Quit small expectations

2 02 2012

If a single mustard seed was sitting on the table you would miss it.  However, you won’t miss the big shrub growing in your garden.  The parable of the mustard seed in Mark 4 conditions us as followers of Jesus to quit underestimating the impact of the Kingdom of God as its announced and displayed in the context of our usual relationships.

30 And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth,32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”  Mark 4:30-32

3 observations:

  1. This big shrub was not a usual garden plant.  However, Jesus has it planted in the frequently visited place — the garden.  So it is with the Kingdom of God, when we proclaim the Kingdom through the Gospel of Jesus, it is to be in the normal pathways of our lives.  Our relationships in the normal patterns of study, work, life, and play become our “garden” for the Kingdom of God.   Quit diminishing the value of your normal and usual relationships.
  2. The seed contains immense potential.  Although the seed is not the focus of this parable it is important to note that the big “change” that is the focus of the parable starts with the seed.  Mark 4 has conditioned the followers of Jesus to view the seed as the Word of God — the word of the Gospel and the Kingdom of Jesus.  The Gospel story of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection has a power of its own to bring change in the lives of people.  Quit diminishing the value of the Gospel.
  3. The growth of the Kingdom is not only for our benefit.  Jesus describes the impact of the seed’s great growth as the creation of a refuge for the birds of the air.  Jesus may be drawing an allusion to the birds of the air references in Ezekiel and Daniel.  The nations shall take refuge in the Kingdom of Jesus.  We don’t get to choose who we are nesting beside.  By design others are to benefit from the change occurring in the lives of those who take refuge in Christ.  Quit diminishing the Kingdom call for open engagement with people who are “not like you;” then, we will experience the blessings of the Kingdom of God together.

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I want a career…

24 03 2011

You know the moment.  The person across from you has been talking away and the moment is serious.  But your mind is light-years away from their concern.  Rather your mind has been hijacked by another concern.  In fact you showed up for the conversation with another agenda.  And finally the person takes a breath and you cross the threshold and carve out a doorway to your heart.  ”I want… Please tell… Do this for me!”

People like me interrupted Jesus. He often used the moment to address the heart concerns of many other people.  In Luke 12 Jesus had been teaching the crowd to avoid hypocrisy by trusting God with their fears, when a man in the crowd revealed his distress.  “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.“

Practical Security

An inheritance in Jesus’ day was most often held in the family property or land holdings.  Traditionally the first son would receive two-thirds of the property as his inheritance.  The remaining one third would likely be sold and divided among all else who had a claim to it.  The “wisdom” of this approach developed out of the desire to maintain the ability of at least one member of the family to secure a future, a lifestyle, and an income for the family through the property that remained.  This younger brother’s request was likely driven by the desire to also have some security for the future.

When I poll University students at UBC and in Vancouver as to why they are pursuing school, its most often because they “want a good job” in the future.  They want a career that will bring some sense of security for themselves and for their family.  Although “the career” may be fading as a sure promise of security, it still holds power over many–especially those who are about to graduate.  The stress created moves them into the realm of worry.  Worry habituates us to what Jesus calls greed and a view of life because it rules out God from the equation.  Worry moves us to the center and displaces Christ.

Greed Consumes

A flashback to Wall Street reminds us that our societal message is that greed is good.  However, Jesus tells us “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:13  A career can be a wonderful journey.  However, we can miss the joy of work and the real purpose of life when wealth position, and security become the end-goals.  The story Jesus told of a  successful rich man getting ready to retire, yet dying “prematurely” was meant to confront the prevailing narrative of both brothers and the rich and poor in the crowd.  Life is about more than securing wealth for ourselves; wealth will fail us; life is about being rich toward God.

What happens when greed dominates life?

1.  My wants exceed my needs and become supreme.
2.  I will use people rather than love people.
3.  I will sacrifice the most important for the mundane.
4.  I will have a shrinking faith in God and His providence.
5.  I will create a self-righteousness that allows me to judge others who have less.
6.  I will fail to enjoy giving.
7. I will view hospitality as a chore or a way to ingratiate myself to others.
8. I will be possessed by my possessions.
9. I will be deceived into become small and insignificant rather than great.
10. As greed is a form of violence I will become habituated to injustice.
11. I will be persistently pre-occupied with security and therefore fear-full.

Jesus secures life

Greed is contrary to the knowledge of God.  In fact Jesus’ view of life and career is so different from ours and He knows it.  In light of who God is Jesus then exhorts His disciples:

1.  Not to worry about their life; what they will eat, drink, or wear.

2.  Not to set their hearts on what they will eat, drink, or wear.

3.  To pursue the Kingdom of God.

4.  To live generously–to sell their possessions and give to the poor.

So when thinking about our careers, Jesus would have us re-examine the question of WHO we are living for.  If we are at the centre you can be sure greed will find open space to take root.  If Jesus and His rule and reign is at the centre greed will find little rest.  I pray that we would truly know Jesus.  ”For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”  2 Corinthians 8:9  When Jesus tells us to pursue the Kingdom first, he then reminds us that our loving Heavenly Father has in fact and will continue to “give you the Kingdom.” Luke 12:32  Jesus has secured what a career will never give us.


