Mark 4:33-34 - Speaking Ever in Parables

Mark 4:33-34
33 With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; 34 and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

Message: Speaking Ever in Parables

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

There were instances that Jesus did not speak in parables, even to those that were not His disciples (John 6:22-59 as an example), but clearly parables were such a part of his ministry that the statement He did not speak to them without a parable thus one could say they were always a part of his teaching. I find it interesting that people love stories. Fictional stories are interwoven in all of our lives on a constant basis. We often look to movies, shows, story books, to express ideas that are central to our lives. In life, we are enraptured by TV shows that simply present stories for us and we are entertained by them. Some stories are simple, some not. All to often, when gathering with people, they will bring up the love of these stories and how they are constantly drawn to them in life. Thus, it seems most reasonable that Jesus used these stories to teach people ideas about Him and what He is doing or will do. There are Christian authors like JR Tolkien and CS Lewis that have you fictional stories to paint a picture of Christ and the work of God in our lives. One could say that parables and stories are interwoven through all of our lives on a constant basis.

I think this is the message that Mark simply wants to convey in these verses. With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it. The reality is some would not listen. Jesus has said He who has an ear, let him hear. Not everyone perks up their ears and listens and listens with the notion of understanding, taking it in, and changing. Even me, I have had many of time of going to church and sitting there thinking about other things troubling me at the time and the message goes in one ear and out the other. I can resonate with not listening at times.

Promise: We cannot listen on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to illuminate the words of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was given to give us understanding of all that Jesus said. He opens our eyes to the meaning of His Word. He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples and today the Holy Spirit is explaining everything to us, the follower of Christ, His disciples.

Prayer: O Lord, thank you again for the using stories to speak wonderful truths to our lives. Even in my own life, you used a story from a movie to speak to me about the seriousness of life and death and that story quickened me to salvation. Thank you for parables and what they speak to us. There are stories throughout our lives that you use in many different forms and they give us great joy and thank you for being the creator of stories. Help me to continue to listen and listen well and desire to learn and apply the meanings to my life. .