The MVP - thorny soil

We’re looking into The parable of the sower.  It was this parable that Jesus referred to as the “key” to understanding all His parables (Mark 4:13).  As such, I’m calling it: The Most Valuable Parable – The MVP.  All three of the synoptic gospel writers included this parable.  It can be found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.  So far, we have looked at the sower, the soil of the path, and the rocky soil.  We’ve also observed that the word of God produced new life in the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil.  Now we’re taking a closer look at the thorny soil:

Remember, the fruitfulness of the seed was dependent upon the character of the ground it fell on.  Always the same seed, but never the same soil.  Watch for what happens to the seed that falls among the thorns:

Luke 8:4-8, 11-14
As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, He said in a parable:

“A sower went out to sow his seed.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.  Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.”  As He said this, He called out, “Let anyone who as ears to hear listen.”

…“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy.  Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.  As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.

If we’re honest…this is the soil where most of us American believers would see ourselves.  With our basic needs readily met (food on the shelf, water from a faucet, sturdy shelter), ours is an affluent society – one with all sorts of distractions. 

Advertisers are relentless, aren’t they?  Everything is “new”, “improved”, or something you just gotta have.  The media, and especially social media, never stops for us to take a breath.  Seems like everything we want to do or experience costs money.  Our bodies eventually fall apart, no matter how much effort we hedge against it happening.  There’s also “the unknown”, and thinking about that for too long will quickly drive you crazy.  But…rather than paint an entirely negative picture, let’s be honest…there are good things, too.  Lots of good things.  There are so many good things available to us in this life – things that are not bad, in-and-of themselves – that, if allowed to grow unchecked, even those can cause significant issues.

Jesus made a rather interesting metaphor when referred to the worries, riches, and pleasures of life as thorns.  Thorny bushes are inhospitable.  They cover up and obscure beauty.  But the biggest trouble thorns cause is that they absorb resources that should go to the plant.  They are a resource drain, diverting nutrients and water away, which stunts the growth of the seed…and to make matters worse, as the thorns grow up, they physically crowd out anything that tries to grow near them.  Growth from the seed does occur, but useful fruit is unable to be produced.

One last observation from what Jesus initially said about the thorny soil: other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  Notice that the thorns weren’t full grown at the beginning; instead, they grew up with the seed.  In life, we’re pretty good about recognizing big things that would be a potential problem for us…but we’re not so good at recognizing the potential for little things to divert our resources away from what’s most important to us.

If we do not intentionally seek God’s perspective, then the worries, riches, and pleasures of life will insidiously grow up and take over, choking out the fruitful, mature life God has for us.

The author of Hebrews also recognized this possible dilemma for us.  Thankfully, though, he offered the solution to staying out of the thorns:

Hebrews 12:1-2
Therefore…let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us.  Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The MVP - rocky soil

We’re looking into The parable of the sower.  It was this parable that Jesus referred to as the “key” to understanding all His parables (Mark 4:13).  As such, I’m calling it: The Most Valuable Parable – The MVP.  All three of the synoptic gospel writers included this parable.  It can be found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.  So far, we have looked at the sower and the soil of the path.  We’ve also observed that the word of God produced new life in the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil.  Now we’re taking a closer look at the rocky soil:

Let’s remind ourselves of the setting.  Farmers didn’t have fancy, fast machines to prepare the ground.  Oxen could pull a plow to turn over the soil, so the farmer would do what he could to break up the ground.  The ideal seed depth was 1-3 inches in favorable conditions, but that wasn’t always attainable.  Terrain was often rocky and uneven, sometimes with only a thin layer of top soil.  With scant amount of nutrients and depth, this type of soil presents less than ideal prospects for growth, let alone maturity.

As you read the text, focus on what happens to the seed in the rocky soil:

Luke 8:4-8, 11-13
As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, He said in a parable:

“A sower went out to sow his seed.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.  Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.”  As He said this, He called out, “Let anyone who as ears to hear listen.”

…“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy.  Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing. 

As we can see from the rocky soil, a believer can experience the initial joy of salvation…but then fizzle out when life gets hard and their beliefs go through a time of testing.  Jesus said that believers akin to rocky soil lack moisture and have no root.  Their growth has been stunted due to the limited room for resources in their lives.

