Theologian C. H. Dodd described Jesus’ parables as stories that tease us into thought. They provoke us— shock us even—into deep soul-searching.
The first parable in Mark 4 is a good example. Jesus compared His preaching mission to a farmer sowing seed that fell on different types of soil. Jesus’ missional success depended not on His message (the “seed”), but on how receptive hearts were to receive it (the “soil”). He categorized His audience into four heart types:
• The hard heart, where the seed can’t penetrate (Mark 4:4,15). I once asked an author if he would ever consider Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. His reply was that there was nothing that would sway him from his religion. In this case, Jesus’ message couldn’t even get a hearing.
• The shallow heart, where initial faith is abandoned because of hardship (Mark 4:5-6,16-17). I knew a girl who needed to decide whether Jesus or her boyfriend would be her priority. She returned to her boyfriend, to the demise of her faith. Her faith wasn’t yet deep enough to face the costs of discipleship.
• The distracted heart, where the worries, riches, and pleasures of life compete for our attention (Mark 4:7,18-19). At one time, this was me. When I came to faith, my life changed but my old lifestyle of nightclubs and music vied for allegiance. I gave in and my faith began to wither.
• The attentive heart, where the message is received and pursued for life (Mark4:8,20). This heart produces a miraculous harvest of fruit!
Jesus invited His audience to wrestle with this parable and wring out its meaning (Mark 4:9). Failure to do so would prove there was little interest in Him and His forgiveness (Mark 4:12). Jesus’ invitation extends to us today. How open is our heart to His voice and message? How open is our heart to Him?
More:
Read Isaiah 53:1. It seems that God’s prophets have always had a hard time being heard. Read Revelation 3:20 to hear Jesus’ response to an open heart.
Next:
Which heart type would you use to describe yourself—hard, shallow, distracted, or attentive? How can you open your heart to Jesus today?
Tyla808 on January 13, 2011 at 4:00 am
What a good, timely word and a great break down of the lesson.
I think perhaps I have probably into 1 or more of these categories of faith in various life stages. Not “intentionally” but the cycle usually is…1. following Christ faithfully, 2. something happens, a stumbling block, 3. then a falling away from the faith not entirely but in some shape or form like obedience to the word, etc. 4. and then a crisis of belief occurs (a divine intervention) 5. and I begin to come back to the faith, full strength and head on…months or perhaps years pass and then the cycle begins again…yes, I would like to stop the cycle and I believe it probably has to do with “shallowness” –
When I come against extremely difficult situations and when I say extreme, I mean it. I don’t waver at losing a job or having bad financial straits, etc. I mean extreme in the sense that a combination of several bad things happening at once…like getting divorced, losing my home, my job and a family member all in the span of a couple of months.
When I come against things like that, my faith seems to waver and I take it upon myself to try and “fix” things. I get self-sufficient and I seek after worldly wisdom, hang around with worldly friends and yada, yada, yada…I’m far from where I should be spiritually. I often forget John 16:33 of God’s promise that I will have tribulation and even Job’s exclamation at his wife in Job 2:10 that questions should we only accept the good and not the bad?
In any event…I was blessed by your post and convicted about being of shallow heart…which I need to work out and seek a solution from the Lord about it. Faith is always much easier when you’re not the one going thru a situation, easy to pray for someone else to receive, easy to tell them to have patience and wait on the Lord…yes, much easier.
lindagma on January 13, 2011 at 7:56 am
Good comment Tyla…life happens, and being human, we grasp for answers in our own strength. But that is what growth is all about. Learning to let Him take over and finding new strength in our faith each time we do. The important thing is that we do come to Him, even a delayed reaction.
A comment about the use of parables. What is the best way to witness…with the stories of how God has been with us, worked out the details and been our strength. Pastors used examples in their messages…speakers, in any realm, use stories to bring home their point. Some will relate…some will not. But being the creatures that God made us to be…we love a good story.
eppistle on January 13, 2011 at 8:46 am
God speaks to us when we read His Word and hear it preached. But the Holy Spirit also speaks to us throughout the day. No matter how the Word comes to us we need to respond with sensitivity and submission. We need to be sensitive enough to hear what He’s trying to saying, but we need to also submit to what He says. This is the Spirit-filled life. Unfortunately, sometimes we don’t hear what He’s trying to say, and sometimes we hear it but refuse to obey. Let’s saturate our minds with His Word so that we can be sensitive and submissive to it.
AManofGod on January 13, 2011 at 2:28 pm
Thank you so much for this much needed and timely message! I too have been at various stages in my faith and now I am trying to progress from the “distracted” heart to the “attentive” heart.
Like you, Tyla808 I am confronted with multiple issues at the same time. You and I have so much in common. I am going through divorce issues, job loss issues, changing residence issues and all these things are occuring at once! I am trying to remain faithful and keep my eyes on God and His word for guidance….but my spirit AND my flesh are so weak sometimes.
Please pray for me ODJ family that my heart maintains and remains attentive to His word. And pray that I may remain strong and keep my faith in his word at this crucial time.
AManofGod
daisymarygoldr on January 13, 2011 at 3:28 pm
A highly heart-searching post! Especially, as I read the part about the attentive heart, where the message is received and pursued “for life”. To produce a bountiful harvest throughout my life, it is important that I maintain a heart that is always receptive to God’s Word.
My husband loves growing vegetables in our backyard. When the soil is soft and well-prepared the planted seeds yield a bountiful harvest of brightly colored beets and crunchy carrots. And it takes quite some laborious farming efforts on his part to keep the soil from getting dry and hardened due to some existing climatic conditions.
It is possible to have an attentive heart but I’m also aware that certain conditions like sin (Heb 3: 13) can harden the soil of my heart. The continuous watering of God’s Word keeps my heart moist and soft such that I am always open to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
I don’t want Jesus Christ- the Gardner, to give up on me if my life fails to be fruitful. And so, my heart’s prayer is for God to do whatever it takes to continually break and plow up the hard ground of my heart. That I may remain humble to hear and obey His word in order for my hear to be pliable and produce an abundant harvest of love (Hosea 10:12).
agentleanswer on January 16, 2011 at 6:43 pm
• The attentive heart, where the message is received and pursued for life (Mark4:8,20). This heart produces a miraculous harvest of fruit!
I love that!
We sure can get distracted and forget to prepare the soil!
Thanks for the reminder.
tcarr89 on September 15, 2011 at 9:41 pm
Trying to be attentive instead of distracted….