Teacher (Who Is Jesus)

In this episode of the Avenue podcast, Nathan and Ephraim discuss the idea of Jesus being a teacher through the book of Mark chapter 4. They explore the parable of the sower and the lamp on the stand. Jesus used parables because they were relatable and made the big ideas of heaven and the kingdom of God easier to understand. The parable of the sower emphasizes the importance of good soil for spiritual growth. Jesus also explains that some people may hear his message but not truly understand it. He only explains the meaning of the parable to his disciples and those who are closer to him. Welcome to the Avenue podcast where we're passionate about unleashing your God-given potential through the life-transforming power of the gospel. I'm Nathan, a third-year exercise and sports science student. And I'm Ephraim, a second-year engineer. And in this episode we'll be discussing the idea of Jesus being a teacher through the book of Mark chapter 4 verses 1 to 34. I'll begin by reading the Bible text for today. Some of the seed fell on the footpath and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on the shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun. And since it didn't have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among the thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil and they sprouted, grew and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty and even a hundred times as much as it had been planted. Then he said, anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Later when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant. He replied, You are permitted to understand the secret of the kingdom of God because I use parables for everything I say to outsiders so that the scripture might be fulfilled. When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven. Then Jesus said to them, If you can't understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? The farmer plants seeds by taking God's word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they didn't have deep roots, they did not last long. They fall away as soon as they have had problems or are persecuted for believing in God's word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those or others who hear God's word. But all too quickly the message is crowded by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth and the desire of other things. So no fruit is produced. And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as they had been planted. Then Jesus asked them, Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not. A lamp is placed on a stand where its light will shine, for everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought into the light. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. Then he added, Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given, and you will receive even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. Jesus also said, The kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he is asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crop on its own. First the leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. As soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with his sickle, for the harvest time has come. Jesus said, How can I describe the kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants. It grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade. Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand. In fact, in his public ministry, he never taught without using parables, but afterwards, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them. But, for the sake of this podcast, we're just going to go through the parable of the sower, or the farmer, who scattered the seed, as well as the lamp on the stand. Ephraim, what do you think about the usage of parables throughout this whole passage? What do you reckon parables mean, or why did Jesus choose to use parables? Jesus used parables because it was something that was really common to the people at the time. There wasn't too much writing. They often had to go to synagogues, or the temple, to see the Bible. So, a lot of what they learned was through word of mouth. So, he used things that were common to the people, and what was relatable to them, especially like farming, and other skills. And then he drew on those as metaphors to make these really big ideas of heaven, and the kingdom of God, simpler and easier to understand for everybody. Yeah, I definitely see that. And, yeah, I like how you said that he used really relatable objects. For example, sowing seeds and farming was a very big part of the culture back then. And, yeah, when he explained these parables, it would have been more clear to the people who were listening what he was explaining, because he was using analogies that made sense to them. What were your first impressions about this passage, and the meaning of each of the symbols? So, yeah, the first one being that it fell on the footpath and the birds came and ate it. Yeah, that's a really interesting one, just because, yeah, it didn't even hit the soil. So, there was no even opportunity to grow. And, yeah, it sort of progresses further with the depthness of soil, and how soil is so important for the growth of people spiritually. So, then it fell on shallow soil, and, yeah, it sprouted quickly, but it was too shallow. Yeah, I really feel related to that one, because I think it just really speaks to our church sometimes, where we feel like we can go through spiritual highs, and we feel God in that moment. But when it comes to anything that might put pressure on us, such as the hot sun, or things like that, that can really just destroy our spiritual life. And I think Jesus has all categories sort of covered through these examples. Yeah, such as the thorns as well, which, yeah, which pretty much gets sucked up because thorns are too strong. And, yeah, he finally lands on this idea of the good soil, and pretty much emphasising this good soil by putting it last. And it kind of just allows the congregation or the people there to sort of come to their own conclusion, to realise that the good soil is what they need to be. Yeah, and I think Jesus puts us into the position of the farmer here, almost, where he's telling us to go and scatter our seeds. And he's not saying it's our fault for it landing on the footpath, or landing on the thorns, or landing on the rocky ground. He's just saying, go out and sow those seeds. And, yeah, even though he is a teacher, he's teaching us to teach as well, which I find really impressive, really important message for us. Yeah, progressing forward, we have verses 9-12, which kind of goes deeper into what parables might mean. Ephraim, what did you sort of get from that part? Yeah, so in 9-12, especially 12, Jesus is saying, when they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven. And at first, I was sort of like, whoa, Jesus, this doesn't seem fair. It's like, you want us not to find the answer so that we fail. But I think it's more about Jesus wants those who want him. You can hear something, but that doesn't mean that you were listening to it. I don't know, like if your parents ever tell you to do something, you heard them and you acknowledged them like, yeah, yeah. But you weren't listening because you don't know what it is they were actually wanting. But this particular part especially goes back to Isaiah 6, verse 9-10. It's a straight quote from there. And in Isaiah's case, God was giving Isaiah a message to warn the people about what was to come and the terrible things that were going to happen. But he