The Story of Jesus According to Mark, Pt 11: A Lesson in Miracles

 

June 30, 2024               NOTES NOT EDITED
The Story of Jesus According to Mark, Pt 11,  “A Lesson in Miracles”
Mark 4:35-41

SIS – If the Kingdom of God is supernatural, then miracles are possible and every miracle communicates a message about God.

Last week in my message we established that the Kingdom of God—all the activity we are currently a part of and will be throughout all eternity—is supernatural. Therefore, miracles are not only possible, but are to be expected as Yahweh interacts with us in His Kingdom.

Today, from that springboard of the “supernatural nature of God’s Kingdom,” one truth about miracles in the Bible can be established without question:  miracles always have a message.  To put it another way, God does not do miracles simply to show off his power—that is called magic and is condemned outright in the Bible.f

I am going to tackle the Biblical truth of “miracles.” This will be like emptying the Pacific Ocean with a shovel.  I will not be able to prove to you this morning, in any way we normally define “proof,” that God has done miracles in the past and is still doing miracles, today. I may get you to nod your heads in agreement with me theoretically in regard to miracles, but you will probably leave hear with more questions, than answers.

Miracles pose problems for both believers and non-believers, the faithful as well as the skeptic.  One preacher identified four questions that the idea of miracles raise in peoples’ minds:  The first question is historical--did this really happen? The second question is: theological--why did this happen?  Third, miracles raise a personal question--can something like this happen to me? Finally, miracles raise an emotional question--why doesn’t something like this happen to me?
(http://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/2006-11-23-Dont-You-Believe-in-Miracles)

Miracles have been debated by scholars and skeptics for as long as there have been “scholars and skeptics.” And, no uniformly agreed upon conclusion has been reached—even among those who consider themselves Bible believing Christians.

Paul, however, clearly states that without the supernatural basis of the Kingdom of God, Christianity is a joke, a failure, a system of thought that should be rejected. Paul says this based upon the most significant miracle in the Bible, the resurrection. Here’s what Paul says about the resurrection specifically and the miraculous in general (1Corinthians 15:13-14

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty.

So, I will not be solving the problems of miracles in this sermon.  I am going to begin with a conclusion:  Christianity without miracles would be nothing more than a religion of ethical suggestions.

Without miracles, there is no incarnation.  There is no sinless Savior and no resurrection.  Paul said that without the resurrection,

^{ICor 15  17} And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless;

Therefore, I will begin with the premise that miracles are not only possible, but absolutely necessary to the gospel story.

One more foundational bit of information before we jump into the “why” of miracles. What exactly do I mean by “miracle.” One of the best definitions is given by one of the most significant atheists of the 20^th century, Anthony Flew. Before he died, he became a “theist” writing a book titled, “There Is a God.” Flew gives this definition of a miracle:

“A miracle is something which never would have happened had nature, as it were, been left to its own devices.” I would say, “Miracles are what happens when the Supernatural interrupts the natural for His own purposes.”

Today, I want to examine the “why” of miracles.  God does not do miracles simply to “show off” His power.  Miracles have a message.  Miracles move forward the plan and purposes of God.

Now, this is not the first miracle we encounter in the Book of Mark, but it is the first miracle in which the “crowd” is not around.  This is just an incident involving the disciples.  I think it was a serious, “training session” in “miracle-working.” Three truths become abundantly clear to me when we discuss this message of the calming of the storm:

1.  Miracles always move the plan of God forward 2.  Miracles always magnify the Person and Work of Jesus  3.  Miracles meet human needs.

Let’s read about a great miracle, together:

MARK 4:35-41

A technical point would be in order here.  Miracles are a specific aspect of God’s Providence.  God’s Providence refers to “God’s ongoing participation in and care for His creatures and creation.”  Miracles are one aspect of God’s providence.  Miracles happen when God “interjects Himself supernaturally into the affairs of men by interrupting “natural” processes and laws.  He does not “suspend” natural law, but he specifically and locally “supersedes” it.

ILLUS:  Floating Ax Head (2Kngs 6).  If you recall the story of Elisha, a group of “prophets in training” under Elisha’s leadership set out to build a new learning center.  In the course of the project, a borrowed axhead fell into the water.  The item was borrowed and expensive so this was no small matter. In the course of the search for the axhead, Elisha made the iron axhead float to the surface of the water so it could be retrieved.  It was a “miracle.”  God did not suspend the law of gravity but he superceded it in the “3 cubic feet of water at that place and time.”  Somewhere, an apple was still falling to the ground and little Jewish boys were tripping and falling down.

Miracles do not contradict anything we know about God and His universe.  In fact, miracles are quite logical given the God of they Universe has revealed Himself as an “active participant in the affairs of His creation.” So, while miracles are not common in God’s universe, they are consistent with God’s providence.

Now, here’s why it is important to understand that miracles are connected with God’s Providence.  When we know that God is good and through His providence His ultimate plan will be worked out perfectly, then we can “have confidence in the ultimate outcomes of the events of life” (Erickson). 

Therefore, whether we receive a specific answer to a specific prayer or not, we can be confident that God is working “all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.”

Whether the miracle is immediate, delayed, or ultimately delivered in eternity, God’s perfect will and providence is always at work.

In the life of a believer we can be confident that pain always has a purpose and a miracle always has a message.

Now, let’s examine what the “message of miracles” really is.

