When your teacher says "Get this part or you'll be lost in this class for the rest of the semester!" it made you sit up and take notice. This week in the Jesus Class we tripped over one of those passages in our manuscript.

Mark has been writing down everything Jesus is saying. At a feverish pace. Then suddenly the narrative stops and he gives us Jesus' first recorded sermon. Jesus had been performing miracles, teaching in the synagogues, healing and casting out demons! He was building a monumental following. So what was the first sermon Mark, Jesus' biographer actually posts for us? The parable of the soils (Mark's gospel, chapter 4).

This parable, and what Jesus is saying with it is so important that he gives us the impression if you understand it....you'll understand the rest of what he's got to say. Note to self: If I don't get this, I'm a bigger loser than I ever imagined!

This took the Jesus Class to the edge of our seat as we struggled with what Jesus says about the kingdom. The kingdom of God is tied up in a secret. And the secret is being revealed...but only to those who really want to get it. It's clearly audible to everyone! But not everyone gets it.

So, my question reader, is this: Do you know what the secret of the kingdom is and why a bunch of seeds is a fitting illustration of it? If you don't understand THIS image of the kingdom, you won't understand the rest. It's just that simple!

Labels: parable, Secret of the Kingdom, seed, soils, The Word