty of time as a full-time Bible worker and now as a pastor, I have seen the damage this does to both sides. Lay members have been betrayed at the hands of their “protector.” That is damaging enough, but the damage continues when a young new pastor comes in and is disrespected  by those who were abused by a previous pastor and are now  taking it out with abusive behavior towards the new pastor who only came to love and to serve.

Again, having spent plenty of time on both sides, I know lay members who have been mistreated and outright abused by a pastor. This breaks my heart, as a sacred trust has been betrayed.

I also meet with and pray with younger pastors who are coming into the ranks and are being treated disrespectfully and, yes, even abused by their lay members, because of what a pastor in their recent or distant past did to them. This breaks my heart also, as new pastors are being shunned and disrespected while only wanting to love and serve their church family.

Something biblical and important for us to remember is that just as an abusive father does not diminish the respect that belongs to a loving father, just as an abusive teacher does not diminish the respect that belongs to a loving teacher, so an abusive pastor does not diminish the respect that is due to a loving pastor. Don’t throw away the eleven disciples just because there was a Judas.

Moses was the meekest of men, but He still was called by God to lead. And God dealt with those who disrespected His servant/leader. I rub shoulders with many new young pastors who want to serve God and lead their flock humbly as Moses did, but before they can even begin, an older lay member, who had a bitter experience with another pastor in the distant past never gives the new pastor a chance. The lay member tells the new pastor “This is my turf.” Now the lay member who was mistreated by a previous pastor’s abuse is now carrying out the same abuse and mistreatment on to the new pastor. The abused lay member is now abusing the new pastor.

Fact is that the church is God’s turf. And God has led both the lay member and pastor to serve together on God’s turf.

So how do we bring this cycle of mistreatment and disrespect to an end? How do we restore the respect that is due to both the pastor and the lay member?
First, I believe we all need to,

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13 NLT

Even when being mistreated, we sometimes need to relax. Sometimes we accuse a pastor or even lay member of abusing their position or stepping outside their bounds when, in reality they were only trying to go the extra mile to help. Keep in mind also we have not all had the best role models when it comes to those in “authority.”

A while back, I was sharing with a couple of teachers something one of my teachers did in a classroom way back in the day, that would be considered outright abuse today, but back in my school days it was never even questioned. While leaders should be able to follow the example of their leaders, the fact is it may not always be best. Sometimes we follow the example of others, thinking it’s best when it is not. The fact that we have not always been given the best examples, and the fact that we all make well-meaning mistakes should encourage us all to follow the counsel in Colossians 3:13.

As iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend. Proverbs 27:17 NLT

Another way to make sure we all serve and lead well together is to have open and frank conversations. I have discovered it is very important to have expectation meetings and follow up on those meetings to see if expectations are being met. A new pastor needs to sit down with the board members and department leaders and discuss openly and candidly what each one expects from the other. Also discuss how each one sees his or her own role. In some churches the pastor picks the hymns, in other churches the organist does. The pastor and organist need to sit down and discuss who picks the hymns in this church. And if the organist picks the hymns she should not get bent out of shape if the pastor decides to change the hymn at the last second, though it would be wise for him to know first if she even knows how to play it. And if the pastor chooses the hymns, he should not get all bent out of shape if the organist says she had to change it because she can’t play it or maybe she already knows the congregation can’t sing it.

That’s just one example, but you get the picture. We need to have open and frank conversations about our roles and expectations. At the same time, we must be flexible and forgiving. But being flexible and forgiving does not mean avoiding conversations that need to take place.

The pastor and congregation can have great respect for one another when Phillipians 2:3 is carried out by all involved.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Phillipians 2:3 NLT

In a perfect church, the pastor respects the congregation, and the congregation respects the pastor. If either one stops respecting the other, the church will become unbalanced and unhealthy. By being humble and forgiving, by having candid and open conversations about expectations, and not avoiding conversations that need to take place, we can restore the respect and cooperation that is needed between pastors and their flock.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/restore-biblical-respect-between-pastors-and-church-families/

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 23rd of July 2024

A surface reading of these verses gives the impression that Jesus taught in parables to keep outsiders in the dark. But such a perspective does not fit with Jesus’ actions elsewhere in Mark. In Mark 3:5-6, Jesus is grieved by the hard hearts of the religious leaders. In Mark 3:22-30, Jesus takes the arguments of the scribes seriously and explains in detail why they are mistaken.

Image © Jim Howard at Goodsalt.com

In Mark 12:1-12, the religious leaders understand that Jesus’ parable of the tenants is about them. It is actually a warning of where their plot against Him is heading and the terrible consequences to follow. If He had no concern for them, He would not warn them. Consequently, Jesus’ words here in Mark 4:1-41 need a closer look in order to recognize what His point is. Jesus is paraphrasing Isaiah 6:9-10.

Isaiah sees a vision of God in the temple and is overwhelmed by God’s glory and his own uncleanness. God cleanses him and commissions him with a shocking message. Just like Mark, it sounds out of step with the rest of Isaiah where there is much comfort for God’s people.

In Isaiah 6:1-13 the message is meant to shock the people awake so they will turn from their evil ways. In Mark the key for understanding Jesus’ words is found in Mark 3:35. To understand Jesus’ words and teachings, one must do the will of God (Mark 3:35). This brings that person into the family of Jesus. Those who have already decided that Jesus is possessed by the devil will not listen.

The point of Jesus’ quotation from Isaiah 6:1-13 is not that God is keeping people out but that their own preconceived ideas and hardness of heart prevent them from accepting the saving truth.

This truth is the overarching concept of the parable of the sower. Each one chooses what type of soil to be. All decide for themselves whether or not they will surrender to Jesus. In the end, we each choose.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24c-04-the-reason-for-the-parables/

Key Thought: Mark 4 has five parables – the sower, the lamp, the measure, the growing seed, and the mustard seed. The majority is around the parable of the sower.
July 27, 2024

1. Have a volunteer read Mark 4:1-9, 13-21.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What are the different soils like, and what happens to the seed that falls on them?
3. Personal Application: Think of your own experiences. Are there any of the path, rocky soil, or weedy ground creeping into your own experience or has before? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “How did Jesus interpret the parable of the soil? What did each of the soils represent? How does it apply to our witnessing today?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Mark 4:10-12

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Why did Jesus teach in parables?
3. Personal Application: How can we reprove or rebuke sin and still not show a lack of love and respect? How can we love the sinner and hate the sin? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Jesus taught in parables so that the people not seeking for truth or grace for salvation wouldn’t understand them and thus have a way to be saved. His disciples didn’t even understand some of them. He had to explain them to His disciples..” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Mark 4:21-25.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What is Jesus’ emphasis in the parable of the lamp?
3. Personal Application: How can your church be more like a lamp lifted higher in the local community? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “What is Jesus trying to say in regards to the measuring basket? How does that relate to the people He was talking to? How does it relate to us?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Mark 4:26-32.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What is the primary focus of the parable?
3. Personal Application: How can we help the church grow to reach the whole world? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/4-parables-teaching-plan/