Mark 4:11 [ All NIV] OK TO COPY
PARABLE DOCTRINE
The parables of the kingdom are central to Jesus' teaching. Although they are enveloped within a larger text, the meaning of the parables can be understood by finding the secret that is their key. To the Hebrews, 'the kingdom of God' referred to a future earthly kingdom where the resurrected dead would live with God. To Christians, the parables of the kingdom have been interpreted to be about the church and the reward of eternal life. Some believe that the parables are about obtaining a perfect earth at the end of the age. But the kingdom Jesus referred to was already in existence.
Mark 1: 15
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel."
Luke 10: 8-9
Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near you.'
Luke 17: 20-21
Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Lo, here it is! or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you."
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The parable of the sower acknowledges the relationship between the parables and the teaching.
Mark 4: 3-20
"Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil; and when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. Other seeds fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." And when he was alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables. And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be forgiven." And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown; when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which is sown in them. And these in like manner are the ones sown upon rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown upon the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."
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TWO VALUES
From the parables and their supporting verses can be gathered two values that are central to Jesus' teaching. The first is goodness as the ultimate value; God is good. When Jesus spoke of God, it was always to emphasis goodness.
Matthew 7: 9-11
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
Believing in a God of goodness, acknowledges that doing good is the right way, even if you learn to accept yourself and others as being less than good.
Mark 10: 17-18
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered, "No one is good-except God alone.
The second value is love, love of God and love of people.
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Mark 12: 28-34
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, 'hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength" The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these." And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."
People sometimes blur the line between good and bad by describing God as being loving or hateful, depending on if he likes you or not. This trait, in humans, Jesus teaches us to overcome.
Matthew 5: 43-45
"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
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FORGIVENESS
In addition to the two values, there are four characteristics associated with the teaching, they are; forgiveness, acceptance, humility, and non-materialism. You must be able to forgive those who wrong you, and you must be able to accept forgiveness for the wrong you have done.
Matthew 18: 23-35
"Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything." And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him besought him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you." He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?" And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
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ACCEPTANCE
Matthew 13: 24-30
Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the householder came and said to him, "Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?" He said to them, 'An enemy has done this." The servants said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them? But he said, "No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers. Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
The world is occupied by both bad and good people in that every person has bad and good traits. Many lack the ability to accurately assess themselves, others, or the situations in which they interact. Accept that bad exists but choose good. If an awareness of evil comes to you, accept and forgive. Learn from your experience and take the steps necessary to avoid or moderate a similar situation in the future.
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HUMILITY
Matthew 18: 1-5
At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, "Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to a child he put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven
Luke 18: 9-14
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Preoccupation with image can indicate judgementalism. Superior attitudes can alienate people who need your help or push away people who can help you. Lack of humility can cause you to value power, honor, and importance above things that could benefit you more.
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NON-MATERIALISM
Luke 12: 22-32
And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 16: 13-15
"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
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ENTERING
Because you are human you were born with many built-in traits, tendencies, and instincts. Your personal arrangement of these come to you through your parents, along your family lines, reaching back to the beginning of time.
After you are born your physical and spiritual growth is accomplished through nurturing; in the care you are given, and in the way you are taught, by those with whom you have significant contact. Much of who you are was accomplished in this way, even before you can remember. As a conscious person you accumulate learned behaviors, develop habits, and memorize rules, conditioning yourself for your survival within the world of your nurturers.
The instincts and tendencies you were born with, the things you were taught before you can remember, the everyday beliefs and behaviors that you learned and now do without thinking; all are the content of your spirit.
The secret of the kingdom of God is this; the kingdom is the intangible reality of the living. It is that part of your life that you do not perceive as being physical; your thoughts, emotions, imagination, beliefs. All the things that comprise the spirit of a living human being.
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THE CHOSEN
Matthew 9: 12-13
On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Among the followers of Jesus were the physically and spiritually disadvantaged, the morally suspect and the socially challenged, as well as the meek and the pure in heart; those who did not find their way in the world because they could not or would not meet the prevailing norms.
Matthew 9: 36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 11: 29-30
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light."
The idea is to lose the burden of being less than good and in doing so find goodness. To love good.
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MORE OR LESS
Luke 6: 29
To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also: and from him who takes away your cloak do not withhold your coat as well.
Turning away from someone who strikes you, and giving up what you have to someone who would take it from you, is good practical advice for a poor and weak person who is being confronted by a stronger enemy. The intangible reality is a fact of human existence, but the advice that Jesus' gives is most relevant to the 'least among us'.