1.  M’s always MOVE forward the plan and purpose of God (35)

 

⁵ On  that day, when evening had come, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side _⌊of the sea” 

If a miracle is a true miracle of God, it will always be related to God’s redemptive plan for mankind—it will always be related to the “message of the gospel.”

Many people mysteriously get well from diseases or mysteriously escape serious injury in some devastating accident, or mysteriously receive some kind of “answer” to a prayer.  That does not mean that there has been a “miracle” from God.

Christians must be careful not to “overuse” the term, miracle.  Many times during my high school career I passed a test that I really was not prepared for.  More than once when the tests were passed back after grading I said to myself, “It’s a miracle.”  Well, it might have been a coincidence.  It might have been my good fortune to have caught the teacher on a night he or she was feeling particularly generous, or it might have been a combination of one or more things—but it was not a miracle in the Biblical sense.  Not once do I remember in those situations giving glory to God and improving my attendance record in church.

Here’s something many churches and most Christians in those churches completely miss in regard to life:  God is moving in a purposeful direction toward a predetermined end.  Nothing happens in God’s universe that does not in some way or another “fit into His plan.”  God is moving.  God is going somewhere.  History is linear, not circular as many teach. 

Job said (42:2), I  know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted.

 

Paul echoed Job’s trust in God’s plan (Rom. 8:28), We know that all things work together  for the good  of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. 

I’ve often told you about my experience in visiting Niagra Falls.  As fascinating as the falls were—and they were fascinating to be sure—I was almost as fascinated, maybe more so, with the American River that creates the Falls.

At one point as we were heading to the town of Niagra, I looked out the driver’s side window.  I was nearly level with the American Channel of the Niagra River.  The speed limit was only 55 mph if I recall, and it seems to me that the American Channel of the Niagra was almost keeping up.  In fact, the American Channel of Niagra clocks speeds from 25 mph increasing to as much as 68 mph at the Falls. 

Here’s my point:  all that water is “going somewhere.” It has a destination, and nothing is going to stop it.  In fact, several signs upstream from the Falls state:  “Point of No Return.”  If you get in the Channel at this point, you will be going over the Falls.

God’s plan and purpose for humanity I like that and one way God assures His plan and purpose will be fulfilled is by “intervening in life at strategic moments.”  We call these interventions, “miracles.”  Miracles are one tool God uses to make sure His purpose is fulfilled.

Now, let’s read our text again in verse 35:

 

³⁵ On  that day, when evening had come, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side _⌊of the sea_⌋.”

There’s a gospel song based upon this idea that says,

He didn't bring us this far to leave us
He didn't teach us to swim to let us drown
He didn't build His home in us to move away
He didn't lift us up to let us down

Many people put their confidence in life in God’s miracle working power.  That is a mistake and can lead to great discouragement and disillusionment.  Our trust is never in a miracle, it’s always in a God who loves us and has a plan for our lives—a good plan—that will absolutely be fulfilled.  Paul reminds us (Phil 1:6):

⁶ I am sure of this, that He who started a good work  in you  will carry it on to completion  until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

2.  Second, Miracles always have a message and that message is always, to MAGNIFIY the Person and Work of the Lord (41)

⁴¹ And they were terrified  and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey  Him!” 

Miracles get people talking about Jesus!

If you are looking for miracles, you will miss Jesus, but if you are looking for Jesus, you get heaven.

Mat 12:39:  “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah 

There’s a very good reason why miracles always point to Jesus.  The great evangelical preacher, Chuck Swindoll, sums it up:

If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness,
So God sent us a Savior.

Our greatest need is Jesus.  That’s why sometimes people who are sick are not healed this side of heaven, and some are.  It all depends “on what will bring the most glory to God, and therefore, the greatest blessing to man.” 

The “main message” of a miracle is to MAGNIFY the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.

Notice something very interesting in this story.  At one point the only thing the disciples could think of was the physical need they had.  A few moments later, all they could talk about was Jesus.  What made the difference?  A miracle.

Miracles always MAGNIFY the Person and Work of Jesus Christ and get people talking about “Who HE is.”

3.  Third, understanding that miracles always have a message
     we see that Miracles MEET human needs (37-40)

Every miracle is a reminder that God loves us and will care for us. That’s the key point arising from the doctrine of Providence.

³⁷ A fierce windstorm  arose, and the waves  were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸ But He was in the stern, sleeping  on the cushion. So they woke Him up  and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?”

³⁹ He got up, rebuked  the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence!  Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

(1)  God uses miracles to meet our physical needs (“swamped”)

The physical needs of the disciples on this day were great: v37:

A fierce windstorm  arose, and the waves  were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped.

……………………….

verse 38, we’re going to die?” 

Nothing drives people to pray like a great physical challenge. Sometimes, the prayer is nothing more than a “cry of desperation,” but “even a bad prayer can lead to a good outcome if you send it in the right direction.”

Notice the language, “fierce windstorm, waves breaking into the boat, until it was swamped.”  This was a definite, physical need.  There is no physical need to great for a miracle-working God to handle.

(2) It meets our emotional needs (do not fear, great calm).

Notice the gentle, calm, reassuring words of the master:  “Do not fear.”  Then the Word says, “there was a great calm.”

All struggles in life that need a miraculous touch from God are not “physical.” The trials and tribulations of life can extract a great emotional toll from our lives as well. We often face such raging storms in life that we are exhausted emotionally.  We need miraculous touch of God that gives us the “peace that passes all understanding.”  There is no emotional need too great that a miracle working God cannot handle it.