tells Isaiah, look, even if you tell all the people this, they're not going to pay attention to you. They might see you shouting in the streets. They might hear what you're saying, but they don't want to listen. They don't want to hear what you have to say, ultimately. Yeah, I love that because I think it's just Jesus being that teacher and he's always telling us as people who are bearing his name and people who are going out trying to grow that kingdom, even though you're spreading this word, even though you're scattering these seeds, people might not understand even though they're hearing what you say. Or they might not actually see when you're saying. Yeah, it's interesting. When I go to lectures and things like that, sometimes I hear what's going on, but I don't understand. I don't take in anything. And that understanding and that taking in requires a bit of effort. Yeah, and Jesus is sort of teaching that in a way, in a really non-offensive way, not saying that, yeah, you guys aren't listening to me, you're not understanding to me. He's saying, no, you guys are hearing me, but you're not understanding. And he's leaving that up to them for them to decide, or perhaps I'm not responding in the way that I'm meant to in this case. Yeah, it's really interesting in this passage because Jesus actually explains the meaning of the parable, but he doesn't really explain it to everyone. Do you want to sort of go into that a little bit and why Jesus decides not to explain it to the congregation, but only explains it to his disciples and the people closer to him? Yeah, again, it's for those who want to hear the message and not to force a certain idea upon those who didn't want to hear a message. So those who really were struck by Jesus' teachings, they would be moved and they'd really want to know what it was. They'd be going home, thinking about it all night, discussing with friends, and searching for an answer, and eventually coming upon an answer. And that's what Jesus wants. He wants our faith to be challenging and exciting, and that's what good teachers do. They make what they learn exciting, and it makes us proactive learners as well. But for the disciples, I think Jesus was doing that so that we had a clear way all these years later to understand these messages through the disciples' writings. Yeah, I like it how Jesus isn't a spoon feeder as a teacher. He poses questions to them. He lets them think about it themselves. Teaching isn't about telling people what's right or wrong. It's allowing them to actually feed themselves, or giving them the option to feed themselves. So I think, yeah, it's really important as teachers, as Jesus is exemplifying this idea of being the teacher, that we don't feel the need to have to point things in black and white. Because I remember my favorite teachers were always the ones that challenged me, not the ones that always spoon-fed me the information, not the ones that wrote notes on the whiteboard for me to take down, but encouraged me to actually take the notes and actually understand what they were saying. Yeah, you said before, and we might have covered it up to this point, but in this passage, Jesus is teaching us how to teach. Do you think that we should be teaching in parables as well when we discuss these ideas? That's a really good question. Yeah, I'm not too sure, to be honest. I think, yeah, teaching in parables is obviously really important, but I think we sometimes just communicate in parables anyway. Sometimes just speaking into an analogy or just reflecting on past experiences allows us to understand the message better. If you think about sermons that go on, you hear pastors telling a bit of an anecdotal story about their childhood or something that went wrong for them. That usually is meant to play into explaining how Jesus is revealed in either that situation or in another situation. I think, yeah, we do that. I don't think in a direct way like Jesus did, but I think we do speak into that. What do you reckon about that? Do you reckon we should be teaching in parables as well today? Yeah, I think like you said, it kind of naturally happens anyway. The way we always make anecdotes and metaphors for anything, it just helps us understand it better ourselves and helps us convey our ideas better. So, I think it's not the worst thing to try and explain things in parables, but I think we, a lot of the time, do it anyway. Yeah, I love that. Let's just move on to the lamp on the stand. This is a really interesting passage and another parable that Jesus uses. Once again, the lamp is used as a common object and Jesus is trying to teach a message through that. Do you want to kick us off with any thoughts on that passage? Yeah, so this one Jesus doesn't really explain like a lot of his others. The sower and the seeds is a special case where Jesus explains. So, I'll just kick it off by saying what I think the meaning of each of these symbols is. So, I think the flame is us and the way we show Jesus to the world. The flame is our faith, to put it more concisely. And then the other main symbol in this is the bowl. So, those things that are keeping us hidden and what those might be, and it's different for everybody. Yeah, no, it's really good. And I think, once again, the message of this, if you guys are reading at home, it just cycles back to what we were talking about in the parable of the sower where Jesus is telling us not to keep our teachings quiet, but actually give it out to people. So, yeah, the lamp is not meant to be placed under a basket or under a bed. It's meant to be able for everyone to see it. And, yeah, that idea of God's Word being made available to all, and I think that's our calling as teachers of God's Word, that we are meant to, yeah, just show this lamp and have it be available to everyone. And, yeah, once again, in verse 24 it says, So, yeah, once again, Jesus saying, don't just hear what I'm saying, but listen to what I'm saying and understand it. And I think, yeah, that's, once again, Jesus' call for the people just to, sort of, yeah, take it in something deeper for them to reflect on further. Yeah, I think today many Christians are, sort of, reluctant to share their faith and afraid to say that they're Christian. But what's the use of a lamp if it's not giving light? There's a lot of people out there who say, in the dark, and by not sharing the light, or, sort of, depriving them of sight. So, I think that it's important that we identify what's keeping us from sharing our faith and teaching others, so that we can bring the love of God to everybody. Yeah, and I'll just wrap up with this one thought. And I think, yeah, when I think about the teachers that were my favourite in school, or the lecturers that I like in uni now, it's the ones who are passionate about what they're talking about. And, yeah, when the lamp is placed for everyone to see, people can see your passion, your passion for Jesus. And when we teach about Jesus, and when Jesus was teaching himself, there was a clear passion about what he was saying. And I pray that there's a similar passion in the way that we teach as well, whether it be in our pathway groups or whether it be in our different circles. And, yeah, people see that passion, and that understanding gets taken even more when people see that there's substance behind what you're saying. And what you're saying isn't simply just words, but you actually believe what you are saying. And I think that's really important. Thanks for joining us on this episode of the Avenue Podcast. We hope it adds value to your pathways group, discussion. Join us next week for another episode.