ESOCS Devotional 26 July 2025 – The Mysteries of the Kingdom
MEMORY VERSE: “You have been given the secret of the kingdom of God, Jesus answered; But the others, who are on the outside, hear all things by means of parables.” Mark 4:11 GNB
TEXT: MARK 4:1-12
And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that
‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”
Read Other ESOCS Devotional Here
Who actually is Jesus? In John 1:1-3, we understand Him to be God, God’s Word, and the Creator of the entire Universe (Colossians 1:1-16). In Isaiah 9:6, we know Him as Counsellor, The Mighty God, and Prince of Peace. Generally, and also scripturally speaking, He is the Messiah, God’s Son, the Christ, who came to give His life as ransom for sinful humanity (Mark 10:45).
But in all, only through the overall perspectives of His life on earth, including His lifestyle, His death, resurrection and ascension can we really understand and acknowledge Him for who He truly is. It follows therefore that, we in turn, as believers, must give Him prominent place or position in our hearts.
Ironically, a world of mystery surrounded Jesus throughout His life on earth. This was in part, due to His own insistence that His identity should not be revealed (Matthew 16:20); and, in the main, due to human failure or inability to really understand Him. The people of His day kept wondering who He was and why He did things the way He did.
This confusion was made worse by His choice of teaching mostly in parables, (Matthew 5:3-11; Mark 4:3-9). Jesus employed parables regularly to explain the mysteries of the Kingdom to His disciples, but concealed His teachings to unbelievers. For instance, He used parables to disclose the mysteries of the kingdom, such as: what it is; who belongs to it, and how to live as a member of the kingdom, even here on earth. Through parables, He also explained how God’s Kingdom will come in all power and might.
Child of God, open your mind to the scriptures, so you can understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. Be not like the fools described by Prophet Isaiah – who see, but cannot perceive; who also hear but cannot understand. Time is running out (Isaiah 6:9; Matthew 13:13-15).
CHALLENGES
- Only those who turn to the Lord with open heart can understand the mysteries of the Kingdom. Take heed to yourself.
PRAYER POINT
- Lord Jesus, give me the grace to follow.
FURTHER READING: Amos 5:18-27; Amos 6:1-14, Mark 4:13-23.
ESOCS Devotional 26 July 2025