(3) The miracles of God meet our spiritual needs (“faith”).

Notice v. 40 again: “Do you still have no faith?” 

The greatest needs in our life are not physical, as great as those needs might be and they might be really great.  The greatest needs in our lives are not emotional, and some emotional needs are truly great.  No, the greatest needs in our lives are “spiritual”—we need faith!

Failing to realize that faith is our greatest need has caused many people to be disappointed in prayer, when God does not answer in the way, or in the time, that we expect.  This happens more often than not, because God doesn’t do miracles to show off.  God does miracles because they have a message.  That message is far more important than any physical or emotional need we might have. 

4.  M’s Are Always a Surprise (v41)

(NIV84) 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Why were these disciples so “terrified” at seeing such a miracle? Because, it was a “holy surprise.” It is what Rudolph Otto would refer to as a “mysterium tremendum”­­—something so “out of this world, or supernatural” that it was “shocking.”

If miracles were common, they would not have been so “surprised, amazed, pleasantly terrified,” or however you want to describe it.

If miracles were “common,” well, they wouldn’t be miracles would they. You’ve probably heard someone describe the birth of a baby as a “miracle.” But babies are born all the time. Or you might have someone talk about the “miracle” of a beautiful sunset. We have one of those almost every day it seems. When God’s Hand reaches directly into our world it is a unique event every time—thus a “holy surprise.” We can never—should never—get used to the miracles Yahweh performs for us.

It's interesting to note the different aspects of “fear” displayed in this discussion of the miraculous calming of the sea. Just a moment ago we see Jesus gently rebuking the disciples for “fear” (verse 40), and here in this verse 41, “fear” leads to a positive picture of Jesus Christ as God Almighty. In this one story we see both the “negative” and “positive” aspects of fear.

In v40 the word used is δειλός deilos (day loss). It is always negative in the New Testament. It means “cowardice or timidity.” It is the word used in 2Timothy 1:7: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” In v41 the Holy Spirit switches to the word, φοβέω phobeō (foe beh oh). This is almost always used in a positive sense referring to reverence, respect, or even surprise (awe). In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (LXX, Septuagint) phobos is used to translate the Hebrew word for fear in Proverbs 1:7 and other places. Proverbs 1:7 tells us, “The fear [phobos] of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This is a healthy fear we all should have.

No, when a miracle happens—it is a great surprise—it is a jarring, soul-stirring, foundation-shaking experience that causes a sense of deep reverence and respect for Who Jesus is.  It is described as something “fearful.”

Miracles always have a message, or they are simply not miracles from God.

Miracles always move the plan and purpose of God forward.  Miracles always magnify the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. And, Miracles always meet human needs—most importantly the need for faith.

Today, I want to make something as clear as I can possibly make it.  God is a “miracle-working God,” but He doesn’t do miracles just to show off His power or just to make our lives easier.

The miracles of God have a message.  And, the main point of that message is “Jesus.” I do not know what you might be facing today.  You might be facing some disease that has the potential to take your life.  You might be facing financial pressures so great it feels like it is going to squeeze you to death.  You might have a heart-break over a loved one so intense that you feel your heart is about to explode.

I do not know what great need you may be facing today, but I do know this:  your greatest need is NOT a miracle—your greatest need is Jesus!  When a person has a vibrant, deep, growing relationship with God through Jesus Christ, miracles will happen exactly how and exactly when God determines they help move forward His plan, magnify His Son, and meet the needs of those whom He loves.

As a great pastor, Adrian Rogers reminded his church years ago, “Believe in miracles, but trust in Jesus.”

The Story of Jesus According to Mark, Pt 10: It's Supernatural

 

June 23, 2024   NOTES NOT EDITED
The Story of Jesus According to Mark, Pt 10
It’s Supernatural!
Mark 4:30-34 

SIS – The Kingdom of God is supernatural. Read that again, it will explain everything that seems “unexplainable” to you.

Almost every person I’ve met has had some direct or indirect experience with “unexplainable phenomena.” Maybe it is a feeling like déjà vu-a sense in a new place you have been their before. Or, perhaps you know or heard of someone who was healed. The “unexplained” is all around us—like, what’s the explanation for there being anything at all! There are experiences that simply are NOT NATURAL. They are SUPERNATURAL.

For example on Christmas Day, 1999, as reported by ABC News, Patti White Bull of Albuquerque, N.M., awoke, dressed herself, walked about without help, and talked with perfect clarity. She showed no physical or mental signs of impairment. Yet, she had been in a coma for over 16 years. This happens, though not often. Also, it almost never happens that a person in a long coma snaps out immediately with no side effects. Most people considered this, a Christmas miracle. It was totally unexplainable by any natural processes. Of course, that didn’t keep skeptics of the supernatural from looking for “natural” explanations. One neurologist, Dr. Randy Chestnut said, “White Bull’s awakening is extraordinary but not out of the realm of possibility.” He then went on to give a very technically sounding but unconvincing “scientific” explanation. Of course her wakening was in the “realm of possibility.” It happened! The question is: how did it happen? Was it “natural” or “supernatural?”

I intend to show you from God’s Word today that we, the Church, must answer the same question about “faith.” Is it natural, or Supernatural? So, often, we in the Church act as if life is mostly, or mainly, natural when it actually is mostly and mainly “supernatural.” “The Kingdom of God is supernatural,” and until we nail this idea down and moor the ship of our life to it, life will never be fully understandable.

Life cannot and will not make sense without the Supernatural.

