Category: Morning Musings

Morning Musing: Mark 4:30-32

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“And he said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to describe it? It’s like a mustard seed that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. And when sown, it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants, and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We love underdog stories. The greater the odds are stacked against the eventual winner, the more we cheer for them. Underdogs always start out small. That’s why they are underdogs. But the growth they show is always beyond what anyone might have suspected. Jesus says this is what the kingdom of God is like. Check this out with me.

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Morning Musing: Mark 4:24-25

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“And he said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure you use, it will be measured to you–and more will be added to you. For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

One of the cynical maxims that is so often true about this life is that the rich get richer. People who have wind up obtaining more. They use their advantages to gain even more advantages for themselves. Eventually your money starts making money for you all by itself. What we see here seems to be Jesus offering legitimacy to this idea. Well, He is. Just not in the way you think. Let’s talk about what He’s really saying.

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Morning Musing: Mark 4:21-23

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“He also said to them, ‘Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed? isn’t it to be put on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus famously describes His followers as the light of the world. In that context, He says that we are not to live such that our light is obscured, but rather to shine for all the world to see. That is, indeed, the purpose of light: to be seen. When we come to these couple of verses in Mark and see Him talking about not putting light under a basket as He did in Matthew, we’re tempted to think He’s talking about the same thing and move on. I’ve thought that before. Taking a closer look, though, reveals something else is in view. Let’s talk this morning about what that is.

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Morning Musing: Mark 4:2-3

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“He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them, ‘Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Every teacher has a style. And most teachers have a set of stories they tell over and over and over again. They’re stories they use to make the points they think are the most important to make because they convey the most critical truths they want to communicate. For Jesus, the style was parables, and Mark 4 contains some of the parables that He no doubt told in every little town, village, and hillside He visited. This is a parable we’ve looked at before together, but if Jesus told it a lot, it’s probably worth our time to look at it again.

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Morning Musing: Matthew 11:28-30

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“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
— ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭(CSB‬‬ – Read the chapter)

Have you ever been tired? Of course you have. What a silly question, right? I’m not talking about being just physically tired, though. I’m talking about being exhausted. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually wiped out. You know that when the sun rises you’ll be able to get up and drift through the day, but it’s going to be by sheer force of autopilot, not because you have anything in you to give to it. Have you ever been so weary, though, that you weren’t even sure you were going to be able to do that much? Jesus has a message for you.

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