Day 8 for the Questions for Mark study and here is the devotional question.

“As you consider carefully what you read, what are the key details of the Kingdom parables?”

The reading is Mark 4:21-34 and several parables are covered briefly. Here is my careful consideration of the homework assignment.

1 Corinthians 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

There will always be a large group of intellectual bible readers with all kinds of opinions about what the Word says and none of them get it. The key to this understanding is given in the last line of the reading assignment.

Mark 4:34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

His disciples didn’t get it either and Christ had to explain those parables in private. At that time Christ had not been resurrected, faith in Christ was not a requirement to receive the Holy Ghost and the Spirit of Truth was not in them.

I called this devotional “Listen Up” for only one reason, the truth of the scriptures comes from a higher place than your intellect. You can study by intellect everything that anyone has ever said about these scriptures, comprehend them, agree with them, even quote them, but if your source of truth isn’t the Spirit of Truth which dwells inside you, you don’t get it.

John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Day 7 of the Questions for Mark study and here is the question.

“What characterizes each of the four responses to Jesus’ words?”

My answer is faith. I know that isn’t what anyone expected to hear and I understand why. Nothing in Mark’s version nor Matthew 13’s telling says anything about faith, but there it is as the root of the problem.

Mark 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

If you are in Christ the mysteries of the Kingdom are known. You still have these parables but do you see them as they apply to you or only to the lost? What would this parable look like if all four scenarios were applied to your present day bible study?

The Word fell by the wayside. Wouldn’t that look like that bible sitting on your coffee table that never gets opened? It isn’t making any difference in your life unopened and Satan continues to peck away at you without the Word to help you.

The Word falling on stony ground would look like a man (or woman) whose heart is hardened by unforgiveness. Isaiah 1:13a Bring no more vain oblations;

The Word falling on thorns might look like those of us who only turn to the word when trouble comes and we have nowhere else to turn.

The word falling on good ground is where we pick up the word for the sake of the relationship, that we love His word, we crave it “as the roe panteth”.

We all have faith but how do we use it appropriately? Can you see the root being foundational and necessary for life and growth?

Or does your faith sit on the coffee table alongside your bible unused?