Gospel of Mark,
Chapter 4:1-20, Parable of Soils July 29, 2017
The chapter presents
four responsibilities of God’s people:
Sowing Mk 4:1–20, 30–34
Shining Mk 4:21–25
Reaping Mk 4:26–29
Trusting Mk 4:35–41
The Parable
of the Sower
Mark 4:1-20
(1) 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. (set the
setting)
This is the first
recorded teaching in parables and reports a number of parables not found
elsewhere.
Being in a boat
will give a separation of Jesus from the crowds. In our minds eye, we can visualize a very
large crowd on the beach and Jesus is in the boat. Water will carry His voice.
Mark now shifts the emphasis of his Gospel from Jesus' works to His
words. Both are important.
(2) Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
By parables: Why did He speak in “parables”? It is somewhat of a trick question, most
would say to make things clearer. It
turns out, it is just the opposite. So
the public would not understand, but His own people would. ?
Matthew 13:13 therefore I speak to them in parables, because
seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
We find that Jesus only spoke to the crowds
in parables.
Matthew 13:34-35 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables.
He did not tell them anything without using a parable. (35) This was to fulfill
what was declared by the prophet when he said, "I will open my mouth to
speak in parables. I will declare what has been hidden since the creation of
the world."
Mark introduced the word “parable” in Mark 3:23 and used it seven times in this chapter.
The word
parable means “to throw alongside.” From G3846; a symbolically fictitious narrative of common life.
Jesus used familiar images to help explain the spiritual truths in His message
about “the kingdom.”
He used this approach
so that He could arouse
the careless and instruct the concerned, and yet conceal
the truth from His enemies who would use it against
Him.
(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.
1st of
the soils, Hard ground.
These birds might surprise us what they
represents. There are 4 soils and this
is the first one, Makes it easy for the
birds.
The birds represents Satan and his demons, as
it turns out. We will find out in other
parables, birds represents Satan, who is of the air and we know is seeking who
he may devour.
Matthew 13:19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what
was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom
he may devour.
Ephesians 2:2 in which you once walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
The individuals in the verse have a hard
heart and Hard Heart resists the Word of God,
making it easy for Satan (the birds) to snatch
it away. Hard hearts must be plowed up before they can receive
the seed and this can be painful.
Hosea 10:12 Sow
for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the
LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
(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.
Stony ground, 2nd
of the 4 soils.
The Shallow Heart:
Stony ground”: Having no depth, nothing
can last without roots.
The emotional,
superficial hearer, not realizing the cost to be genuine.
Always chasing the next “experience.” Go from one experience to another, always looking for something better and
never putting in depth, in the Word itself.
This is one of the reason we are doing verse by verse, we would be
surprise how many do not want to do this with the Word of God. (1 church to
another
(7) And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up
and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
Among thorns is the 3rd of the 4
soils.
The Crowded Heart:
Among thorns: The one who does not truly repent
and remove the weeds: the worldly cares and the lust for things.
That describes many individuals we know and see around us and in the news. I think we all been there. We become so busy with other things, we do
not have or make time for the real important things.
The careful farmer is commanded to “break up the fallow
ground, and sow not
among thorns.”
Jeremiah 4:3 For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah
and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.
(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."
Good ground is the 4th of the soils
The Fruitful Heart:
Good ground: The
true believer evidenced
by a changed life.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have
become new.
Showing the fruit of the Spirit. If we have the Holy Spirit living in us, our
life should show some changes in what we do and how we think.
We notice the good ground bore fruit, not all
same, some more than others. Interesting.
Continued growth on yielding as the fruit grows.
This is part of
our rewards revealed in the Kingdom parables.
(9) And He said to them, "He
who has ears to hear, let him hear!"
Jesus just said,
observe, and take notice, this is very important to you.
That phrase turns
out to be a marker of some type. There are seven letter to seven churches that
closes with that phrase. We also have 7
other times in the Gospels. Do we have
ears, then it is for us, personally.
This is a key phrase with significance which might be dubbed
a
remez: which means, a hint of
something deeper.
Purpose of
the Parables – Jesus explains the meaning of the Parable
(10) But when He was alone, those around
Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.
The disciples are
not public now, they are alone and ask for an explanation. What does those parables mean. It appears others could be there.
(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, (mystery: there are 12
mysteries of the Kingdom of God)
If you are in the
kingdom, you will know what is going on, if outside the kingdom, will not know
the meaning. These saying are target to
His own that the Father has called to be His children. Mystery is truth God has or will reveal at
proper time. God has revealed about the
kingdom.
To you it has been given, . Why was it given to us? Because we are to bear fruit. To the unbelieving public, it was not given. Mystery is a secret.
(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.' (quote from)
Isaiah 6:8-10 Then I heard the voice of
the LORD as he was asking, "Whom will I send? Who will go for us?"