A key word to look at is the Greek word Jesus uses here for fall away – aphistemi – which means to withdraw, to remove, or desert.  Rocky soil believers joyfully trust God for their eternal salvation, but when times get tough, they don’t trust God with their circumstances.  Their choice leaves them painfully withered; however, there’s no indication that God abandons them.  These believers do not lose their salvation, but they lack the life-giving relationship Christ offers for their current circumstances because they have not developed roots.

But that leave us to wonder…what happens to those believers who fall away?  Many commentators advocate that their “falling” means they either lost their salvation, or they take it as proof that they were not “real believers” in the first place.  However, I don’t think either explanation is accurate.

Later on, in the book of Acts, Luke uses aphistemi again.  And it’s when he uses it that provides us with an interesting example and explanation of Jesus’ use of the word in the parable.  Luke uses the word to describe John Mark’s abandoning of Paul and Barnabas (translated to English this time as deserted):

Acts 15:38
But Paul insisted that they should not take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

John Mark had bailed on Paul’s first missionary journey at about the halfway point.  He abruptly left both the Apostle Paul and his cousin Barnabas, who was an influential member of the first century church.  The first part of their journey saw huge success in preaching Jesus to the island of Cyprus. Afterwards (and Scripture doesn’t say why), John Mark high-tailed it for home.  It’s interesting to note that Paul and Barnabas faced many trials during the second part of their missionary journey, which was the part John Mark avoided when left his companions in the lurch.  John Mark’s story fits the model that Jesus described for a rocky soil believer: when they hear, receive the word with joy.  Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.

However, John Mark’s falling away didn’t permanently banish him from fellowship with Paul, Barnabas, or the rest of the church.  There’s no indication anywhere in Scripture that other believers questioned John Mark’s salvation.  Instead, Paul considered John Mark unworthy of a later opportunity to partner with him, and Paul rejected John Mark’s inclusion in the mission trip.  Ultimately, it was John Mark’s previous desertion that left him disqualified from the next significant opportunity to serve God (Acts 15:36-41). 

However, the good news is that John Mark’s story does not end there.  After Paul’s rejection, Barnabas took John Mark under his wing and mentored him.  Over the years that followed, John Mark went on to do great things for God: he returned to Cyprus with Barnabas (Acts 15:39), many years later Paul calls him useful in the ministry (2 Timothy 4:11), and he also worked with the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 5:13).  During his time with Peter, John Mark collected Peter’s stories and teaching of Jesus’ time on earth – and we now refer to that collection as The Gospel of Mark.

Left to themselves, rocky soil believers will struggle mightily and not produce a fruitful life in Christ.  They need moisture and help to remove significant boulders from their life.  Purposeful mentoring is necessary for them to grow the roots needed so they can endure a time of testing. 

If you are a rocky soil believer, please find a mentor ASAP.  If you want to know what that looks like, I suggest reading a series of blog posts on Biblical mentoring I wrote beginning in February 2106.

If you are a mature believer, please be on the look out for rocky soil believers.  They need your help, more than they realize.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The MVP - new life

We’re looking into The parable of the sower.  It was this parable that Jesus referred to as the “key” to understanding all His parables (Mark 4:13), or as I’m calling it, The Most Valuable Parable – The MVP.  All three of the synoptic gospel writers included this parable.  It can be found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.  So far, we have looked at the sower and the soil of the path.

It’s at this point in the parable that many commentators and preachers have stumbled over what Jesus is saying.  As we read the parable, rather than relying on what others may have told us, we need to approach the text with as little bias as possible.  We must allow the text to speak for itself.  Admittedly…this can be hard to do, especially for veteran Christians or those of us who have been in church since we were little.  The attitude of “oh yeah, that story” or “I already know what the preacher is going to say” is quite dangerous.  That kind of closed mindset can prevent the Holy Spirit from teaching us something new or correcting us on something we have gotten wrong.  Therefore, we need to be careful with our observations. 

