Lesson 10 God’s Purpose for Alone Time
Question 3
Jesus communicated by way of parables. Parables are stories with a spiritual meaning. They are like riddles that illustrate a point.
An example would be when Jesus taught about a farmer who sowed seeds into the ground, and there were four different types of soil. Much of the soil didn’t produce lasting fruit, only one type of soil was productive (Mark 4:1-12). This is a parable, somewhat like a riddle, and it’s like you have to have a “key” to understand what He is saying.
In this case, Jesus meant that He came to give us the gospel (the seed He sowed when He died and was buried), but that many people would not receive His message. Only those who wanted to change would receive Him and produce good fruit in their lives (Mark 4:12).
Another parable Jesus told was that His work in this world was like a Mustard Seed, which is the smallest of all seeds, but when planted it grows and becomes one of the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that birds can perch in its shade (Mark 4:30-32). What did Jesus mean by this?
He meant that His work, His kingdom in this world started small, it was hardly noticeable. Jesus was born in a manger in a small town and He grew up to become the son of a carpenter. He lived a perfect life and did a lot of miracles, but then He was killed at age 33.
But though it started small, His life had an enormous impact on this world! His kingdom has grown and filled the whole earth, reaching people in every country with the message of forgiveness and eternal life through His death and resurrection.
And so this is the way Jesus talked. He gave stories, parables, riddles, things that people couldn’t understand unless they had the “key.”
Question 3. According to Mark 4:34, when did Jesus explain these parables to His followers?
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