Let’s begin by reading a text that highlights the Supernatural aspect of life in the Kingdom of God 

^{Mark 4:30} And  He said: “How can we illustrate the kingdom of God,  or what parable  can we use to describe it? ³¹ It’s like a mustard seed  that, when sown in the soil, is smaller than all the seeds on the ground. ³² And when sown,  it comes up and grows taller than all the vegetables,  and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky  can nest in its shade.” ³³ He would speak the word  to them with many parables  like these, as they were able to understand.  ³⁴ And He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, He would explain everything to His own disciples.

Our parable today concludes Mark’s “parables of the Kingdom” which are much shorter than Matthew’s or Luke’s versions (Luke extending into chapter 15).

Scholars debate back and forth the primary emphasis of the parable, and there are various views. Yet, I believe it is one of the most straightforward and one of the most important parables in the New Testament.  

Some criticize Jesus for misstating that the mustard seed is the smallest seed in the plant world. But, that completely misses the point. It is a misguided criticism for two reasons.

First, if Jesus was teaching botany (the study of plants) then he most certainly was inaccurate.  The mustard seed is very tiny, but it is not the smallest seed in the plant kingdom.  The orchid seed is much smaller.  But, orchids are not a major crop in Palestine so using an illustration of an orchid seed would have little impact upon the crowd to which Jesus was speaking.

Second, Jesus was using a very, very common proverbial statement known throughout the Middle East.  The phrase, “as small as a mustard seed” was commonly used in Palestine to represent the “proverbially smallest” of all situations.

The mustard plant is an “herb,” or a “bush” and not a tree.  Even the larger versions of this garden herb that grow to perhaps 4 feet would give sanctuary only to the smallest of birds. The mustard “bush” is different. It can grow to as much as 10 feet high.

Jesus was also using a very common literary device known as a “figure of speech.”  Technically, Jesus was using a figure of speech called an “hyperbole.” A hyperbole is an exaggerated statement used to create a significant impact and impression upon the audience.

So, when Jesus said that the tiny mustard seed grew to the size of a tree and birds nested in the branches, everyone of his listeners would have agreed there is something very different with the mustard plant.

In fact, it is NOT NATURAL, that is common, for herbs to grow to the size of trees. That is the Lord’s point. The Kingdom of God is not “natural,” but The Kingdom of God is supernatural!

If even but a few of us will truly grasp what this parable is about, our church will explode with growth over the next few months and years.  Let me say this again.  Write this down.  Get this, and you have the key to the purpose and power of the Kingdom of God.

Are you ready?  Here it is:  the Kingdom of God is supernatural!

Repeat that line with me:  the Kingdom of God is supernatural!

Here’s the implications of that statement:

1.  The EXPLANATION of the Kingdom is supernatural (33-34)

³³ He would speak the word  to them with many parables like these, as they were able to understand.  ³⁴ And He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, He would explain everything to His own disciples.

Let’s go back a few verses where Jesus explained why He used parables (Mk 4:11-12):

¹¹The secret  of the kingdom of God  has been given to you, but to those outside,  everything comes in parables ¹² so that they may look and look, yet not perceive; they may listen and listen, yet not understand; otherwise, they might turn back— and be forgiven.” 

Jesus quoted from Isaiah (6:9-10) and then a few verses later in our text here in Mark 4:30, He says the same thing again.  What is the point?  Does God like to play “hide and seek” with the truth?  Is the gospel just a big joke for God?  Of course not.  God was so serious about the gospel plan that Jesus came to die on the cross, Himself.

What then could this “mysterious parable use” mean?  It means simply this:  “truth is not discovered, it is revealed.”  To put it another way:  “truth is not gained through intellect, but it is received by the heart.”

The Kingdom of God cannot be “joined.”  Citizenship in the Kingdom of God can only be received by faith.  Paul said,

“Therefore since we have been DECLARED RIGHTEOUS by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:1)

The whole issue of “understanding a parable only through supernatural revelation” underscores the supernatural (above nature) condition of salvation. Salvation, like truth, comes down from above.

Notice what Jesus said once to a Pharisee named Nicodemus (Jn 3:3)

Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

The word translated, “again,” is the adverb, ἄνωθεν.  It is an “adverb of place” denoting where the new birth (or second birth, salvation) would originate.  It would be “from above.”  Philo, a Jewish philosopher who wrote in Greek about the time of Christ, used the adverb ἄνωθεν, as a synonym for “of God.”

Truth is from above (super + natural), or “of God.”  The gospel of the truth of our salvation is not something we can “grasp and take hold of” but something that “invades our lives and takes hold of us.”

Have you ever wondered why so many people here the Word of God shared in one way or another but walk away as if it were nothing but myths and fairy-tales?  Here’s the reason:  the Explanation, and therefore the understanding of the Kingdom is supernatural.  One cannot grasp the truth of God unless God reveals it.

Paul explained this teaching of Jesus with great clarity (KJV):

1Cor 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not [the things] of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

Jesus used parables to demonstrate that the Explanation (and therefore understanding) of the truth of the Kingdom of God is supernatural.

2.  The EXPANSION of the KofG is supernatural (31-32a)

³¹ It’s like a mustard seed  that, when sown in the soil, is smaller than all the seeds on the ground. ³² And when sown,  it comes up and grows taller than all the vegetables.

Actually, mustard is not a vegetable, but a condiment.  However, it is used to enhance the flavor of other foods.  That’s not the point.  The point is:  the mustard seed starts out as the smallest seed in the garden and ends up as the larger plant in the garden.

