JOSEPH W. TKACH
PASTOR GENERAL

January 1988

Dear Friend:

Thank you for your question concerning Mark 4:11-12.

The popularly held concept is that in His day Jesus tried to save everyone and that He instructed His Church to do the same. It is widely assumed that whenever Jesus spoke in parables He did so to make His teachings more understandable to the multitudes who heard Him.

However, Jesus gave no such reason. When His disciples asked Him about one of His parables, He said, "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without (the unconverted masses), all these things are done in parables" (Mark 4:11).

Why? To make what He said easier to comprehend? No, just the opposite! He often used parables so that "seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them" (verse 12).

Often, when He employed parables, Jesus intentionally left the masses in their deception. He spoke in parables to cloud His message, not to make it easily understood. He Himself said so. Certainly, He told His Church to carry His message to all nations, but only as a witness (Matt. 24:14). Nowhere did He say that His true ministers are to try to convert the nations.

"For ye see your calling, brethren," Paul wrote to the Greeks in Corinth, "how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called" (I Cor. 1:26). Simply put, everyone on earth is not now able to come to God to be converted. Jesus declared, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44).

The Father of whom Jesus spoke has not been drawing the majority of people. This is obvious from the condition the world is in. Jesus pointed out that the majority of humanity is walking in the way of destruction and that now only a few are finding the way to eternal life (Matt. 7:13-14).

Although God is not calling every person now, by the time His plan is finished, everyone who has ever lived will have had the opportunity to understand and to accept or reject eternal life.

This is explained in more detail in the booklet IS GOD TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD NOW? We would be happy to send you a copy free upon your request.

Whenever we can assist you with your study of the Bible, we hope you will let us know. It is our pleasure to serve you.

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT