Stories Behind The Stories

¹⁰When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹²so that, " 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'

Mark 4:10-12 NIV

Jesus most often taught in parables. Personally, I really like parables. I like how it all comes together when you finally understand it. I like that "ah-hah" factor. I like taking something I am familiar with and finding a deeper meaning in it.

This verse says that the "secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you". Is that similar to the "secret of life" that we are always asking about? The Bible says:

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."  (Matthew 6: 33-34)

I think that, if there is a "secret", then it is to simply seek Godly things first. However, I truly think there are not meant to be any secrets. What I personally believe is that God has put all of our answers out there and made them available to us. They sit there for anyone who is willing to seek them. When I first read the above verses, I wondered, "Did Jesus not want those people to hear?" After thought and prayer, I believe it isn't that He didn't want them to understand what He was saying. He simply wanted them to want it for themselves badly enough to seek after it. If He had put everything in the Bible as a "do this" and "don't do that", then one could simply pick up the list, follow the directions, and find their salvation. They wouldn't need to have a desire to do this.  They wouldn't need to love the Lord, and they wouldn't need to change themselves at all. They would only need to follow some steps. That is why they shouldn't be able to simply "turn and be forgiven".

The things in the kingdom are simple if we let them be. It is we that make them complicated. When we try to line the Bible up with the world rather than vice-versa, that is when things don't make sense. The Bible was never meant to line up with the world. The kingdom is most unlike the world. When we can start thinking along the lines of heavenly things rather than earthly things, that is when the Bible starts to make much more sense.

Jesus presented parables so that those who truly wanted to learn could learn. Those who didn't have a true desire would simply state it was too complicated and walk away. Which kind of person are you? It's up to you to decide to seek the kingdom first in your life. We are freely given a choice in this life for all we do. Do you choose to make the effort? Or, do you choose to walk on by?