GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 4:17
Lithrotripsy
I recently had the unfortunate experience of a kidney stone attack. My body seems to want to produce these things as I’ve had others. A few decades ago, the treatment for kidney stone removal was surgery to remove the offending stone, requiring a long period of recuperation. Now there’s a procedure known as “lithotripsy,” in which sound waves or lasers are used to pulverize the stone, allowing it to pass out of the body.
When Jesus explained his parable of the sower, he said, “And these are those sown upon the rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately with joy they receive it. And they do not have root in themselves, but they are temporary; when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away.” (Mark 4:16-17) The word rendered “fall away” is skandalizo, cf., the English word “scandalize.” To Mark, the word meant to cause to stumble, to offend, to lead to sin, or in an absolute sense, to connote a loss of faith, especially in the face of temptation, tribulation, or persecution.
There are all kinds of rocks that prevent the seed, the Word, from maturing. I met a man who was raised in the church, but he was offended by a pastor and turned angrily away from the Father—a rock. Another man became an eager disciple, but he loved to use his boat and Sunday was his only free day. The boat became more important than his faith—a rock. A faithful woman met and dated a man who had no use for God, the faith, or the church. The relationship grew and led to marriage. She eventually gave up her faith—a rock.
It might be good if there were some type of spiritual “lithotripsy” that could pulverize spiritual stones that hinder the growth of the “seed,” but, alas, one doesn’t exist. The antidote is to remove the stones so the seed can grow.
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