We’ll see in verse 11, Jesus tells the disciples, “The seed is the word of God.” So as you read the parable, think about what happens to the seed as it is added to each soil.  Also watch for what’s different between the seed that fell on the path and the seed that fell on the other soils:

Luke 8:4-8, 11-13
As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, He said in a parable:

“A sower went out to sow his seed.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.  Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.”  As He said this, He called out, “Let anyone who as ears to hear listen.”

…“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy.  Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.  As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.  But the seed in the good ground – these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.”

Do you see the difference in what happened to the word of God?  It was never accepted by the path, and the birds took it away.  Without the seed there, the path-person could not believe and be saved.  From Jesus’ statement, we can see that belief is the only condition for salvation (just like we learned with the Samaritan woman in John 4).

Many preachers and commentators focus on the maturity of the plant to gauge if a person is a believer or not.  By doing so, they miss Jesus’ point – Notice that even in less than ideal soil, the word of God was accepted and new life was born!  This is true for the rocky soil, the thorny soil, and the good soil.  In all three, the word of God brought forth new life, but their individual fruitfulness – their visible productivity – is what varied.

There aren’t different types of believers (“true believers”, “false believers”, etc) among Christians – either you are persuaded that Jesus is the Son of God and you believe in Him for eternal life…or you don’t.  Based on Jesus’ parable of the soils, we find that after the word of God brings forth new life, each believer’s maturity depends on how long they hold to their belief and if they allow their circumstances to influence their growth. 

Over the years, I have observed how easily Christians write-off others as being “not truly saved” because that other person’s behavior doesn’t match up with how they think a “true believer” would act.  They try to judge a person’s justification by how far they have progressed in their sanctification.  Put simply, they fail to distinguish between having eternal life and bearing fruit.  Christians who are focused on judging others like this end up wasting their time trying to pigeonhole other people’s eternal destiny…and worse yet, put themselves in the place of God.

If your natural-born brother or sister was misbehaving or living a lifestyle that was contrary to your family’s ideals…would you question their status as a member of your family?  Of course not.  We say things like this all the time “I love them and they’re still family, but…” Because the relationship is strained due to their maturity/behavior and there are steps that will need to be taken to help them “come back into the fold”.  We’ll get some more insight into these situations as we look at what Jesus had to say about the rocky soil and the thorny soil.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The MVP - the path

We’re looking into The parable of the sower.  It was this parable that Jesus referred to as the “key” to understanding all His parables (Mark 4:13), or as I’m calling it, The Most Valuable Parable – The MVP.  All three of the synoptic gospel writers included this parable.  It can be found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.  Since we looked at the sower last time, we’re now ready to look at what happened to the seed that the sower spread to the various types of soils.

We’re going to evaluate the responses of the soils in the order that Jesus taught them.  First up, we’ll focus in on the seed that fell along the path:

Luke 8:4-15
As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, He said in a parable:
“A sower went out to sow his seed.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.  Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up, it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.  As He said this He called out, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Then His disciples asked Him, “What does this parable mean?”  So He said, “The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that

Looking they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 

The path was a hardened surface because it was well-traveled upon.  And as such, the seed was not accepted by ground; instead, the seed was trampled.  This kind of heart was a roadway for many thoughts/experiences…distracted by its own concerns, its own ideas, and its own ambitions, such a heart became a place where the word of God was trodden down, smothered, and crushed by all the preoccupations that had made the heart their highway.

Then…the seed was stolen by the birds – which Jesus says represents the devil coming and taking the seed away before it can germinate.  From this we see that Satan actively works to prevent people from hearing and believing the gospel.  The devil is skilled and purposeful in his work – he’s had thousands of years of practice and insight into manipulating mankind’s psychology.  He will do whatever he can to confuse/distract the one who hears the word…so they will not believe the simple message that if you believe in Jesus for eternal life, you will be saved and He will give you new life.

With the seed taken away, there is no new life – they cannot believe and be saved unless the seed is present to produce the new life.

