Some of the best known and most beloved stories are in Mark Chapter 4. For example: the mustard seed and the storm at sea. There are also some very hard saying of Jesus in Chapter 4, if we take the time to really reflect on what Jesus is saying. Take for example, verses 11-12: He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, "'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'" What do you do with a quote like that?
Now we know that Jesus taught in Parables and I have heard it said he did so, so that people would understand - we get stories, right? It applies truths to our lives, right? I don't know. He says here, they will see but not perceive, hear but not understand. Hmmm... What I do know is that Jesus taught in stories and once I was in Israel and seeing the places and the things that the stories referred to (subtly, in many cases) many of them suddenly made more sense. I feel like I finally "get it." But have you ever known someone or you yourself ever "gotten it?" It's like when someone finally gets a riddle or a puzzle they've been concentrating on and there's that sudden burst of energy and excitement. And there are times of faith like that as well. Sometimes we go through the motions. We pray, we read, we go to church, but then you see someone who gets it and there's life in them, vitality, faith, joy, something that can't necessarily be explained, but you know they get it. And that is exciting! But I digress...
The interesting thing is that sometimes all it takes is that small seed and God nurtures it until it blossoms. Mark 4 uses the image of seeds A LOT and while I'm not much of a gardener (or perhaps BECAUSE I'm not much of a gardener), it always amazes me what God grows out of such tiny seemingly insignificant things such as a seed planted in dirt. Take the mustard seed for example (Jesus did...). Those little black specks? Those are mustard seeds. Crazy, huh? Then below - that's a mustard plant. Yep. That one. The one crawling all up and over the building. That big old plant came from a few of those tiny black specs. Amazing! God is good. And God can and will do that with our faith as well.
So besides the seeds, Mark tells in chapter 4 about the sea. Actually it's a lake, but traditionally we call it a Sea. The Sea of Galilee.
We know the story of Jesus calming the sea. And we could probably tell our own stories of Jesus calming the storms in our lives, complete with our own lack of faith and our awe and amazement at God's ability to speak the storm into silence. I know I can. And all I can do is stand in awe and ask "Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey him?" I also find myself asking a second question "Who am I that God would care, that he would calm the storms that threaten to undo me?" The answer: He is God, Savior, Messiah, Redeemer and Friend. Who am I? God's child. You are too. Never forget that. Even when the storms come, you are the child of God and all Jesus, his son, our savior, has to do is speak and the wind and the waves obey. Praise be to God!
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