Stories Jesus Told:

How to Read a Parable

by Greg Carey

Mondays, 9:30 - 10:30 am  @ Sharon UMC

Date	Chapter/Scripture	Notes
September 23	Divine Inefficiencies Mark 4:1-20         Seeds and Soil
September 30	Funny Business Matthew 20: 1-16     Laborers and Wages
October 7	**********	Shared Ministries Meeting
October 14	Weddings Gone Awry Matthew 22:1-14 & Matthew 25:1-13      Wedding Banquet &            Wise and Foolish Bridesmaids
October 21	Lawyers and Samaritans Luke 10:25-37       Good Samaritan
October 28	Losing, Finding, Partying Luke 15:1-32      Prodigal Son
November 4	**********	Shared  Ministries Meeting
November 11	A Reversal of Fortune Luke 16:19-31      The Rich Man in Hell
November 18		Extra “snow day”

September 23, 2019
Lesson 1: Divine Inefficiencies                        

          Mark 4:1-20, Seeds and Soil

1. Greetings, 

2. Opening Prayer:  O Lord, we long to know what you want to teach us.  Our hearts and mind are open to your truth.  Instruct us, challenge us, surprise us, delight us as we come before your work today.

3.  Read Mark 4:1-20  The Parable of the Sower.

            Seed (Word of God) falls on four kinds of ground

                        Hard Ground: People don’t hear

                        Rocky Ground: People hear, start, 
                                                    ideas/practices don’t take root

                        Thorns: People hear, maybe start, but too many pressures

                        Good Soil:  Word of God can flourish

4. Discussion:  verses 1-3

            1. (Place)  What is the setting?

                        Bay next to a village.  
                        Jesus uses the boat to amplify the sound of his voice.

            2. (People/Audience)  Who do you think the people in crowd are?

                        Regular villagers and local farmers.  
                        Probably some Rabbis and scribes.  
                       There would be a variety of people 
                               with a variety of education

            3.  Why does Jesus use a farmer?

                        Profession that every one would know about

What is a Parable: Type of Allegory – symbolic story.  American flag is an allegory:  13 stripes= 13 colonies; Red, white, and blue = British Heritage; Stars = number of states.

            Jesus spoke in parables: 
                    1. Easier to listen to a story than a lecture.

                    2. Used common items in parables that people could relate to.

 We all relate to our experiences.

       Different levels of Experiences

           You – Family – Friends – Acquaintances – Media – Country & Culture.

       Jesus starts by spreading the word of God in the world. 
                    But each level has its difficult or good conditions.

Verses 4-12:

            Why does Jesus say, “anyone who had ears, listen?”  What do you think he means.  

            The scene changes:  What is the difference between the Disciples and those outside?

Listening & Understanding

Not Listening/Not Understanding

Parable help us to become interested in what is being said because it is a story not a lecture. Hearing:  basic level,       |               might be distracted      | Listening: more engaged      |            Ask questions      |             Talk and share ideas       |                    with others      |              Relate/equate       |                     with your life Understanding      | Doing/Action

Jesus is preparing the disciples for disappointment.  They are going to go out and not every one will be receptive to Jesus’ message. Some people only want entertainment. Don’t take the time to think about what they hear.

Food for thought:  Five Practices of a Christian/Congregation

            How do the different types of soil and the obstacles to spreading God’s word affect the five practices of ministry? 

            1.  The Path      2. Rocky Ground      3. Thorns       4. Good Soil

                        We didn’t get to all of these but here are some ideas and examples 

                                    that we talked about.

Practice	Individual	Congregation
Hospitality	Good Soil: Try to understand people.	Hard Path: Don’t accept people who are different.
Worship		Hard Path:  Never change anything  in worship. Good Soil:  Be open to experiment.  If is doesn’t work that’s okay.
Faith Development	Personal practices;  Sometimes you start a spiritual practice and your too busy, or it doesn’t work for you.  But sometimes you try something and it really helps.
Mission & Service		Hard Soil:  Saying, “We’ve never done this before.” Thorns:  Sometimes the mission works but then has problems and you need to stop and do something else.
Generosity