Luke 8:4-8
This new Rabbi seemed to be
a magnet for the crowds, where ever He went large crowds gathered, and Dr. Luke
shares with us that on this occasion it was a great crowd of people from town
after town. This new Rabbi had a name,
He was Jesus, the son of Mary, Jesus the Carpenter, and unlike the other Rabbis
of this time, Jesus spoke with authority, he healed the deaf, the blind, the
sick, the sinners, and raised the dead, all the other Rabbis were teachers of
the law and the prophets. Do you believe
the other Rabbis were excited about what Jesus was doing? If so, you are very wrong, they were envious
and looked for ways to find fault with both the message and the messenger.
When I played baseball, I
was competitive; I was competitive when it came to sandlot football, when I
checked groceries my buddy Gary and I always tried to be faster or better than
the other. And when I made sales my
profession, my only goal for the competition was to beat them as often as I
could. And now in my 70’s when it comes
to playing a game of Rummy-Q with my wife or friends I’m competitive, my goal
is to win!
But Jesus was never
competitive, do you recall John telling Jesus he saw a man casting out demons
in Jesus name and he tried to stop him because he was not following them, “But Jesus said, "Do
not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and
be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. "For he who
is not against us is for us.” (Mark
9:39-40) When it comes to kingdom minded
Christians there should never be competition, but there is and it’s not of the
Spirit but of the flesh. It matters not how
one spins it, the Church has one message, it’s grace through faith, it’s
forgiveness, it’s God paid your price and our redemption is Jesus on the cross,
and it’s for whosoever will receive His gift.
My sign on the Back Porch says, “Smile you Rascal, God knows all about
you, and He loves you anyway” and all who deliver that message to a dark and
messed-up world are on the same team.
Jesus told them this story, the Bible calls it a parable; “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along
the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And
some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no
moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked
it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these
things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke
8:5-8)
Do you take time as you teach,
preach, sit in the pew, in your study, or on the Back Porch, to ask the Father;
Father am I teachable, do I have ears that hear? Or am I a know it all, do I look at the new
guy, preacher, teacher, ministry as a competitor?
If you can’t wait to get the meaning
of this story, Jesus told the crowd, you can read ahead to verses 9-15 that gives
great understanding, and remember you are in good company, Jesus’ disciples had
to ask the meaning, they were like followers of Jesus who have not bought into
all that Jesus is. But like them, you
can ask for the Holy Spirit to remove your unbelief and fill you with all that
God desires you to have.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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