Chapter # 4 Paragraph # 2 Study # 1
February 11, 2020
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis: An element of "the mystery of the Kingdom of The God" is that there are "those around Him" and there are "those who are without".
Introduction: In our study last week, I asked you to make the attempt, in all of your studies of the Bible's records, to set aside what you think you already know and what "theology" you think is true when you approach the words of God. My primary reason for making this request is that a great deal of every person's "theology" is not rooted in "Truth", but "preference", and the only way God can "renew our minds" (
Romans 12:2) is if we are willing to be "corrected" by His words.
Now, this request is not "about" the time when we are not studying the words of God, but, instead, are going about our living. When we are going about our living, we must assume that what we "think is the Truth" actually is the "Truth" so that our "living" is "by faith". In God's mind, He actually prefers that we are convinced of a lie when we are attempting to "live" than that we go about in a blind fog, not being sure of anything. He is more "pleased" by those who "live by faith", even when they are wrong, than He is by those who refuse to commit to anything because it might not be "True". In other words, God is more "pleased" with His adversaries who are adamant about what they "believe" than He is by agnostics who simply use their agnosticism as an excuse to be "uncommitted". Jesus said to the Laodiceans that His preference, when faced with unbelief, was that a person be "stone cold" toward Him rather than "lukewarm" (Revelation 3:15).
With this reality in mind, we are going to continue to consider the parable of the results of the sowing of the seed. We looked at the words of the parable last time; this evening we are going to look at the words caught between the parable and Jesus' explanation of it.
- I. Jesus and His "Having Become Alone".
- A. Literally, the text reads, "And when He came to be according to the standard of alone(ness)..."
- B. This is clearly a progression from His declaration regarding the sower's actual results when he broadcast his seed.
- 1. When He told the parable, He was sitting in a boat addressing a great multitude as they were "on the land".
- 2. This "shift" in time has absolutely no details attached to it as to how He "came to be alone".
- a. Of itself, this is rather remarkable, because of 3:20 and 6:31-33.
- b. But Mark does not include any explanation as to how Jesus "came to be alone".
- C. But this also has its own complications.
- 1. Mark uses a preposition that, when connected with a word that is in the accusative case, typically means "according to the standard of... (whatever the other word indicates)".
- a. The adjective involved is the word "alone" which generally means "no one else is around".
- b. Thus, the grammatical construction means "when Jesus came to be according to the standard of aloneness".
- 2. But he immediately turns around and declares that this "standard" apparently does not have the characteristic most of us attach to being "alone".
- a. He says that there are "those around Him".
- b. And he says that "those" are "together with The Twelve".
- 3. So, our first "issue of understanding" is what Mark's actual "point" is by using words in an apparently atypical way.
- a. When we consider that, when Mark began this part of his record he did so by placing Jesus in front of a great multitude, we almost have to conclude that what Mark wants us to understand is that the words he is now using are intended to make sure we understand that Jesus is no longer "teaching" the multitude.
- b. When we understand the transition from multitude to two lesser groups ("those around Him" and "The Twelve") we can easily take one further step and understand that there were some things Jesus did not wish for the multitude to have to "deal with" while they were considering His teachings.
- 1) This is important, first, because "those around Him" have already been identified by His interaction in 3:32-35.
- a) In that setting, Jesus deliberately contrasts His own physical family with "those around Him" in terms of His "acceptance" of people.
- b) In that setting, "those around Him" are "His mother and brethren" as "those who do the will of God" (which "will" in that context is "accepting His identity" rather than rejecting it because of "fear").
- c) Thus, "those around Him" are "faithful people who are going to be allowed to learn and grow in grace and truth".
- 2) It is also important, second, because "those around Him" are "together with The Twelve".
- a) We have already made the case that Mark has made a significant "shift" in his record from Jesus' "evangelism" ("fishing for men") to Jesus' "edification" ("mending nets") for discipleship purposes.
- b) The Twelve are specifically being discipled for the purpose of being those who will go forth in Jesus' stead to "preach" His Gospel.
- c. Thus, we understand that there is some "Truth" that Jesus simply doesn't want the "multitude" to hear.
- II. Jesus' Response to His "Disciples".
- A. These two groups of "disciples" both "were asking" Jesus "the parables".
- 1. The word "parables" is plural even though the Authorized Version translates it as if it were singular.
- 2. There is no "guiding preposition" before the word "parables" is given in the accusative case.
- a. This means that we have no clear statement regarding "the questions" (they "were asking" as an imperfect tense).
- b. What we do have is Jesus' answer.
- 1) His answer is, first, focused upon "Why?" He was teaching in parables, strongly implying that these disciples wanted an explanation for His use of this method of teaching.
- 2) But, His answer also, second, shifted to focus upon "What does this parable mean?"
- 3) Thus, in regard to "parables", Jesus explains their "privilege" and in regard to this particular "parable", He explains its meaning.
- B. His response to the larger question: Why are You teaching by means of parables?
- 1. His answer was that "disciples" have a certain "privilege" that is uniquely theirs.
- a. They get to understand "the mystery of the kingdom of The God".
- b. Those "without" (as in the 3:31-32 text) do not get such a privilege.
- 1) Those "without" are not automatically excluded, but they only get the truth in "parable" form so that whether they understand or not depends upon whether they remain "those without". [Remember, Jesus' own physical family were once "without", but did not remain there.]
- 2) If "those without" are content with "healings and exorcisms" but have no significant interest in "being forgiven", they will never understand the mysterious Kingdom.
- 2. One of the probable reasons for this is that there is, in God's mysterious kingdom, a most fundamental reality that should not be "taught to the multitudes" because of its "offensive" nature. [Remember: Jesus is training His Twelve so they can go forth to preach.]
- a. The "offense" is that Jesus has a particular group, identified in 3:13 as "those whom He wanted", that excludes "those He doesn't want".
- 1) This is terribly offensive to narcissists: they are highly likely to begin to scream bloody murder about how "unfair" it is for Jesus to have "favorites", but show by that screeching that they are unqualified by any standard of "fair".
- 2) This reality is in the fact of God's prerogative to have what is called elsewhere in the Word, "God's elect".
- b. The straightforward implication of Jesus' hesitation to "broadcast" this aspect of the mysterious Kingdom to the multitudes is that this "truth" is not "helpful" to them in any way unless they force the issue as they did in John 6 and John 8.