"Here I am!" I replied. "Send me." (9) "Go!" he
responded. "Tell this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' (10) Dull the mind of this people, deafen
their ears, and blind their eyes. By doing so, they won't see with their eyes,
hear with their ears, understand with their minds, turn back, and be
healed."
Isaiah 6:9-10 And He said, "Go, and tell this
people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not
perceive.'
(10) "Make the heart of
this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with
their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And
return and be healed."
It is a sense of
abandonment, one of the judgment of God
(13) And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How
then will you understand all the parables?
Strong words said to
disciples. What do you think. I can sort of understand why many of His
disciples leave him later.
(14) The sower sows the word.
Jesus’ interpretation: the seed = the Word.
These idioms are consistent within the seven parables, from parable to parable.
The symbolism
does not change. Meaning, when the Holy Spirit
adopts a meaning, it uses it consistency.
(15) And these are the ones by the
wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Remember, in the
parable, it was the birds that takes away the seeds, casual and accidental
hear, Jesus explains it was Satan that takes the seeds. “...Satan”: The birds are the ministers of Satan.
Interesting, when Jesus
was giving this parable, Judas
must have been standing right
there during this presentation.
There are always
birds (false teacher) in the branches
(pulpit) of the church:
Example: Satan’s ministers boldly invaded
the Corinthian church.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15 Such people are false apostles, dishonest
workers who are masquerading as apostles of the Messiah. (14)
And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. (15)
So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as servants of
righteousness. Their doom will match their deeds!
The bigger the net, the greater the possibility of catching both good and bad fish.
Matthew 13:47-50 "Again, the kingdom from heaven is
like a large net thrown into the sea that gathered all kinds of fish. (48)
When it was full, the fishermen hauled it ashore. Then they sat down,
sorted the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away. (49)
That is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out,
cull out the evil people from among the righteous ones, (50)
and will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be
wailing and gnashing of teeth."
(16) These likewise are the ones
sown on stony ground who, when they
hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
(17) and they have no root in themselves, and so endure
only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation
or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble (or fall away).
“...stony ground”: Impulsive hearers without
roots. They receive Christ's message but whose commitment is
superficial. We need to really dig into the Word of God. People ask, are you a Christian and you are
afraid to answer. Right now, there are a
war against those who Believe in Jesus.
(18) Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, (19)
and the cares of this world,
the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes
unfruitful.
There are many of
us like that, we hear it, then the cares of the world chokes the Word. The pressure of career, family, sports,
activities,
Choke the
word: loses priority, producing a deadly
spiritual apathy.
(20) But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the
word, accept it, and bear fruit:
some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." (These are the rewards for us in the future
when Jesus returns)
The good ground represents the prepared heart that receives
the seed and produces a harvest in varying degrees: “fruit . . . more fruit . . . much
fruit...”
Jesus emphasizes to us, to hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit.
Parable: The Four soils; four different
results; four different hearts:
The Hard Heart: resists the Word of God, making it easy for Satan (the birds)
to snatch it away. Hard hearts must be plowed
up before they can receive
the seed and this can be painful.
Briefly:
The devil snatches
the seed from hard hearts;
The Shallow Heart: Having no depth, nothing
can last without roots. The emotional hearer, not realizing the cost to be genuine. Always chasing
the next “experience, next church, next something.”
Briefly:
The flesh produces a temporary response
in shallow hearts;
The Crowded Heart: The
one who does not truly repent and remove the weeds: the worldly cares and the lust for things. Questions of priority in life. Satan is causing us to be totally busy all
the time, hard to sit back and relax and mediate on what is important in our
lives.
Briefly:
The world smothers the growth
and prevents a harvest in crowded
hearts.
The Fruitful Heart: The true believer
evidenced by a changed life.
Each of the first three represents a different enemy:
These are the great three: the world, the devil, and the flesh
Ephesians 2:1-3 You used to be dead because of your
offenses and sins, (2) that you once practiced as you lived
according to the (# 1) ways of this
present world and (#2) according to
the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those
who are disobedient. (3) Indeed, all of us once behaved like them in
the (3) lusts of our flesh,
fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we were destined for
wrath, just like everyone else.
As we sow the
seed in our preaching, teaching, and witnessing, we must not become discouraged
Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good,
for in due season we shall reap if we do
not lose heart.
These parables show why we need to meet with
others of like mind to encourage one another.
Hebrews 3:12-14 See to it, my brothers, that no evil,
unbelieving heart is found in any of you, as shown by your turning away from
the living God. (13) Instead, continue
to encourage one another every day, as long as it is called
"Today," so that none of you may
be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin,
(14) because we are the Messiah's
partners only if we hold on to our original confidence to the end.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 So then, encourage one another and build
each other up, as you are doing.
Who is the “Sower”? Jesus, of course. But Jesus also sends us
John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to
you! As the Father has sent Me, I also
send you."
We need to sow abundantly: How many times have we heard this.
2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows
sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
We will stop here
and pick up verse 21 next time.
