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How many have been to the Grand Canyon? If so, you know that all you want to do is take pictures so you can show everyone how massive and amazing it looks. Yet, when people see the pictures, they can’t begin to even imagine why they call a canyon, “Grand.” You have to see it to appreciate it… but more than that, you can’t just see it, you have to savor it. You can’t just do a driveby. You need to stop, pause, and linger for it to take your breath away.

Likewise, when it comes to the Gospels, Jesus’ parables are the Grand Canyon of His teachings. Many people have the photographs with snippets taken out of context, and they miss the meaning. Further, few people pause and ponder the depth of Jesus’ parables. We think we can skim fast through the story, but if we do, we lose their profundity and power.

EXAMINE   Stories That Get Under Your Skin (Mark 4; Luke 15)

¹ Again he began to teach beside the sea.

Jesus taught inside synagogues AND also in outdoor settings. The church must not rely solely on attractional events, or even “Sunday invite” strategy. Christians must learn to talk about the gospel in the everyday and ordinary moments and settings.

And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.

Jesus used innovative methods to amplify his voice across the water and for more people to see him as they sat along the shore. Likewise, the church should not be afraid to change the methods while unwavering on the truth of God’s word.  

² And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:

Jesus taught in parables (παραβάλλω) = “to cast/throw alongside.” Jesus uses a common object/situation to communicate complex ideas and spiritual truth.

³ “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

Parable of Sower is recorded in Synoptics (Mk 4; Mt 13; Lk 8).

• Sower sows seed “broadcast style” in very generous manner. Many farmers plowed afterwards for the seed to be enfolded into the ground.^[1]
• Jesus explains parable of the sower relating to who teach about the kingdom of God (Mk 4:11-14). The seed sown is the message that Jesus came to reveal God and reverse the curse of sin with hope to forgive sin, healing to turn back the devastating effects of sin whether they be physical ailments, emotional/mental instability, or spiritual peace.
• Jesus describes four soil types, which are indicative of listening (ἀκούετε; appears 11x in Mark 4), which goes the next step of acting upon what is heard.

Seed among the path (Mk 4:4, 15)

• Seed remains on surface; never penetrates the ground
• People and animals trample the seed, so it fails to take root
• Seed becomes hardened
• Birds chirp and chow on the seed, having a convenient meal at farmer’s expense

*Person hears w/ a callous heart; indifferent or uncomfortable when challenged with truth

*Birds = “Satan taking what’s sown” anything from distractions or deception in a person’s life.

> If you know a callous heart, keep sowing and serving…

+1912 medical missionary Dr. William Leslie served Democratic Republic of Congo.[2] After 17 years, he returned to US discouraged and believing his missionary work was a failure; dying a few years later. Almost 100 years later, a new mission team traveled to same remote jungle, unknowing of Dr. Leslie’s missionary work. They took a small Cessna plane 2.5hrs east; hiked miles into jungle; traversed a ½ mile wide river in a dugout canoe and hiked another 10 miles to reach a village. They found a network of reproducing churches who wrote their own gospel songs; planting churches in 8 diff villages across 34 miles. The tribal people didn’t know the name of the missionary, only that he was a Baptist and arrived early 1900’s. When aviation missionaries researched, they discovered Dr. Leslie served the region for 17 years…

+At prior church, I knew a wife/mother of 3 teens whose husband didn’t attend church. She prayed for 18 years her husband’s salvation. Through circumstances, husband eventually received Jesus and was baptized. Mom said: “I’m thankful I never gave up.” – – – The teen who eventually became a young man sent me a message a bit ago saying, “I was thinking about old days when you were our youth pastor and it never really occurred to me just how much time and money you and everyone spent on us. When you’re a kid you just expect things to happen but now that I’m an adult, I’m so grateful for the memories and great times we had growing up in that church… Back then my dad didn’t go to church, and you became a male role model for me to be a Christian. Thankfully now my dad goes to church and was saved, and he has done a 180 in personality & life. But you taught us life lessons that my brother and I didn’t get. I just wanted you to know that you are appreciated.”

++By odd/miracle you are hearing this and know you have a callous heart, ask God to open your mind, eyes, and heart.

Seed among the rocky ground (Mk 4:5, 16-17)

• Seed appears to take root but stays shallow,
• Shallow soil produced initial warmth & moisture  
• Sun scorched the plant so that it quickly withered; what had potential now disappeared

*Person hears with a counterfeit heart. Responded excited but quickly evaporated due to the heat and pressure of circumstances or persecution of faith.

*Shallow soil loves the gospel that forgives sin but loathes when Jesus requires commitment or accountability.

*In other teachings, Jesus calls for disciples to remove rocks or bulldoze boulders that are in the way of entering God’s kingdom (cf. Mt 5:29-30).  

+All of us have seen celebs talk about faith / glory to God for the score or win or medal / but the soil remained shallow w/o roots bc the Bible & church seemed excessive. Who wants to be one of those radicals!? And over time they no longer proclaim faith.

> If you know someone w/ counterfeit faith, don’t try to guilt to re-growing what never took root. Instead, re-plow the ground with sincere love and then replant the seed of God’s truth.

> If you have counterfeit faith that has quickly withered with rocky soil, then there’s a tool called a rake – spiritually speaking, that’s a pastor/counselor/friend to help get those rocks removed.