The issue at hand is that the Kingdom of God is characterized (illustrated, v30) by rapid, supernatural growth.  We see this happening in the Book of Acts.  The Book of Acts begins with a small group of disciples (120) in the Upper Room about AD 30, and by AD 62—even while it was illegal to practice Christianity—the number had grown to perhaps 50 to 75,000, maybe more.  The point is this happened over a span of only 30 years in an environment where Christians were being killed for their faith. The Expansion of the church in the Book of Acts was nothing short of “supernatural.” 

Where God is moving, the church will be growing! That’s more of a law of our universe than the Law of Gravity or the Second Law of Thermodynamics, or even that great Law of Science:  Murphy’s Law.

If a church isn’t growing up, it’s because God isn’t showing up!  And if God isn’t showing up, it’s only because He isn’t being invited.

Our church has been around twice as long as the period of the Book of Acts.  We have just barely reached the number that the Book of Acts started with.

The population of Thousand Oaks when the church started was less than 3000.  Today, it is more than 128,000.  The City has grown by over 125,000 and our church has barely doubled. This is true of so many churches in our Nation.

This is not “supernatural” growth. 

Nobody can ever say how large a church will get or how fast it will get there.  The EXPANSION of the church is “supernatural.” True growth of a church depends 100% upon God’s sovereign grace.  However, the principle of the mustard seed teaches us this unmistakable, unquestionable principle:  the Expansion of the Kingdom of God is supernatural!

Where God is moving, the church will be growing!  That’s a mustard seed fact!

3.  The EFFECTS of the Kingdom are supernatural (32b)

. . . and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.

 Commentators fall all over themselves trying to figure out whether these “birds” are evil or good.  As you recall in the former parable of the “Faithful Farmer,” the seed that fell on the barren path were quickly snatched up by “birds,” and these birds were, according to Jesus’ explanation, representatives of Satan. 

Normally, we would want to be consistent in the interpretation we give to birds as being evil.  This is a very common image in the Bible, and was explicitly stated to be the case by Jesus.  However, this is a “parable,” and the main point of the parable is the driving factor for interpreting all the other images of the parable.

Very clearly, this parable is about the growth of the Kingdom of God.  More specifically, it is about the explosive, supernatural, growth of the Kingdom of God.  Evil birds nesting in the Kingdom of God would not be consistent with the holy nature of the Kingdom of God.  This is not to say that within the Kingdom of God, there are not elements of evil with which those in the Kingdom must contend. 

That simply is “another” lesson for “another” parable and not what Jesus is trying to communicate here.

For one, these would have to be “small” birds because a mustard herb is a small bush.  It is quite likely that small birds would light upon the branches of a mustard plant, but very unlikely that crows, which are often a sign of evil, would light upon the mustard bush.

If these are sparrows, then giving them a place to nest would be a very positive image.  For the Bible specifically says God cares for the tiny birds:

^{Mat 6:26} Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them

The point Jesus is making with this statement, that seems consistent with the main point of the parable has to do with the EFFECTS, or results of the ministry of the Kingdom.  The small mustard seed plant should not be able to give “shade to a mosquito” let alone a bird—BUT IT DOES!  Why?  Because the EFFECTS or results of Kingdom ministry are supernatural!

So often in church there appears to be more needs to meet than there are resources to meet them.  Believe me – I am confronted with this on almost a daily basis! 

Just this week three families were in crisis.  Immediate financial needs exceeded the thousands of dollars.  I was able, through the grace of God and kindness of your giving, scrape together over $1700.  That was not near the amount that was needed and it was $1700 more than what we really have to spare—BUT GOD MULTIPLIED IT LIKE THE LOAVES AND FISHES AND IT AVERTED DISASTER (At least for now).

As generous as our church body is in giving, I must say, with a heavy heart, I don’t think everyone is doing his or her part.  I don’t think we are devoting ourselves to the ministry of the church in fashion that honors the supernatural gift that God has given us in Christ.

But, make no mistake about it friends:  the EFFECTS or the results of a true church operating in the Kingdom of God will be nothing less than supernatural.

The difference we make as a church – is an eternal difference!

The explanation of the Kingdom of God is supernatural.  The Expansion of the Kingdom of God is supernatural.  The Effects of the Kingdom of God are supernatural.  This brings me to the most important consequence or implication of this parable:\

4.  the EFFORTS of the Kingdom of God MUST BE
     supernatural (1Cor. 2:14-15; 2Cor. 10:3-5)

Remember that this parable is about how to illustrate the nature of the Kingdom of God using a “mustard seed,” the proverbial smallest seed in the world.  Yet, it grows—according to this parable of Jesus—into a tree large enough to give shade and protection to little birds.

That’s just not “natural.”  Because, the Kingdom of God is NOT natural, but supernatural.  Therefore, the EFFORTS of the Kingdoms citizens—believers like you and I—must be “supernatural.”

Recall what Paul said about a “natural” person not being able to comprehend a “supernatural” message (1Cor 2:14):

But the natural man receiveth not [the things] of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 

Paul expanded further on the “natural” versus “supernatural” in his Second Letter to the Corinthians (10:3-5):

For though we live in the body,  we do not wage war in an unspiritual way,  ⁴ since the weapons of our warfare  are not worldly,  but are powerful  through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments ⁵ and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge  of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ

Please listen, Church:  We can never accomplish with human power what can only be done by whole-hearted prayer. Our wisdom is the wisdom of God’s supernatural Word, and our power is the power of supernatural prayer.