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Four Profiles of the Heart

17 01 2011

The Big Idea: The way you listen to God’s Word reveals the condition of your heart and creates a faith trajectory for your life.  Text: Luke 8:4-15

(Here is the outline from yesterday’s talk at the Origin worship gathering.)

The Parable is preceded by some dramatic scenes:

1.  John the Baptist questions if Jesus is “the one.”

2.  A woman crashes Simon the Pharisee’s party and hears the   announcement that her sins are forgiven; her faith has saved her.

3.  Jesus begins going through the cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God to large crowds with a contingent of committed men and women.

Two Important terms
Kingdom of God:   The age and reality of God’s rule and reign, initiated by Jesus, the Messiah and King, in order to deliver people from the kingdom of darkness through the forgiveness of their sins they may know God and participate in His redemptive work.

Heart:  For biblical authors the heart is more than the organ pumping blood; “it is the control center of our lives, the place where we take in all the data (whether through our brains, our emotions, our imaginations), sort it out and make decisions.  The problem says Jesus, is that not enough of those who hear the good news with their ears are allowing the good news to take over the control centre.  Something or–someone else–runs the control center.”  Darrel Johnson, The Glory of Preaching, p. 42

Four Heart Profiles Revealed by Gospel Proclamation

  1. Hard Heart.
  2. Shallow Heart.
  3. Cluttered Heart.
  4. Submissive Heart.

1.  The Hard Heart.  Vs. 12

“The ones along the path are those who have heard.  Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.”

God “gives” His word, the good news of the Kingdom, to bring salvation.  The devil “takes” so that the process of hearing, believing, and being saved is interrupted.

“But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed?  And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?  And how are they to hear without someone preaching?  And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news?’ But they have all obeyed the gospel.  For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”  Romans 10:14-17

This heart is hardened against God, His Word, His Kingdom, His life.  It is habitually unbelieving.  People with a hard heart do not “understand.”  That is they do not grasp, comprehend, or “stand under” the revealed word of God and take action accordingly.

Note Jesus’ interaction with His disciples regarding this parable.

a.  Jesus issues a call to all the crowd to “hear.”

b.  The disciples ask Jesus what the parable meant.  vs. 9

c.  He affirms God’s grace to them–the secrets of the Kingdom have been given to you.  vs. 10

d.  Jesus identifies the parables as part of God’s plan to reveal the condition heart condition of people: they hear, but do not “understand.”  vs. 10

2.  The Shallow Heart.  Vs. 13

“And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy.  But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.”

These people are happy to receive Jesus and the good news of the Kingdom of God.  However, when adversity because of that word and this relationship comes they walk away.

They have the appearance of discipleship, but they have a hardness just below the surface.  They are shallow.  The Shallow Heart is unwilling to allow the Gospel to penetrate areas of significance in their lives and therefore have no root.

They are not willing to give extensive thought regarding the implications of the Gospel for their lives.  Their primary value remains happiness.  They are easily offended and therefore depart from their walk with Jesus and the fellowship of the church before “the time of testing” accomplishes what God desires in the formation of their heart.

3.  Cluttered Heart.  Vs. 14

“And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.”

Like the shallow heart, these people hear the word and have the appearance of a great start with Jesus.  However, their lives are pre-occupied and cluttered with other affections.  Their lives are ruled by other matters.  Jesus identifies three controlling concerns:

1.  cares.

2.  riches.

3.  pleasures of life.

The Cluttered heart refuses to allow Jesus to reorient or reorder the priorities of their lives.  They may be around the fellowship and show promise of fruit in keeping with the kingdom however, they never become multipliers or reproducers; they never reach maturity.  They hang around, but never produce.

4.  Submissive Heart.  Vs. 15

“As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”

The good soil represents those people who hear the word of God and are responsive.  In the final sense of this parable they are the one who have been graced to hear, believe, and be saved.

Jesus notes three aspects of their responsive.

1.  They hold it fast.

2.  They hold it fast in an honest and good heart.

3.  They bear fruit with patience.

 

This parable has both promise and warning for us as listeners to God’s Word.  The way you listen to God’s Word reveals the condition of your heart and creates a faith trajectory for your life.  As a listener there may be seasons or areas of my heart that are hard, shallow, cluttered or submissive.

For those engaged in the ministry of God’s Word through personal witness, proclamation, discipling, or teaching or preaching, this parable serves to instruct us and encourage us to persist in that ministry even though we do not immediately see crowds changed by the good news of Kingdom of God.  The “seed is good.”  Our task is to keep submitting and to keep sowing.


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