Second Sunday in Lent

Mark 3:31-4:9

Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, ‘Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.’ And he replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’

Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching, he said to them: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’

Mark doesn't waste any time changing gears. It feels like he forgot to put in the clutch as he quickly goes from questioning who is in the familial relationship to how Jesus' teaching is propagated. I think there is a correlation here, but it's going to take some reflective gymnastics to get there.

Jesus says, whoever does God's will is my family (my mother, brothers, and sisters). So the more profound question is, "how do people know God's will without being taught or without listening so closely that we hear it?" So, Jesus teaches them that folks only hear what they want to hear. That some with ears don't even listen, so how can they hear and respond to God's word, let alone become Jesus' family?

I've always loved the parable of the sower so much because I think it tells us not to worry too much about where you cast the seed. Some seeds will fall on good soil and grow up to be healthy plants that produce good fruit. This plant grown on good ground will also increase the yield and help others grow good fruit. While the cultivation of good soil is essential in agriculture, that's not the point. Jesus shares this teaching to show us our responsibility is to cast the seed! Share the message! Nurture the relationship and become the family!

The gap between Jesus explaining who has been grafted into his family is not far-fetched from those who scatter and grow seed. If we listen to God, we are then supposed to go out and propagate God's message. The message of forgiveness and reconciliation. The message of becoming family and among those who do the will of God. 

It's not an easy task. In fact, it takes us being indiscriminate about who we invite (where we scatter our seed). It's about us not getting a say in who is in and who is out of God's family, just because we don't think their soil is good enough. So, what are the implications for us this Lenten season? One of the questions we could use for self-examination is, "do we feel like we are a connected part of God's family in Jesus?" If we don't, then "how might we listen a little more closely and scatter seed a little more recklessly?" If we do, then "what might we do to grow closer to Jesus to carry out his mission of reconciliation?" 

Remember that we are children of God, and our purpose is to live the message of love and reconciliation of in Jesus... and we listen closely so that we can live as part of his family that follows God's will with our message and our actions.

Mark 4:1-20 (NRSV)

Again [Jesus] began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.  He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 'Listen! A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil.  And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.  Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.'  And he said, 'Let anyone with ears to hear listen!'  When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables.  And he said to them, 'To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that "they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven."'  And he said to them, 'Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.  And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy.  But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.  And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing.  And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.'

This passage, which immediately follows where we left off yesterday, oddly starts with Jesus teaching them “beside the sea” in parables.  It is interesting that this particular parable is not only a parable, but an explanation of the parable.  This is helpful when reading it 2000 years later.  What jumps out to me is that Jesus teaches them many things “in parables.”  The word "parable" comes from the Greek παραβολή (parabolē), that means "comparison, illustration, or analogy.”  It is a succinct story, which illustrates a lesson, or sometimes an instructive or normative principle.

It is worth pointing out that Jesus is teaching using the analogy of a sower in an agricultural society.  This is a great idea.  People new how to plant and harvest, their life depended on it.  Not like today when folks have gardens in their back yard to grow fresh vegetables.  If you didn’t sow wisely, you didn’t reap, and you would probably starve.  One would think that by using this reference, people would more than likely understand what Jesus was talking about, but that isn’t the case.

So, we get a rare opportunity to hear Jesus explain what he is talking about.  He explains how the seed is word (aka Word of God, the Good News, the Gospel, etc…).  Call it what you will.  The path, the rocky ground, thorns, and good soil are all the hearers or receivers of the word.

Jesus relates the Word to the receiver in the agricultural analogy clarifying that good soil bears good fruit.  In other words, the hearer that receives the Word of God, takes it to heart, and acts on it, will in turn do the good work to build up the Kingdom of God.  The call in the scripture today is be good soil!  Be soil on which when the word of God (the seed) falls, it takes it in and acts on it to produce good fruit for the Kingdom of God.