When reading this parable, most believers tend to skim over this soil.  They figure that this situation no longer applies to them, so it’s not worth their time to consider.  Or maybe they think of someone they know who fits this description.  Either way, most believers do not stop and think about the path…but…

Perhaps a personal illustration will help us find an application.  For a number of years while I was growing up, my family took in foster care kids.  We did what was called “short-term” foster care, which means you could be called to take in a kid for an hour in the middle of the night or have them as part of your family for up to 6 months while the government and legal processes figured out what was best for everyone involved.  We found that the younger the kid was, the more likely they were to fall in line with our family’s rhythm – “This is what we do.”  The older the kid, the more they had built up hardened layers to shield them from the traumatic stuff they had had to deal with at such young ages.  By the time they were teens, they had been physically hurt, lied to, abused, or emotionally scarred so many times that it was nearly impossible to get them to fully trust our family, let alone open up…and their hearts were already beginning to harden.

When you volunteer in children’s ministries at your church, when you coach a youth sports team, or when you financially support operations like Chestnut Mountain Ranch in Morgantown, WV…your efforts are preventing these kids from becoming like the hardened path.  Your invested time, energy, and money slows down the process of building up that hard outer layer which makes it so difficult for God’s word to impact their lives.  Your presence and love makes them feel supported instead of feeling trampled on, run over, or alone.

So the application for believers isn’t directly for us…instead we need to be aware and willing to help others – especially children – from becoming a hardened, lonely path.  Truett Cathy nailed down this idea in his book, titled It’s Better to Build Boys than Mend Men.  We need to reach the next generation with God’s love – before the world forces them to build self-reliant defenses and emotional walls.  Who knows?  Maybe you’ll also get to be a sower in a child’s life.  Or maybe you’ll help them be ready for when another sower arrives.

When you step into a child’s life, don’t let the thoughts of your potential impact scare you, or make you feel too much pressure.  Instead, know just how eternally important you are in these kids’ lives. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The MVP - the sower

Although Jesus was Israel’s promised Savior, when He started His ministry, most of the Jewish population had the wrong idea about the coming Messiah.  Many Jews had locked in on the idea that the Messiah’s immediate plans were to conquer Israel’s enemies and set up the Kingdom of God…with Jerusalem as its capital.  Jesus knew those actions were not His mission at that time.  To get the people past this mental stumbling block, as He traveled from town to town, Jesus taught many things to the crowds that came out to meet Him.  The truth about Himself and the Kingdom of God were taught indirectly, through parable-stories.  However, the setting for these parables was always something local and familiar to His audience.

Jesus referred to The parable of the sower as the key to understanding all His parables (Mark 4:13), or as I’m calling it, The Most Valuable Parable – The MVP.  All three of the synoptic gospel writers included it, and it can be found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.  Before we get to the meat of the parable; however, we need to look at the main character of the parable – the sower.  Understanding his role – in the way Jesus’ audience recognized him – will help us understand the parable as a whole.

Let’s think about the setting.  Farming was everywhere, and sowing seed in a field was a common activity.  Farmers didn’t have fancy, fast machines to spread the seed, either.  They sowed “broadcast” style…casting the seed by hand as he walked up and down the field.  The sower always spread extra seed to allow for full coverage, and he was not concerned about wasting seed.  Every inch of ground on the field was seeded in the hopes of generating the largest harvest possible.  The ideal seed depth was 1-3 inches into the ground, in favorable conditions, but that wasn’t always the case.  Terrain was often rocky and uneven, sometimes with only a thin layer of top soil.

A sower’s activities would have been something everyone would relate to because they had either done the work themselves or they had seen someone else do it.  Focus on the sower’s actions as you read through Luke’s account:

Luke 8:4-15
As a large crowd was gathering, and people were coming to Jesus from every town, He said in a parable:

”A sower went out to sow his seed.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the sky devoured it.  Other seed fell on the rock; when it grew up, it withered away, since it lacked moisture.  Other seed fell among thorns; the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  Still other seed fell on good ground; when it grew up, it produced fruit: a hundred times what was sown.  As He said this He called out, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Then His disciples asked Him, “What does this parable mean?”  So He said, “The secrets of the kingdom of God have been given for you to know, but to the rest it is in parables, so that

Looking they may not see,
and hearing they may not understand.

“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.  The seed along the path are those who have heard and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  And the seed on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy.  Having no root, these believe for a while and fall away in a time of testing.  As for the seed that fell among thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.  But the seed in the good ground – these are the ones who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, hold on to it and by enduring, produce fruit.

