Jesus has had a busy day. He has spoken to the Pharisees and teachers of the law, rebuking them sharply for their glib demand for yet another sign. As the crowd gathered, He used the opportunity to teach all within earshot. Much has transpired so far. But the day isn’t over.
“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables.”
The pressure of the crowd is intense, so great that His own mother and brothers cannot get close enough to speak to Him. He goes out of the house and sits by the lake. The crowd just moves with Him. They are insatiable. They want to hear more from the prophet. The crowd grows. Although the Pharisees and teachers of the law (the religious leaders of the day) do not recognize Him as more than a mere rabbi, the people do. They know that there is no one like Jesus, and they are determined to get all they can from Him while He is in their community.
Jesus does not rebuke them for that, nor does He send them away. Instead, He purposefully sets off in a boat so that His voice can bounce off the water and be clearly heard by all. Then He tells them “many things”, but He does not use the same form of speech He used with the crowd inside the house, or the logic He used with the Pharisees. This time He uses parables. He finds and teaches an illustration instead of the plain fact, knowing that what they’ve come to hear is not academic theology, but pragmatic principle.
Ministry – like everything in life – has a season. The Spirit of God moves and draws people, and it is right then that we either co-operate with the Spirit and take advantage of the season, or we don’t. It is that simple. We cannot manipulate the Spirit, and we cannot generate the season. These are works of God. Our role as His disciples is to recognize the season we are in, and to co-operate with the Spirit in that season to minister to the people He has sent to us.
Some seasons the Lord will send you people who want theological argument. Some seasons the Lord will send you people who need straightforward spiritual truth. Some seasons the Lord will send you vast crowds who are not able to consume either – they must be given simple principles in illustration form, or they won’t be bettered at all. Sometimes you will have – as Jesus did this day – all three seasons in the same day.
What we need to do is realize the opportunity before us and adjust our ministry style to suit. The proficient disciple will have many styles to teach truth to various kinds of people.
Amen.
Whether you preach or teach, facilitate or direct, consult or coach and how you present that content most effectively is always a matter of who your audience is and their state of mind in that moment.
Marcus Verbrugge
APPLICATION: Intentionality
Only the Holy Spirit can truly prepare us to speak to any group or individual, because only the Holy Spirit truly knows their state of mind, and only the Holy Spirit can rightly influence our words and the way we say them.