Mark 4:9-13
One
of the facts of life that sometimes feels uncomfortable these days is that we
are not all equal. We don’t all have the same physical, mental or emotional
strength. We don’t all grow up in homes with the same supportive, connected
adults. Our neighborhoods are not all equally safe. We don’t all have access to
the same food quality. We don’t have identical medical coverage. We don’t all
have the same opportunity to be exposed to great, music, art and literature. Our
educations are not identical. We aren’t all born with the same genetic
predispositions to illnesses. We are not equal, and there is very little we can
do about much of this.
Even
with universal healthcare, some can afford to pay extra for the best care. And
they do. Some pay for private schools, even when their tax dollars pay for the local
public school. Some can afford the time and money to eat home prepared meals.
Some must eat other options. Some people are brilliant at math and some at
social connections. Some excel at book learning and testing while others are
more hands on learners. We are not equal.
This
inequality gets played out in every aspect of life. It is all pervasive and
goes back in history to the time when there was one naked man and one naked
woman and no shame was present. Once they chose rebellion rather than
obedience, differences are amplified.
Jesus
has told everyone (verse 3) to listen carefully. Everyone has the responsibility
to do this. We can’t have casual relationship with the Truth. We are responsible
to pay attention to what is being said. Our ears must be willing to hear. Our
hearts must be ready to submit our beliefs to the Ultimate Authority. We are
not omniscient. We don’t have full knowledge. Humility requires us to acknowledge
this. Our perspective is limited. One final note: we are not the Final
Authority!
The
disciples take the opportunity when Jesus is alone with them, away from the
crowds, to get a better understanding of this parable and parables in general.
Only those who were closest received this insider explanation. The crowds did
not. Not everything is equal.
Jesus
quotes Isaiah the prophet in his response. In Isaiah’s day Israel had been
given many chances to listen to the Truth and respond in obedient submission to
the LORD’s will. The vast majority of them had rebelled, hardened their hearts
to the Truth, and continued to reject God’s continued calls to repentance and
reconciliation.
We
see this same resistance to the Truth in Jesus’ day. The religious leaders had consistently
rejected the Truth in favor of their lies. This rejection of Jesus hardened
their hearts.
There
is hardening of the heart happening today in our world, perhaps even in our
lives. The only way to combat it is to see, to hear and to turn. We must give
up our “all-knowing” position. If we find ourselves constantly pointing our
verbal fingers at other people’s beliefs, perhaps it is time to examine our
own. Our attitude reflects the attitude of our heart, either softened or
hardened. Bitterness is a sure sign of hardening of the heart, as is an angry
voice, written or spoken, toward those who disagree with us.