MARK 4:33-34 …Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with His own disciples, he explained everything.
Jesus did not mean for every person to understand Him. Mark 4 tells us openly that when Jesus spoke to crowds of men gathered that he spoke in a way that only those that made a strong effort to understand would understand. In this passage Jesus is surrounded by so many people who are interested in His teachings that He has had to get into a boat and be pushed from shore in a lake so that he can speak to all the people gathered.
He was SO ENGULFED BY THE CROWD THAT HE HAD TO GET INTO A BOAT AND PUSH HIMSELF FROM SHORE SO THAT THEY ALL COULD SEE HIM. Would your pastor have to do this on a Sunday morning? Are there so many people crowding your church that your pastor has to knock out the wall behind him and space himself so that everyone can hear his message? Jesus had to make room for every one to hear His message… And then He confused them, purposefully. He did not say anything to them without using a parable.
Pastors, no matter the size of your church, this describes your church. Your church is the crowd. Your church represents this crowd, no matter what size, so large that the Lord must board ship in order to speak, knowing that most will not understand the message. God then tells us that only to His own disciples, he explained everything. Only to those that had dropped all of their own wills and desires, only to those who had committed their entire lives, only to the very very few who chose all that came with being a follower of Jesus did He reveal His message.
Jesus tells us in MATT 7:21-23 that not all those that call Him Lord, Lord will make it into his kingdom. There are many sitting in your church today who are being called but few will be chosen. If you are looking out into those that congregate at your church and feel comfortable with the thought that those people are going to heaven, you are mistaken. Many in your church will be gnashing teeth. It takes a personal interest on an individual basis to make a notch on God’s belt. The “very few”, or disciples of your church understand your message each week. The crowd came for a miracle, or to say that they had been there.
For those that want to understand Jesus’ message it takes following. If you think hearing or seeing Jesus’ words gives you understanding, you are wrong. You will not simply read the bible and understand what those that truly choose to follow Christ understand. If you want understanding you must follow first. If you want your church members to understand, your job is to make disciples; meaning those that believe… and follow Jesus. Those in turn, that truly are disciples, will go out and make disciples.
Jesus did not explain himself so that those that understood Him would follow. Those that followed Jesus were shown while those who showed up were confused through equivalence.
He did not say anything to them without using parable. Jesus’ true message is personal, it’s not meant for the masses. The masses may receive the message but they will all accept it through a personal relationship. We must take interest in the individuals of the church and not find a percentage acceptable. We are the shepherds who are more interested in the 99 than the 1. Who are your disciples to which all is explained?… and who are theirs?
Interesting points. I’d suggest a couple of things, though. First, although Jesus taught in parables, the explanation of many of those parables were recorded in the gospels. None of the preaching recorded in Acts, nor in any of the epistles, is in the form of parables. It’s all very direct. Could be a pretty interesting discussion about WHY Jesus spoke in parables, but He seems pretty unique in doing so. Much of Paul and Peter’s teaching was to the masses, though Paul also took personal care in Timothy’s development as a pastor, just as Barnabas had taken personal care in Paul’s development. Teaching to the masses can be effective: around 3000 people were saved as a result, in large part, of Peter’s preaching on the Day of Pentecost. As an applied to today’s churches, there is a place for both individual teaching and teaching the masses, such as on Sunday morning.
Second, I think you’re blurring the line between being a born again believer and being a disciple. No one is required to “follow Jesus” or be committed to Him to be saved. We’re required to believe on Him. We’re required to believe He is who He said He is and to trust Him for our salvation. (Most people who believed on Jesus didn’t literally follow Him, and one that DID follow Him is in hell as we speak.) We aren’t required to sacrifice anything to be saved, other than our own efforts to save ourselves through our own efforts.
Being a disciple DOES require sacrifice and commitment to the cause of Christ, though. We must put to death our old man so the new man can be used by God. In the parable of the sower, Jesus says that only the seed that falls on good soil reproduced itself. But many other seeds germinate, but are choked out by the weeds (the cares of this world) and they are insufficiently ground and whither away when tested. The last two seeds represent people who are saved (as opposed to the seed that represents the gospel which is snatched away by the devil before the hearer may believe and be saved), yet they are unproductive. New life springs up, but it doesn’t reproduce itself. Unfortunately, MOST Christians fall into this category.
The lesson for churches today is that we have two missions. First, we need to share the gospel with the lost. Second, we need to make disciples who will be productive and will reproduce many times over. Making disciples requires the personal time and attention from more mature believers that you’re talking about, I think.
Thanks for the read Josh. Quickly though, I’m not saying that those who do not disciple are going to hell. The point I’m trying to make is that those without discernment probably aren’t. Your points are valid, but anyone can say they believe in Jesus as Christ. Those who do believe receive the Holy Spirit. With receipt of the Holy “Counselor” comes discernment or understanding, but anyone who receives the Holy Spirit WILL make changes and efforts. It’s not a question of whether or not you must do something to be saved, it’s a point that those who are saved WILL do more.
Simply hearing that Jesus is your savior does not save you, belief does. Sometimes that belief takes effort. Faith without works is dead. A disciple is defined as; One that accepts and helps spread his master’s teachings. Jesus defined a disciple, himself, in John 8:30-31. 30 “As he spake these words many believed on him. 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then ye are my disciple indeed; The role of a disciple is simple… believe and obey.
MATT28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. So while every Christian will not be disciples but our efforts should be to make disciples.
I changed my name to Josh E. so people wouldn’t think you were talking to yourself
I think we’re mostly on the same page. My point is mostly that we’re given different gifts to accomplish different things. Some people, like Paul, are really driven to share the gospel and to get people saved, but not as much to make “disciples.” Paul rarely even baptized people, which is really the first step to becoming a disciple. Obviously baptism is important, but Paul’s focus and drive was to present the gospel. There were others that were involved in turning those new converts into disciples, and Paul would routinely send trusted believers to pastor churches that he had started as he set out for another town.
All believers should be sharing the gospel, because that’s the whole reason we’re left in this world after we’re born again. But effective churches should take care to utilize people’s gifts effectively. Again, I don’t think we disagree on this, I just wanted to clarify.
I like your point about John 8, BTW. It really reiterates the distinction between the saved believer and the committed disciple. We’re saved by faith alone, of course, but a disciple is one who believes and obeys God’s word and is walking in the spirit.
I don’t agree, though, that all believers will make changes or efforts to change. We should, of course, and if we don’t God will chastise His children, even unto physical death. But when a man is saved his flesh is not changed at all. His flesh still loves to sin and hates the things of God, even while his spirit never sins and loves the things of God. That’s why the NT repeatedly tells us to walk in the spirit, and why Jesus told Peter “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 If we don’t watch and pray; if we don’t consume God’s word daily; if we stop going to church; if we fill our minds with the world’s garbage, I will guarantee you that we will live after the flesh and not the spirit. We’re still saved, of course, because our salvation is by faith and cannot be lost or taken away, but we’ll live ineffective and unproductive lives that will look no different than the lives of the unbelievers in the world.
The bible has many examples of born again people who lived worldly lives. Lot loved Sodom so much he had to be literally dragged out of the city by the angels before God destroyed it. One of Noah’s first acts after getting off the ark was to plant a vineyard so he could get drunk on wine. Saul became increasingly wicked to the point that he was a liar and a murderer who consulted with a fortune teller because God had stop speaking to him. The Ephesians in Acts 19 were saved and burned their books of magic…TWO YEARS after they turned to God.
When we’re born again, we have the power to walk in the spirit and become more like Christ, but it sure doesn’t happen automatically.