Mark 4:9-13

9 And he said, “Let anyone having ears to hear listen!” 10 When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the illustrations. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything has to come in illustrations; 12 in order that ‘even though they may see, they still will not see, and may indeed hear, but not hear; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.'” 13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this illustration? Then how will you understand any of the illustrations?

bigger on the inside

If you follow modern science fiction, you have heard about the blue box that looks like a police call box, but which is actually bigger on the inside. It is so much bigger that people can live in it. From the outside, it looks ridiculous, but when you experience it from the inside, you cannot help but believe.

The kingdom of God is like that. Once you experience it for yourself, you are on the inside. The brief explanations you get from the illustrations about it in scripture are enough, because you do not need to be convinced that it exists. You are in it. But for those on the outside, all the technical explanations and details are still not enough.

No, the kingdom of God is not a time machine. It is another time. It is a future time where God reigns supreme over his universe, and all sin and evil has been eradicated. Those of us who know this secret can live life differently now. Our lives are bigger on the inside.

LORD, use us to bring our friends and neighbours inside, where life is bigger.