Any idea we have that we have any power at all is an illusion.  Jesus said, ^{Jn 15:5} “I am the vine;  you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit,  because you can do nothing without Me.”

Any illusion we have to any control or power in our lives is just that:  and illusion.  In the twinkling of an eye, you could be whisked away into eternity by a blodclot smaller than the tip of a pencil.  Or, you could be struck dead by a bolt of lightning.  Or . . . there are a thousand ways in which I could illustrate that any illusion you might have the you are actually “in charge” of your life is just that—an illusion.

That applies even moreso to the church, and the Kingdom of God.  The church’s wisdom is “Supernatural Wisdom.”  The church’s power is a “Supernatural Power.”  The Kingdom of God is supernatural and the EFFORTS of His citizens must be supernatural if we are going to make any real difference in life.

We all know life at its essence is “supernatural.” Something, we say, Someone, is out there and that is the only way to make sense of our existence or anything about the meaning of life. Without SOMEONE out there, life is a fearful experience of groping in the darkness.

In a little country town out in the middle of nowhere, darkness had fallen. A young boy and his Mom were home alone. The Mom was cleaning the house. She asked her young son to go out on the back porch and get the broom. He was very afraid of the darkness and said, “Mamma, I don’t want to go out there. I’m afraid of the dark.” Mom replied, “Now, you don’t need to be afraid of the dark, Jesus is out there and He will protect you.” The little boy nervously asked, “Are you sure Jesus is out there in the dark?” Mom reassured her son saying, “Yes. He’s everywhere and He’s always ready to help you anytime you ask Him.” The little boy cautiously approached the back door to the porch. He closed his eyes tightly while slowly cracking open the door just a little, and said, “Jesus if you you are out there could you please hand me the broom?”

It's “natural” to fear the unknown. But, as followers of Jesus and “builders of His Kingdom,” we have God’s “supernatural” Presence and power.

Let’s bravely march into the darkness.

The Story of Jesus According to Mark, Pt.9

 

June 16, 2024   NOTES NOT EDITED
The Story of Jesus According to Mark, Pt9:  “The Faithful Farmer”
Mark 4:26-2 

SIS – If we are faithful, God will make us fruitful but if we are foolish we should be fearful.

A Farmer and his wife were travelling on an extended trip through the countryside. It had been a long, tedious trip. The Farmer was rather a quiet fellow, but his wife loved to talk. After a few hours of driving, a state trooper pulled this man over and said: "Sir, do you realize your wife fell out of the car several miles back?" With a stunned look the Farmer replied: "Thank God, I thought I had gone deaf!"

This morning, we are going to examine the life of another Farmer. I call him a “Faithful Farmer.”  In fact, our story revolves around three images, a farmer, a seed, and a sickle. I could have titled this sermon, “The Growing Seed” or the “Sharp Sickle.” But as with the first parable in this chapter, this one also deeply depends on the actions—the faithful actions of the Farmer.

This is one of the  most complicated of the parables that Jesus taught.  It also is only one of the parabolic stories that is unique to Mark—that is, it has no parallel in either Matthew or Luke, or both.

It would be easy to let your “symbolic horses run wild with this text.”  The principle, however, we have learned for interpreting parables is to look for the “single, overriding theme.”  That is not easy to distinguish in this parable.

Is it about the Farmer?  Is it about the Seed?  Is it about Sickle?  All three of these images could be the driving theme of the parable.  However, knowing that a parable has one driving message, I believe that the theme is “faithfulness”—the unwavering trust in God as the Sovereign Giver of the Harvest. A harvest of souls.

If you take faithfulness as the theme, then the three images of the Farmer, the Seed, and the Sickle all contribute to that message.  They are the supporting actors so to speak in this grand play about “faithfulness.”

The two most oft given themes for this parable deal either with the Farmer, or the Seed.  Yet, we will see that BOTH the Farmer and the Seed demonstrate a “faithfulness to God’s plan.”  I believe it is most helpful to see “faithfulness” as the theme of this parable.  So, I call it the Faithful Farmer, with the emphasis on “faithful.” The Sickle serves as both a summary and a warning.

I did not grow up on a farm, but many of my relatives were farmers of one sort or another.  In fact, after my Dad died, I was contacted by a “Land-man,” or somebody that does research for drilling companies like Chevron.  My great-grandfather owned a farm and when he sold it, he did not sell the mineral rights.  Nobody in my family knew anything about this, but a drilling company is obligated to research all the heirs to mineral rights before they drill.

By the time it reaches me, I own 1/75^th of a well pad. A well pad is about about 640 acres.  My great grandfather was a poor West Virginia dirt farmer, but farmers are shrewd businessmen as a rule.  Who would have known that over a 100 years after he sold his farm, one of his great grandchildren would receive a monthly check for gas and oil.

Well, the story of our farmer in Mark 4 has nothing to do with drilling for oil, but it does help us learn how to harvest great blessings from God. 

If we are faithful, God will make us fruitful.  That’s not only the theme of this parable, it is the theme of the Bible.  All throughout the Word of God are scattered the names of men and women who were faithful to God, and who became very fruitful because of their faithfulness. 

