Mark's great 4th chapter is about the power of the words of God, but also about discipleship about those who hear the word and live accordingly. In rhetorical flourish, Mark gives us this dramatic scene of Jesus asleep in a boat where his disciples are full of fear because of the storm they find themselves in. And yet, with a word, he calms it. And then rebukes his disciples. Why? Because true faith in the God who will bring us to the other side gives courage not timidity.

Growth in the Kingdom of God is a mystery. It seems at once both so entirely connected to us and what we do with what we have heard and at the same time utterly the work of God. Sometimes it seems as though we see it and sometimes it is elusive for years and years. Even so, the Kingdom is like a little mustard seed. Small, seemingly insignificant and Jesus tells us that it will grow beyond our wildest dreams!

The Parable of the Sower illustrates how different people respond to God's word through the metaphor of seeds falling on various types of soil. From the path where birds quickly devour the seed, to rocky ground where growth is shallow, to thorny areas where worldly concerns choke out growth, and finally to good soil where abundant fruit is produced. This foundational teaching reveals both the transformative power of God's word and the crucial importance of how we receive it. Understanding our own spiritual receptivity and actively cultivating good soil in our hearts is essential for genuine spiritual growth.

One of the Gospel of Mark's great themes is discpleship and suffering. What Mark often does is ask us if we are willing to take up our cross and follow Jesus, the one who came not to be served but to serve. Here, in chapter 3, Jesus appoints the 12 disciples, reconstituting Israel around himself. In doing so he is making a polical, social, economic, relational statement, claim - a claim that touches on all of one's life! - that he is Lord of all. So, we don't just come to him for what he can give us, but becuas he is Lord. Mark then gives us various responses: He's crazy, he's demonic, people are hardhearted against him and yet some will do the will of God and be his brothers and sisters and mothers. What will your response be?

What do we do with Sabbath? Well, so often it is used as a badge of honor, a way of sowing who is in and who is out. What it was always intended for was as a celebration and a reflection of God's good work of creation and recreation.

Sometimes, proximity brings greater animosity. Here in Mark 2 and 3 we have 5 stories in a row where Jesus engages in some conflict with the Scribes and Pharisees. They are near him and yet they don't see him for who he is. Rather, what they see is how he and his disciples live life in the wedding party and in the freedom of the Lord of the Sabbath. They can't stand that. And they are the religious folk. The truth is that this is a warning for us in the church who love our knowledge and love our rules and love our control. So often those things keep us from seeing and savoring Jesus.

Levi was sitting in his tax booth making sure people payed their taxes as Jesus traveled around teaching and healing. Levi could not leave that tax booth unless he was called to leave it. “Jesus, call me too!” It is all about the Caller – the one we are called to follow. And it is all about Matthew and you and me. It is not so much about who and what we were or even who we are. It is about who Jesus is calling us to become. “Jesus, call me too!” Call me to become the person you created me to be. The person who will live his life with you and spend eternity in your home.

One of the great stories of healing is the paralyzed man who is brought to Jesus by his friends through the roof. But what Jesus to that man, he says to all of us. "Your sins are forgiven, take up your bed and walk." This isn't just about a paralyzed man, though of course it is about that, this is about the heart of the good news for all of us. Guilt paralyzes, forgiveness makes us walk and makes us run. But forgiveness is so unbelievably hard. Which is why truly who can forgive sins but God alone.