The relationship between the 'more' and the 'less' can be seen as the relationship between someone living in the middle of a block and their neighbors. To the right lives one who is a little better off , to the left, one who is a little worse off. The middle neighbor treats them both as he would like to be treated. Going up and down the street each person is in a better or worse position depending on their relationship to the increasingly distant others. Jesus hangs out on the worse end of the street.
Being kind to your immediate neighbors creates conditions for them to do likewise. Do not create judgmental societies and unforgiving legal systems around yourselves that result in harming the "least".
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NON-JUDGEMENT
As a child your spirit was shaped through your relationships with those around you. As an adult you can shape your own spirit through conscious interactions with others. Essential to this is practice of 'non-judgment'.
Luke 6: 37-38
"Judge not and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back."
Luke 6: 41-42
"And why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Because you accept that you do not fully understand, decline judgment of others. Take the time to examine your own reactions. This is an effective path to growth that is inherent to the human spirit. Make yourself ready to grow by forgiving the shortcomings of yourself and others.
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INCREASE AND YIELD
Following the teaching leads to 'increase', growth of the spirit.
Mark 4: 30-32
And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."
Increase results in yield [achieving possibilities] Every person has their own capability for increase and yield.
Mark 4:26-28
He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain-first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
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YEAST
Mat. 13:33-34
He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough." Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables: he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
Mat. 16: 11-12
How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Jesus was not a mainstream rabbi, but his teaching was the right one for those who were not benefiting from their traditional religion. Just as the goal of taking a particular medicine is to increase health, the goal of taking a particular religion is to increase spiritual health.
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THE YEAST OF JOHN
Matthew 3: 1-2
In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the Desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."
Luke 3: 15
The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.
Mark 6:14
King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him."
The association of Jesus with messianic Judaism has its roots in the interaction between the disciples of Jesus and the disciples of John the Baptist. The dominance of the baptist sect is expressed in the gospel of John. Attempts to bring the unorganized followers of Jesus into messianic Judaism is expressed in the ministry of Paul.
Luke 6: 28
I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
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It is significant that when asked about authority by the priests, Jesus does not claim authority for himself, nor does he invoke John's authority. He instead questions if the priests themselves can determine authority.
Matthew 21: 23-27
Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave you this authority?"
Jesus replied, " I will also ask you one question. If you answer me, I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John's baptism - where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or from men?"
They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven," he will ask, "Then why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men"- we are afraid of the people, for they all hold that John was a prophet."
So they answered Jesus, "We don't know."
Then he said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The intangible reality exists even without Jewish tradition, Christian doctrine, or any other belief system. It is the ground on which all religions are built. The effect of religion on your presence {your perceptions and activities} within the intangible reality is the issue Jesus raises with the religious establishment.
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HEALING
Luke 7: 20, 22, 23
When the men came to Jesus, they said, John the Baptist sent us to ask, 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?'"
So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."
Jesus ministry was based on his understanding of the intangible reality. He saw that many who believed him to be the Messiah were being healed by miracles. He understood the power of faith and wanted all to be healed.
Matthew 9: 27-32
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!"
When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"
"Yes,Lord," they replied.
Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you;" and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.
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Believing that Jesus is Christ became the defining characteristic of Christianity and the meaning of the parables were conformed to the Messianic doctrine. But only Matthew, Mark, and Luke (the synoptic Gospels) acknowledge the parables of the kingdom and in these books Jesus does not ask that his followers recognize him as Christ. But the New Testament is a compilation of texts, assembled to support the faith of Jesus as Christ. The living kingdom teaching of Jesus can be identified by the ideology that has been placed around it. Keep in mind his characteristics of acceptance and forgiveness. Scripture that conflicts with these principles probably does not reflect the gospel of the living kingdom.
Many are certain that Jesus is the Messiah. This is the faith that heals them. But those who do not accept this tradition, yet are spiritually bound to Christianity (they belong to the Christ), can find their healing, hidden safely in the heart of Christianity's Holiest Text.
There are those who point to the power of faith as proof that their particular tradition is true. But faith itself holds power. What you have faith in is important because that is what will influence your life. Have faith in Jesus as someone you can trust, a good shepherd, a wise teacher, a powerful healer, and a loving advisor, or simply; the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Accept that Jesus was sacrificed for the forgiving of sins, to be forgiven by him, or to learn by him the the healing power of forgiveness.
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Matthew 22:36-40
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heartand with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it:'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Matthew 7: 12
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Luke 10: 25-28
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"
He answered: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind', and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."
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Matthew 6: 9-13
"This, then, is how you should pray: " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we have also forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. '
Matthew 13: 51-52
"Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a house holder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
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