So what observations do you have about the sower?

Did you notice these two things?

·       The sower is not responsible for the success of the seed…his job is only to sow.
·       The sower does not pre-judge the soil’s potential or its responsiveness to the seed.  He cast the seed without discrimination or concern that it may not bear fruit or be wasted altogether.

How many times have we looked at someone and not shared the gospel because we assume they wouldn’t respond in faith?  But what we’ve seen in Jesus’ parable is that the sower spread the word of God liberally to all soils, to any ground who might receive it, instead of to just those soils sections that the sower was confident to get a fruitful harvest.

This would have been an encouragement to the disciples and should also encourage us as we encounter opportunities to sow God’s word.  We may not see immediate harvest-results.  The sower certainly didn’t.  Harvest comes later…and the sower may not even be the one to participate in that event.  But that doesn’t matter when it’s time to sow. 

So let’s be faithful and sow as we have opportunity.  Not because we think the person is worthy to hear about the gospel, but because that is the task God has given us to do.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

The MVP - The Most Valuable Parable

Have you ever wondered why Jesus told so many stories?  Or, better yet, why did He tell so many strange stories?

Jesus taught in parable-stories to stimulate a person’s thinking about His truths.  I once heard a parable described as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning”.  I think that’s a pretty accurate definition.  While some of the parables’ context might seem weird to us, the settings were culturally relevant and understandable to Jesus’ audiences.  This means that we can learn the same lessons Jesus taught, but we need to use our observation skills so we don’t misunderstand first century cultural references.

By teaching in parables, Jesus gave the people a choice to either learn more or walk away.  One of Jesus’ favorite phrases to end a parable illustrates this: “He who as ears to hear, listen!”  However, the crowds were not generally given the meaning of a parable, but the disciples and others who followed Him were.  

Also keep in mind that as Jesus and the disciples traveled from town to town, He would have taught the same parables in each location.  With no internet, email, TV, or radio available, each town was a new place that hadn’t heard these truths yet.  Think about it…the disciples would have heard the parables multiple times and probably could recite them all by heart.  The writers of all four gospels didn’t include every teaching of Jesus, instead they chose to include events, miracles, and parables that fit the purpose/narrative/audience of their gospel.  As such, we need to pay attention if a particular parable is included by more than one of them.

The parable we are going to look at is one of those parables.  It is often referred to by one of two names:  The parable of the soils or The parable of the sower.  It can be found in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15.  For starters, we’re going to look at Mark’s account:

Mark 4:1-13
Again He began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around Him.  So He got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore.  He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them:

“Listen!  Consider the sower who went out to sow.  As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.  Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep.  When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.  Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit.  Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.”  Then He said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

When He was alone, those around Him with the Twelve, asked Him about the parables.  He answered them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables so that
              they may indeed look, and yet not perceive;
              they may indeed listen, and yet not understand;
              otherwise, they might turn back and be forgiven.

The He said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable?  How then will you understand all of the parables?

So we see from Mark’s account that Jesus considers this story to be the master parable, or what I’d like to call The Most Valuable Parable – The MVP.  As such, we must make sure that we understand exactly what Jesus was teaching the crowds whenever He taught this parable.  If we get this one wrong, we could end up misinterpreting His other parables…and it is impossible to correctly apply what we do not correctly understand.

Since the gospel writers included this story, you and I are being included in Jesus’ inner circle.  We are going to be privy to insider information here!

But as good Bible students, we must make sure we approach the passage without any pre-conceived notions or assumptions.  We must let the text speak for itself.  It’s easy to slip into the attitude of The parable of the sower?  I know that one and what it means.

Additionally, I think a number of others have not correctly understood Jesus’ message here; but we’ll get to that as we go through each part of the parable and match it up with Jesus’ explanation. 

But we have the same choice Jesus’ first century listeners had – will we lean in and learn more, or will we walk away, assuming we already know what Jesus meant with this parable?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Everyone needs a Savior

Can you feel it?  The world is looking for a savior right now. 

Everything happening in the world – COVID19, racial injustice, riots, mental illness, emotional suffering, medical malpractice, economic uncertainty, cancer, insect plagues, political posturing and games, and on and on and on – add to that list our personal issues and burdens…we all ache for someone to step forward and FIX all that is seemingly broken beyond repair.