As we read our text this morning will will discover at least three characteristics of a “faithful” person, as we examine the life of this “Faithful Farmer.”  Let’s read (Mk 4:26-29):

²⁶ “The kingdom of God  is like this,” He said. “A man scatters seed on the ground; ²⁷ he sleeps  and rises —night  and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—he doesn’t know how. ²⁸ The soil produces a crop  by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the ripe grain  on the head. ²⁹ But as soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle,  because the harvest  has come.” 

This parable begins with a familiar parabolic introduction:  hē basileia tou theou estin hōs—the Kingdom of God is like.  We see this introduce many of the parables in the gospel, and in fact, these parables are referred to as Kingdom Parables.

I think it is very important to note that we are not talking about “any” kingdom of just “any” god.  This is a special Kingdom of a special God—“the” Kingdom of “the”God.  The Greek makes this very clear.  Both “kingdom” and “God” are proceded by the definite article, ho, or “the.”  Interestingly, the word for the farmer is actually just the word for “man,” and without any definite article. 

Even more interesting is that Mark adds the definite article back in when referring to “the” seed.  The man does not bring the harvest, but Yahweh, with a special seed—and we know from a former parable the seed is the Word of God—brings the harvest.  Fruitfulness is not dependent upon man’s effort, but on God’s response to our effort.  A farmer could be the best farmer in the world, but he has absolutely no power to cause a seed to grow.  Only God can bring an increase. As we will notice throughout the parable, fruitfulness is not determined by man’s efforts, but by God’s blessing.

Now, that does not mean that our effort is not important to God’s plan.  On the contrary.  The first characteristic of the Faithful Farmer is that a Faithful Farmer,

1.  WORKS (26b)

Our efforts do not cause our fruitfulness, but God’s response to our efforts does.  God has decreed that He will bless the efforts of faithful men and women.  We do not “work” to get blessed, but we “work” for Jesus because we have already been blessed.  Paul said it like this:

“work OUT your salvation with fear and trembling.”(Phil 2:12)

Jesus also declared,  The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. ³⁸ Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” (Mt. 9:38)

Faithful men and women are diligent workers. The Book of Proverbs has much to say about being a hard-worker, as opposed to a “slacker.”

Prov. 13:4 says, “the slacker craves and yet has nothing but the diligent are fully satisfied.”

I think we all know what a “slacker” is.  The word for “diligent” is interesting.  It is related to the word, “ditch, or trench” and gives the image of “digging a trench,” or manual labor.

God simply will not bless laziness!  In fact, listen to Paul’s admonition in regard to a “lazy person”:

“if a man does not work—neither shall he eat.” (2Thess 3:10

Faithful followers of Jesus are “hard-workers.”

2.  Second we see that the “Faithful Farmer” WAITS (27)

²⁷he sleeps  and rises —night  and day. 

Again Mark, in his characteristic style, gives us clues to the meaning of his words by the word choices the Holy Spirit guides him to use.  In this case, the word for “scatters” is the word, balē, and it is in a past tense that refers to a “simple, one time action in the past.”  The farmer did not continue to “scatter the seed,” but scattered it and was finished. 

The words “sleeps and rises” are both in the present tense.  In Greek, the present tense does not refer to the time of action so much as the kind of action.  Present tense represents “on-going action.”  The man did not simply go to sleep and then wake up, but spent many nights sleeping and waking.  This indicates a “way of life.”  It tells us something about the mindset of this farmer.  He was patient.  He went about his business trusting that God would bring the harvest according to His timing, not the farmers.

Faithfulness is about “waiting and trusting” in God’s plan.  The farmer did not go to sleep and awake the next day, run out to the field and start digging up the seed to see if it was growing.  That would be foolish, and it destroy the seed in the process.  No, the faithful farmer waited.

By the way, the reason night is mentioned before day is because the ancient middle-easterners considered the day to begin at dusk, not dawn.

If you want to be fruitful, you have to be faithful.  If you want to be faithful, you need to be patient, and wait on God’s plan to unfold.  Isaiah said it like this:

“they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength” (Is 40:31)

Many a fruitful harvest has been delayed or destroyed because a believer has moved out ahead of God plan, instead of waiting for God to prepare the way.  There is a saying in business, “timing is everything.” I read something this week I think if very helpful and I’d like to share it with you:

Timing is important in cooking. The juicy hamburger on the grill is raw meat if cooked for too little time and a clump of charcoal if it is cooked too long. Timing is important in medicine. If you catch a problem early you will be able to treat it more effectively. You timing is important in taking medication. If you take your medicine as directed it will be helpful. If you skip doses it loses it's effectiveness. If you take extra doses it can be deadly. Timing is important in finance. When you invest in a particular stock and when you sell the particular stock will make the difference between whether you make money or lose it. Knowing when to borrow and when not to borrow is the key to financial independence.

Timing is even more important in regard to spiritual matters.

Let me draw from the life of Moses to illustrate this point.  Moses, as we know would be the one chosen by God to deliver his people from the oppressive slavery under the Pharaoh of Egypt.  That was God’s plan, but Moses got out ahead of God. 

¹¹Years later,  after Moses had grown up, he went out to his own people  and observed their forced labor.  He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. ¹² Looking all around and seeing no one, he struck the Egyptian dead and hid him in the sand.

Now, as a result of this deed, Moses would flee into the desert because he feared the wrath of Pharaoh if this deed was discovered.  Moses realized that what he did was wrong.  He would indeed one day lead his people away from the whip of the Egyptian tyrants, but in God’s time, not his.  Moses, tended to act on impulse and in anger, instead of waiting on God to bring about His plan in His time.

