In Mark 4:1-20 Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a farmer who sows seed in his field. Some of the seed lands on the path, or among the rocks or in the middle of the weeds - and none of this seed produces a crop. But the seed that lands on the good soil produces a great harvest.
A parable is a story with a point - but quite often the point is not obvious - which in a sense is the point of the point! In this chapter Jesus tells his disciples that the reason he uses parables is so that although people hear and see what Jesus is saying and doing they won't understand or respond. Which seems a bit harsh.
But this is one of the things that separates 'the disciples' from 'the crowd'. The crowd are a bunch of spectators who like what hear and see but who don't really want to think about it too much and who certainly don't want these things to have an impact on the way they live their lives.
The disciples on the other hand know that a parable is a story with a point - and that it is a good idea to know what that point is, and to then apply it to your own life, and then to be obedient. It's just that they don't always understand the point. So they ask Jesus to explain it.
When a disciple reads the Bible, or one of the parables, we read it from a perspective of this is the word of God, therefore I believe that it will apply to my life - and through prayer, we ask the Holy Spirit to help us understand and apply the word of God. We also realise that the best course of action is to obey God in everything we do. But this process of reading, understanding, applying and obeying is not quick or easy. It takes time. It takes effort. It can be costly and painful. But that's the difference between the crowd and a disciple. The crowd enjoy the story. The disciple wrestles with it until she or he hears from God.
