Tuesday June 29, 2010

Read Mark 4:10-13

As Jesus teaches the people, we come to realise quite quickly that His teaching has a sifting function.  As people hear what Jesus has to say, some will remain ignorant of Jesus’ true identity. Others will be interested but not necessarily clued in. Some will be informed and others will become insiders.

Jesus Himself tells us that His teaching in parables has a sifting function. He deliberately teaches in parables so that those who are ignorant and want nothing to do with Jesus are confirmed in their hard heartedness. The parables drive them away, to the point of no return. To them, Jesus is a teller of nice but largely irrelevant stories.  Still to others, to those who have been given the secrets of the kingdom, the parables contain a wealth of truth and joy. They have deep treasures that need to be mined out and enjoyed.

How you respond to the teachings of Jesus shows where your heart really is. When the words of Christ are read, do you yawn and give a ‘ho-hum, here we go again?’ Do you fidget and fiddle uncomfortably until it’s over? Do you sit through it, gritting your teeth, anticipating the ending? These are not good signs. Or maybe you sit up and listen and anticipate great things from the mouth of the master. Your reaction to the Word of God shows where your heart really is.  The Bereans were described in such a way:-

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Let us strive to be a Berean in our attitude to Christ’s Word.

Prayer:-

Pray that we will, as a congregation, be eager to hear the Word each Lord’s day and willing/eager to put it into practice.

• Pray for those who preach. Ask God to fill them with wisdom, insight and a deep knowledge of the Word so that they can feed us faithfully. Pray that God would work in the lives of our preachers before they come to teach us.


• Pray for those who teach in persecuted lands. Pray that God would protect them and cause His Word to flourish.  Pray that these teachers would not fear mankind and would proclaim the word unashamedly.