As we wrap up our study of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, we find something that can help us today:

John 4:39-42
Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.”  So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days.  Many more believed because of what He said.  And they told the woman. “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

But what, exactly, do we mean by the word Savior?  The Greek word (soter) means savior, one who delivers from grave danger.  Note that in the New Testament, this always refers to God the Father and Jesus as the Savior of those who believe…saved from experiencing God’s righteous wrath, and saved to a proper relationship with God.  Sometimes the saving is from eternal consequences (like here in John 4), and other times the saving is from living under God’s wrath in the here and now because of willful sin in our lives.

But the Jews expected the Messiah to be their national savior.  For the Messiah to also be the Savior of the world would have been a foreign concept.  However, if Jesus is the Savior of the entire world, not just Savior of the Jews…this means that, through Him, the Samaritans could have what they have desired for many generations: they were finally included in God’s family.

Here’s an interesting observation from Dr. Constable:
The title “Savior of the world” is unique to John, occurring only in John 4:42 and 1 John 4:14 (cf John 1:29, 3:17).  John’s original readers would have been familiar with the title, because the Greeks and Romans gave it to several of their gods and emperors.  Nevertheless, Jesus was the true “Savior of the world”, whom these Samaritans recognized as such.  Jesus was “God in action”, saving the world.  This does not mean that everyone will experience eternal salvation, as the doctrine of universalism teaches, but that Jesus has made everyone savable, and that those who believe on Him obtain salvation.

For clarity, and because of what we’ve learned in our study of John 4, I would add after Dr. Constable’s last word salvation “and eternal life”. 

But did Jesus really atone (i.e. – pay) for the sins of the whole world?  Some people think that Jesus’ death on the cross only paid for the sins of believers, and that unbelievers were left out of the punishment that Jesus’ took on at the cross.  If that is what you have been taught, I suggest you consider these passages:

John 1:29
The next day John [the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

1 John 2:2
He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.

Jesus is the Savior of the world, not in the sense that everyone will be saved (the error-filled teaching of universalism) but that His light shines for all (John 1:9) and is available to all (John 12:32).  The light is not limited to the nation of Israel, but is for “every nation, tribe, people, and language” (Revelation 7:9)

Because of Jesus, all of humanity no longer has a SIN problem anymore, we have a SON problem…i.e. – whose son are we?  Our need now is for eternal life…which only Jesus can give us.

And that’s what we’ve learned through the story of the Samaritan woman that Jesus met at the well.  He offered her – the societal outcast – living water and that with one drink, her belief in Him would become a wellspring of eternal life.  That same offer is available to Jews and non-Jews…everyone, including you.

Jesus truly is the Savior of the world.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Borrowing someone else’s faith

When we are young, we believe the things we are told.  We believe our parents when they say we’re going on vacation.  We believe our teachers when they say our heart pumps our blood.  We believe our older brother when he says that when you see the sun from outer space, it is not yellow, but actually green (apologies to my younger siblings for that one…). 

We continue with these beliefs because we trust the person giving us that information.   Sometimes our beliefs are validated at a later point – we do go on vacation and through further learning we find that the heart really does pump blood.  Sometimes we find out that the sun really isn’t green.

We’ve been looking at what happened after the Samaritan woman believed in Jesus for eternal life and then ran back into her town to tell everyone the good news:

John 4:39-42
Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.”  So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days.  Many more believed because of what He said.  And they told the woman. “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

Before we go any further, let’s make sure our terminology is clear:  the word believed (Greek word: pisteuo) – means to believe, to put one’s faith in, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust may follow.  When you boil it all down, to believe is to be persuaded that something is true.  You don’t “choose to believe” or “choose not to believe” – either you are persuaded or you are not, either you believe something or you don’t.

Notice the first group of people believed in Him because of what the woman said.  It was that simple for them.  That’s all the evidence they needed.  In a sense, they “borrowed” the woman’s faith to start their own relationship with Jesus.  And that is a perfectly valid, saving faith.

