Obvious Illustrations

10.29.11

Mark 4.3-34 33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. NIV

If we’re not careful, we might get the impression that Jesus unfairly played favorites with the twelve and everyone else got leftovers. In Mark 4.11-12 it says, [Jesus] told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” (NIV)

But the truth is Jesus always used parables to make His point: He used simple, practical, and obvious illustrations from life to help His hearers understand who He was, who God was, and what He was doing. Their problem was because of their heads and hearts, they couldn’t make the connection between parables and reality.

Most of the time in life (and I’m going way out on a limb here (a parable)) we tend to focus only on what is happening to us without really thinking about why it is happening to us. And circumstances will do that to us if we let them. God however, desires we look at the deeper meaning of things and try to factor the presence of His Hand into our thinking so that we may learn from Him and experience Him in every area of our lives. For instance, what can we learn from just having a cold? How can we use disappointment to help us see the presence of God? What good is pain – really?

Jesus spoke to them through parables and I think He speaks to us by His word and through our everyday life experiences. We should – at the end of each day – be able to retrace our steps through the day and see where God may have been taking us… and whether we got there or not. It starts by meditatively reading His word and then going into our day armed with that knowledge. If we are to, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, do all for the glory of God, then what does that really look like? If my purpose in life is solely Him, then what are the components of my every day that help me live accordingly? And what are the things that I see in life and nature all around me that continually help to turn my thoughts toward my Loving Creator? Jesus’ parables weren’t rocket science and neither are my life experiences. I ‘ve said before and I’ll say again: life isn’t about how much money I make, how happy I am, whether I’m ‘successful’ or not: life is all about knowing and experiencing God to the point that I can truly say: Yes, Lord it was all done for Your glory!

Today, we are starting the process of moving again. We Turks, it seems, move a lot. Circumstances are what they are and we are transplanting from one place to another within our little community. I see God’s hand in the process and I see that even in something as mundane as packing it all up just to move less than two miles to unload it all again, God is there with us and we rejoice in His provision (in a place to move to) and in His presence (in the process.)

And guys, if we can accept it, our very lives can actually be parables (living testimonies) to the people around us who don’t yet know God or His goodness, mercy, and love to those who call Him by Name. What’s God showing you these days? Can you see it?