Moses would spend 40 years in the desert after fleeing from Pharaoh.  He’d go from being the son of the most powerful man alive, to being a lowly shepherd—all as a result of one impulsive, ill-timed act.

I could also draw from the life of Abraham who tried to hurry God’s plan for a promised son along by having a relationship with his handmaiden, Hagar.  The result was the birth of Ishmael, who is the Father to the Arab people, who are the arch-enemy of Israel.

When we fail to “wait” upon God we rely on our own plans and the result is always difficulty—or worse.  When we fail to wait, we act on impulse, not on faith.  A faithful farmer “waits.”  Waiting is a sign of full trust in God’s plan, even when you don’t see anything happening.  Look at the last part of verse 27:

and the seed sprouts and grows—he doesn’t know how. 

We do not have to “know” the processes of God in order to “trust” the plan of God.  The Book of Hebrews tells us in regard to Abraham:

“he set out for a land he didn’t even know where it was . . .”

Timing is everything.  Even doing a good thing at the wrong time will lead to fruitlessness and failure.

Notice the “automated” process programmed into the seed as revealed in verse 28:  ²⁸ The soil produces a crop  by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the ripe grain  on the head.

Literally, the verse says, “the earth produces automatically.”  The word translated “by itself,” is the word, automatē, from which we get the word, automatic.  God’s plan does not need us to succeed, we need God’s plan to be successful.  If we are faithful, fruitfulness over the course of our life will be “automatic.”  God has programmed into the economy of the world the formula:  knowledge + obedience = blessing.  If we are faithful, God will make us fruitful. That’s programmed into God’s world just like growth is programmed into a seed. 

So, a Faithful Farmer waits patiently and trustingly as God’s plan unfolds in and through his or her life.

ILLUS.  A big-city lawyer was representing the railroad in a lawsuit filed by an old rancher. The rancher's prize bull was missing from the section through which the railroad passed. The rancher only wanted to be paid the fair value of the bull.  The case was scheduled to be tried before the justice of the peace in the back room of the general store.  The attorney for the railroad immediately cornered the rancher and tried to get him to settle out of court. The lawyer did his best selling job, and finally the rancher agreed to take half of what he was asking.   After the rancher had signed the release and took the check, the young lawyer couldn't resist gloating a little over his success, telling the rancher, "You know, I hate to tell you this, old man, but I put one over on you in there. I couldn't have won the case. The engineer was asleep and the fireman was in the caboose when the train went through your ranch that morning. I didn't have one witness to put on the stand. I bluffed you!"  The old farmer replied, "Well, I'll tell you, young feller, I was a little worried about winning that case myself, because that durned bull came home this morning."

The last part of our text demonstrates the complicated intricacy of this parable and the problem in trying to figure out “who” or “what” the main point is.  The image switches from a fairly inactive farmer and an automatically fruitful seed to a “reaper with a sickle.”

3.  Here we see that a Faithful Farmer WARNS (29)

⁹ But as soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle,  because the harvest  has come.” 

This is one of those times when like when we say, “I’ve got some good news and I’ve got some bad news.”

First, the good news.  A great harvest of blessing awaits those who faithfully follow the Lord Jesus Christ.  A harvest IS coming! As I’ve said throughout this message:  if we are faithful, God will make us fruitful.

Now, our fruitfulness may be received in part in this life. But, faithful farmers will most definitely see the fruitfulness of our labors in the life to come – the final harvest.

This verse most certainly wants to point the listeners, or readers in our case, to the final consummation of the ages.  We know this because Mark is drawing from the prophet Joel,

^3:13 Swing the sickle because the harvest is ripe. Come and trample _⌊the grapes_⌋ because the winepress is full; the wine vats overflow because the wickedness of the nations is great.

Now, hears where the bad news comes in for those who do not know the Lord Jesus Christ when that time of final harvest comes, either in death or in the Second Coming.  Lost people will face the “Sickle of Judgment.”

The word, “sickle,” refers to the large harvesting tool, also called a sling-blade. The purpose is to cut down the stalk so the heads of grain could be harvested.  Many times in Scripture, the sickle, is used to speak of God’s coming judgment.

Notice in the verse of Joel, which Mark is alluding to here, the harsh tones and biting words:  “Swing the sickle and trample the grapes.”  The harsh tone and biting words result from the wickedness that is filling the world like juice from crushed grapes fill the wine vats.

The idea of God’s wrath upon sin is represented by the “sickle.”  While godly people look forward to that final judgment with thankful anticipation, there is nothing to look forward to for non-believers but the pouring out of God’s wrath. This image in the prophets is carried on through the Book of Revelation.  Chapter 15 describes the last seven plagues as the “pouring out of God’s wrath from seven bowls.”

^15:7 One of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven gold bowls filled with the wrath of God

The horror of this coming “judgment” (represented by the sickle being sent into the field of ripened grain and cutting it down) is why as Faithful Farmers we must WARN those who do not know Christ of what is coming as surely as a seed sprouts, grows and ripens.

This parable with the images of a farmer, a seed, and sickle exhort us to be faithful to God in anticipation of the coming harvest—a harvest of blessing for the faithful, and a harvest of wrath for the non-believer.  We learn from the example of the Faithful Farmer that we must Work, we must Wait, and we must Warn.

If we are faithful, God will make us fruitful—not only in this world, but moreso in the world to come. But if we are foolish and do not sow much seed, we have much to fear when standing before God. 

Be a Faithful Farmer!