However, the opportunity to believe simply on her testimony wasn’t enough for some of the townsfolk.  They needed to investigate for themselves.  Since Jesus and the disciples stayed two more days, we now have a second group: those among the many more [who] believed because of what He said.  Further evaluation of Jesus was needed, and His message was the cause of their faith. 

Both groups believed in Jesus – both groups received eternal life.  However, before leaving this story, John takes us back to the first group:

John 4:42
And they told the woman. “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

These were the townsfolk who had believed, because of the woman’s testimony.  However, after hearing Jesus for themselves, they no longer believed just because of her, but because they encountered Jesus and reaffirmed their initial belief – that He is the Savior of the world.

Don’t miss this point: Our base reason for believing in Jesus for eternal life can change, but the important part is Who we are believing in.

Think of it like this…it’s like borrowing the faith of our parents or Sunday School teacher until we evaluate and believe on our own.  Having worked in children’s ministry for an number of years, as well as through raising two boys, I’ve come to recognize this particularly important moment in a child’s walk with God.  Children put their faith in Jesus because they trust “Mr. Ken” when I tell them that Jesus will give them eternal life.  As they grow up and explore their relationship with Jesus through the Scriptures and living their lives, their basis for believing in Jesus is no longer “because Mr. Ken said so”. 

Does that invalidate or call into question their initial belief?  Certainly not.  We see no indication that the Samaritans who believed in Jesus simply because of the woman’s testimony were not “really saved”.  What we do see is that they matured in their faith the more they were exposed to Jesus.

If you are still borrowing someone else’s faith, I encourage you to deepen your relationship with Jesus by engaging Him on your own.  The gospel of John is a good place to start for that.

If you are a more mature believer, allow others to borrow your faith.  After all, that’s how we started out, right?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Unexpectedly interrupted, and it was good

I have plans.  You have plans.  We all have plans – for how we start our mornings, how we expect the day to generally progress, how we will spend time this coming weekend, how we will spend our money, and on and on and on.  We’re more protective of some of our plans than others…and we certainly don’t like it when our plans are interrupted.  But how many times have our plans been derailed, and we look back and say “Wow, I didn’t expect that good thing to happen.”

That is exactly what is about to happen to Jesus’ disciples. 

After the Samaritan woman accepted Jesus’ free-gift offer of living water and eternal life, she ran back into town to tell others that the Messiah had finally arrived.  Here’s what happened next:

John 4:39-42
Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.”  So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days.  Many more believed because of what He said.  And they told the woman. “We no longer believe because of what you said, since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

A two day stay was not part of the original travel itinerary.  They were traveling from Judea in the south to Galilee in the north, for most of the disciples, Galilee was home.  I’m sure they were looking forward to seeing family and friends.  When Jesus saw the Samaritans’ need for Him and their desire to hear more, He opted to change the disciples’ travel plans.  And look at what took place as a result: many more believed in Him because of what He said.

Those that heard Him speak over those two days either hadn’t heard the woman’s invitation to meet Jesus at the well, or they were too skeptical to join her and the others when they went back to meet Jesus at the well.  Jesus staying longer gave extra time for even more people to encounter Him.

Think of it, though, from the disciples’ perspective.  They stayed two more (totally unplanned and unscheduled) days with the Samaritans.  The disciples likely didn’t want to be there at all.  Samaritans were outsiders and sometimes enemies to Jewish society.  On their current journey, they were about halfway home.  How did their interactions go when they bought food in the town?  Were they rude?  Stuck up?  Condescending?  If so, what was it like when the shopkeepers arrived later with the woman to hear from Jesus?

There are lots of ways that we could apply our observations from this small section, but let me share a personal one:

A few months back, I was working on the outline for this study of John 4.  It was during my initial flight home from a 10 day work trip.  I was ready to get back to the USA, and I had planned to use at least the first leg of my journey to hammer out as much as I could for this study’s blog posts.  I did not know anyone around me and most were not Americans.  I thought it was the perfect time to shut out the world and do some focused work.  However, soon after takeoff, my plans were interrupted.  The woman next to me must have read some of what I was transferring from my notes to the Bible verses in my laptop’s outline text – she apologized for disturbing me and asked if I was a pastor.  I told her that I am a teacher and gave her a card for this blog.  She was very thankful and told me that growing closer to God was one of her goals for the year and that she’s always amazed at people that can teach from the Bible.  She quickly apologized again and said that she didn’t want to interrupt my work. 

