Scatter seed on rocky ground, allow the rain and sun to do their work and just watch the little plants burst into life. But for how long? Without a depth of soil, water will not be retained; the roots will not find enough resources to support the plant against the heat of the day, the cold nights or the storms. The climatic testing will be too much for the little thing; and the promising start will be shamed as the plant withers away.
The Gospel is very good news: the promise of receiving God’s love, total forgiveness and a home in heaven (John 10:28-29) is so attractive to many. These people may want to believe that God is there for them as an additional comfort to self-centred priorities and desires. They cannot fully commit to trusting Christ alone. Jesus said they are like ground covered by thorn bushes on the perimeter of a field (Luke 8:7). Seed scattered there will germinate and start to grow. But the dense undergrowth prevents the light getting in, and the seedlings die.
The agricultural parables of Jesus had economic implications - perhaps that is partly why they gained such an attentive audience. Good seed was expensive; sowing it, was literally throwing it away to be at the mercy of the soil and weather. So, it was especially important that most of the seed went into fertile ground. The financial return would only come after a good crop had been harvested, having survived attacks by rain, drought, cold and heat, as well as from pests and animals.
Why light a lamp or switch on a torch? The answer should be obvious: to see … to know where we are and to know which way to go on. But some people do not want to see. They prefer to live in the darkness, so that their actions cannot be seen (John 3:19-20). Spiritually, their choice reveals their character, and their non-relationship to Jesus who is the Light of the world (John 8:12). Truth illuminates our hearts and minds like light (Psalm 119:105). If we hide it from others, they cannot know what is good, and if we hide away from it ourselves or fail to
In most cultures, family relationships are extremely important. The people who know us best should be those who show the greatest love and loyalty, which is why dysfunctional family life is so painful when the family stops thinking and working together like a team. In today's account, Jesus was surrounded by His disciples and a crowd who had come to listen to His teaching. So many people were there. When His mother, Mary, and half-brothers (Matthew 13:55-56) came, they could not get through to see Him. They passed a message through the throng of people.
Live with Jesus, and anything might happen! The disciples had heard amazing teaching and witnessed astonishing miracles from Jesus. But, until now, they had not been in any personal peril. As trainee apostles they needed to learn the lesson that they would be safe in the greatest peril if they trusted Jesus. So, their Master intentionally led them into a crisis of personal survival to train them how to face danger.
Personal danger exposes our true belief-systems. Even though at least four of the disciples were experienced fishermen, used to the ferocious squalls on Lake Galilee, all of the disciples were scared that they might die. A fierce wind swept over the lake, heaping up the water which threatened to swamp and sink the boat (Luke 8:22-23). In their panic, they woke up the Son of God as though He did not know what was happening. Of course, He knew what the weather would be like for their lake crossing - it was to be an early test of their faith in Him: a test which they fa
A stormy boat trip had just taught the disciples that Jesus had divine authority over the forces of nature (Luke 8:22-25). Arriving at the rugged and unpopulated shore which had become a burial ground, the Twelve were with Jesus for His next appointment, and their next lesson in understanding Jesus’ identity as He took authority over demons. When they landed, the naked demonised man met them. He was unable to live near people, they could not control him and did not want him; demonically robbed of his dignity, community and sanity, he lived in isolation and slept among the
Some people think that God and the devil are equal and opposite forces, like opposing teams in a football match, where human beings are the ball. Not so! God has the supreme right to rule, and Satan can only operate by permission (Job 1:6-12). People are not the passive victims of a heavenly struggle, for they can and do choose who will be their master. Alas, Legion was taken prisoner by his own demonic ‘house-guests’ and was manipulated by them into unpredictable violence.
It is rare to see the raw power of evil. Jesus was about to free Legion from the many demons that had controlled and manipulated his life. Clearly, Jesus was now in charge. Instead of the poor tormented man being at the mercy of evil, it was the agents of Satan who implored Jesus not to torment them before their appointed time (Matthew 8:29). They were desperate to inhabit something and stay in control. Having commanded them to leave the man, Jesus allowed them to terrorise the pigs. The result was dramatic. Very visibly, as the man’s wild nature qu
