The Other Side of the Coin
And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables.” Mark 4:11
But – Jesus distinguished between those who were called and those who heard. The called ones were given the opportunity to peer into the mystery of the kingdom. The others had to take a different path. But before you congratulate yourself on your election to the first group, perhaps it would be worthwhile to consider just how difficult peering into the mystery of the kingdom really is. Once you realize this, you may appreciate the other side of the coin a bit more.
Mark uses the word de to contrast these two groups. It is a broad spectrum word, generally meaning “on the contrary” or “on the other hand.” As we know from Jesus’ quotation of Isaiah (the next verse), Jesus is telling His disciples that they will not have to follow the path of punishment in order to see redemption. They have been privileged to receive the mystery of the kingdom without the precondition of wrath. Does this mean that they proceed gently into the faith? Well, let’s take a look at the history to see what it means to be given this privilege.
The disciples spent three years in training – every day and every night with Jesus. They forfeited their previous career choices, gave up their family connections and subjected themselves to devotion to the Master – for three years. After all that time, they still didn’t get it! They had to experience massive disappointment, possible retribution, absolute humiliation, total re-evaluation and ego deflation before they understood the truth. And once they understood, things simply got worse. They were jailed, beaten, rejected, ridiculed and eventually killed. That is the path of the privileged. Now, aren’t you glad that you have been chosen?
If this is the path of the privileged, what is the path of those who are outside? Once again, we need only look at history. Isaiah and Jeremiah show us the other side of the coin. God moves in judgment. Many die. Many are exiled. The civilization that took God for granted is completely destroyed. Why? So that God can be avenged? No! God’s other path is always to bring about true repentance, to restore the original and intended covenant relationship. But this way requires those who are outside to experience the power of God’s punishment. This is a very hard way indeed.
If you thought that one way was easy, the other difficult, you were mistaken. There is no easy button (remember?). There is only the way of the silence of God or the way of the sacrifice of God. Both roads are exceedingly difficult, but I would rather walk the road side by side with the Christ who dies than try to travel the road where God seems absent. How about you?