Seed among the thorns (Mk 4:7, 18-19)

• Seed is planted and even takes root.
• But the plants roots are intertwined with weeds and thorns.
• Weeds & thorns are feisty parasites that consume needed nutrients and choke out healthy plants

> Person can be described as a cluttered heart.

> Jesus says, the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

> Thorns have a sharp point and hurt when you touch them. They’re items we care about.

> The thorns of life are not always corrupting our life but they’re competing to our faith.

• “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” Is a packed schedule rivaling your relationship with God?
• Entertainment choices. You’re free. Yes sports/movies/scrolling isn’t deadly but they can dull and dampen your spiritual hunger. Whatever you feed will grow in hunger, and many of our entertainment choices start as cats but grow to be lions. God’s voice gets muffled or muted when we have the entertainment noise high but spiritual volume on low.
• Money is useful but the love of money is lethal (cf 1Tim 6:10). Are you chasing contentment in an economic status or job promotion vs deeper walk with Lord?

SO, question isn’t do you have thorns or weeds bc every lawn does. Question is are you growing too close to them that they’re choking the depth and devotion of your faith?

Thorns have a sharp point & hurt when you touch them. They’re items we care about. They’re not always corrupting our life but they’re competing to our faith. So, ? isn’t if u have thorns, but are u growing too close to them that they’re choking depth & devotion to your faith?

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Seed among the good soil (Mk 4:8, 20)

• Seed is received and takes root.
• Seed is enriched by its environment with ongoing nurturing / no rival weeds or plants / there’s room and opportunity to develop.
• Seed bears fruit with remarkable productivity, multiplying with abundant return on labor.

> Person can be described as a compliant heart.

> They hear the word, learn it, listen and obey (cf. James 1:22).

> They’re ongoing spiritual abiding in Christ and His word produces abundant fruit for others to experience and enjoy (cf. Jn 15:5; Gal 5:22-23; Col 1:4-6).

• It is important to note that good soil ≠ perfection. Like gardening, some seasons will be a struggle and others have significant harvest.
• But when you stop tending the soil and allow it to become dry, crusty, trampled, and hardened, then you cannot blame anyone but yourself for the lack of fruit. The excuse “Nobodies perfect” is often code for “I don’t want anybody pointing out my sin.” And this should never be in the Christian life.

Jesus spoke in parables to make you pause and ponder the levels of meaning.^[3] They drew people in with a physical story but they had a deeper spiritual meaning with demands for discipleship. He never wants easy believism, so he concealed concepts in the short-term to reveal truth for the eternal message to be discovered after reflection (cf. Mark 4:10-12).

APPLY/TAKEAWAY

Tips for to not just listen to sermons and PLANT God’s word in your life

1. Prepare. Read the text in advance. Come prayerful and expectant.
2. Listen with an open Bible and follow along with notes.
3. Analyze key takeaways from Scripture & sermon.
4. Narrow it down with your next action step.
5. Talk about it with others.

Listening tips for a sermon & PLANTing God’s word in your life:
Prepare. Read text in advance. Come prayerful & expectant.
Listen w/ an open Bible & follow along w/ taking notes.
Analyze key takeaways from.
Narrow it down w/ next action step.
Talk about it w/ others.

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Aim of Jesus’ teaching isn’t just awareness but adoration. We often lose adoration due to familiarity – like new car smell that fades after few months of usage. The only way to regain the new car smell is a total cleaning with fresh scent disinfectants. Spiritually, that comes by re-encountering the gospel message and repenting to reawaken to the grace of God.

One of Jesus’ most well know parables helps reawaken us to gospel grace; it’s the parable of the prodigal son (LUKE 15).

• A father had two sons (relationship)
• 1 son asks for early inheritance; culturally that was rejecting the family. He only valued his father’s hand not his heart.
• Yet, the father didn’t rebuke or shame the son, but granted the request. He exemplified that love is patient and gracious.
   
• The son journeyed far from home and ended up wasting his wealth.
• Then a famine arose, leaving the prodigal even more hopeless. He ends up laboring in a farm and eating the food of animals (pigs!).
  • “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you’re willing to pay.” (Steve Farrar)
  •  What once looked promising to please, failed to fulfill. True freedom wasn’t independence but dependence upon the right source and wise boundaries.
  • So, the son “came to his senses” and decided to return (repent).
    
    
• Upon the son’s return the father had been waiting & watching… and runs to meet his son. Their extravagant embrace overwhelms the son’s rehearsed pleading.
• The father extends grace by placing a robe around the son, ring on finger, and sandals on feet, and a giant feast. These are all marks of a free person exiting slavery.
  
  
• The other son was unhappy and progressed to jealousy. Instead of celebrating his brother’s homecoming, he expected condemnation.
• Even though the other son never left home, he was equally distant from his father. He valued the father’s administration over his affection.
  • Many Christians live w/ “older brother” syndrome. We reduce Christianity to a set of rules and checklists, w/o realizing self-righteous pride is equally sinful to prodigal living.  
    
    
• Regardless, the father invites both sons to surrender their performance based relationship for the celebration of grace.

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^[1] R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2002), 191.

[2] https://orality.net/content/missionary-died-thinking-he-was-a-failure/

^[3] Craig L. Blomberg, Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey, 2nd Edition (Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2009), 299–300.