Did I have some work to do?  Absolutely…a lot of work, in fact.  It was Wednesday, I did not have Thursday’s post complete.  I was up against a deadline to have the next day’s post ready for you, my regular readers.  However, taking care of her was more important in that moment.  She went on to tell me that she was flying home to brother’s funeral.  We talked about God and how He can handle our outbursts and frustrations when we don’t understand what’s happening in life.  We talked about our families and parenting boys into young men.  I encouraged her to reach out to me via the blog/website if she has any questions – I hope that she does.  But if I don’t hear from her again in this life (and as of this posting, I haven’t), we’ll have some catching up to do in eternity. 

Her needs at that moment were spiritual food for me, our conversation encouraged me to keep going…but talking with her certainly wasn’t on my To-Do list for the day.  However, Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well and His unexpected two day stay in Samaria shows us how important it is for us to flexible with our schedules – so we can do God’s work in the harvest fields when the opportunity arises.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

But I’m not Billy Graham

How many times have you listened to an evangelist, a preacher online, or even your local pastor…you hear them give the good news message of faith alone in Christ alone for eternal life and salvation from sin…and you see people, some times tons of people, respond?  While we celebrate that moment on the outside, can we admit to feeling a little bit of “well, that’ll never be me…I’m not that good of a Christian witness”.  We often – misguidedly – use the moment of a person’s belief as the measure of our usefulness to God.  We think we’re not a “good Christian” because we’re not out preaching in tents like Billy Graham.  But…what if…God doesn’t determine the value of our work for him by that measurement?

We’re dropping into the scene where Jesus has been schooling his disciples, telling them how the Samaritan outsiders often overlooked by the Jews were actually ready to receive His gift of eternal life:

John 4:35-38
“Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, and then comes the harvest’?  Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest.  The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.  For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’  I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”

Jesus’ point is pretty clear: Opportunity is here, right in front of you.

While that part is pretty easy to understand, the next phrase can make us scratch our heads.  The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together…what does that mean?

From The Grace NT Commentary:
Jesus now launches into a brief discussion of eternal rewards.  Anyone who does God’s work is receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life.  Pay (misthos) refers to eternal rewards, not eternal life.  The former is a free gift, the latter a payment for work done.  Gathering fruit for eternal life refers either to leading other people to faith in Christ (and hence to eternal life) or to laying up treasure for oneself, which will be useful in one’s eternal experience.  In light of 1 Cor 3:5-15 – which is surely based on the Lord’s teaching here – the latter interpretation is suggested.  However, possibly the Lord meant both things with the one expression.

I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor. – as the commentary mentioned, this is echoed in what Paul would write many years later:

1 Corinthians 3:5-8
What then is Apollos?  What is Paul?  They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who give the growth.  Now he who plants and he who waters are equal status, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

Paul planted, Apollos watered, God caused growth.  The disciples, too, were being prepared to reap what they hadn’t labored for…they hadn’t planted any seeds in Samaria, and yet, they were going to reap the benefits and see the results from other people’s labors.

Sometimes, we plant seeds…other times, we harvest what others have planted.  We should rejoice in both.  The work God has for us to do is a team effort. 

Although there is usually great celebration at harvest time and typically no fanfare when planting or watering occurs – in God’s economy, neither the sower nor the reaper is more important.  To God, neither one’s work is forgotten or has less worth than the other.  They are intimately connected in the process of bringing others to belief in Jesus for eternal life.  The one who reaps is benefiting from the one who sowed, for he is completing the sower’s work; however, both will rejoice together at the Judgment Seat of Christ.  Therefore, sowers must not think that their work is secondary to reaping, even if they see others experience more fruitful ministries as harvesters right now.  Both are essential in God’s plan.

As such, we have found a promise from Jesus for us to claim: There is a joyful reward for doing the work God gives you – whether you are planting, watering, or harvesting.  God will provide food to sustain us now, and eternal rewards will be given to us all later.

Keep Pressing,
Ken