The Gospel
of Mark, Chapter 4:21-29 October 21, 2017
This chapter
presents four responsibilities of God’s people:
Sowing:1–20, 30–34; Shining:21–25; Reaping:26–29; Trusting:35–41
The Purpose of the Parables
Mark 4:10-12 When he was
alone with the Twelve and those around him, they began to ask him about the
parables. (11) He told them, "The secret about the kingdom of God has been
given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables (12) so
that 'they may see clearly but not perceive, and they may hear clearly but not
understand, otherwise they might turn around and be forgiven.'"
Jesus is now privately explaining the
parables to the disciples. A parable is
just a reframe or looking at it differently, spoken by Jesus.
A Lamp Under a Bed or Basket
Mark 4:21 Also
He said to them, "Is a lamp
brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a
lampstand?
The Gospel, which is the lamp or light of the Lord,
although the light of the
gospel is rejected by the world, but it should be lit, if for no other reason than this,
that the wickedness of the world might be revealed.
As a hole, the Jews used lamps instead of candles.
These were set on, not a candlestick, but a light stand. A small clay vessel with a wick set in
olive oil, is the light that goes out. Like the
lamp, Jesus' teachings shows the motives of the human
heart and through Jesus teaching will reveal the hidden,
secret
things of individuals.
He
said to them: Is a lamp - As if he
had said, I explain these things to you, I give you this light, not to conceal,
but to impart it to others. And if I conceal anything from you now, it will
be revealed to you later.
Mark 4:22
For there is nothing hidden
which will not be revealed, nor has anything
been kept secret but that it should come to light.
Should come to ligh; any doctrine of the Gospel, or mystery of
the kingdom will be made known to His Body:
Luke 8:16-18 "No one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl
or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a lamp stand so that those who
come in will see the light. (17) There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is
nothing secret that will not become
known and come to light. (18) So pay
attention to how you listen, because to the one who has something, more
will be given. However, from the one who doesn't have, even what he thinks he
has will be taken away from him."
Matthew
10:26-27
"So never be afraid of them, because there is nothing hidden that will not
be revealed, and nothing secret that will not be made known. (27) What I tell
you in darkness you must speak in the daylight, and what is whispered in your
ear you must shout from the housetops.
Mark 4:23 If
anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
“...ears to hear, let him hear”: This phrase occurs seven times in addition to being the “closing
phrase” in Jesus’ letters
to 7 churches in Revelation 2 & 3.
Must be Important, so we need to take
heed what we hear.
Jesus
just told the disciples:
*Matthew 11:15 Let the person who has
ears listen!
Mark 4:24 Then
He said to them, "Take heed what
you hear. With the same measure you
use, it will be measured to you;
and to you who hear, more will be given.
We need pay attention, Jesus words are very
important for each of us.
Jesus was still explaining in private,
to His disciples.
Take heed what you hear: Warning, What we hear,
try to understand it, and
lay it up in your minds and memories, that we might use it in the
future, and be useful in communicating it to others,
knowing, we have the Holy Spirit and it will bring things to remembrance:
Measured to
you: a common proverb among the
Jews, used on various occasions, and to different purposes. Jesus is telling the disciples to
listen to what they have heard and to understand it, and spread
the Gospel to others, in return, a greater degree of spiritual knowledge, would be
given to them.
More will be
given: make a good use of what we hear
and more
and deeper understanding will be
given to us in the knowledge in the Words of Jesus and mysteries of the
Gospel.
Mark 4:25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not
have, even what he has will be taken away from him."
This instruction to us and to me especially is a very
scary verse to understand.
The basic
meaning seems to be, if we study Jesus Words, commands,
instruction, we
should increase more and more in the knowledge of the truth; but if
we neglect
the study of Jesus Words, then we will not remember what we have learn. The few things which he had learned will be forget, and we will not remember it. Church of God example.
Jesus will give us a small part of some Spiritual Truth and wants to see how we received it and what we do with it; that will determine the next step.
Matthew 13:11-12 He answered and said to them, "Because it has
been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them
it has not been given.
(12) For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have
abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from
him.
We are on trial to see what we will do with this
truth. Remember, Jesus Word is truth. If
we do not use it, we will lose what we have been given.
Whoever has: meaning we who has the Holy Spirit living in us,
will continue to learn and grow. Whoever
does not have the Holy Spirit
will lose even what little desire for God he or she seems to have.
More will be given: If we use it, we will be given
more Spiritual truths, if we do not use it, we will lose it and not be given
any more truths. This is what has happen
to many of our friends from past COG friendships.
Most
do not really remember about the Sabbath Day or Feast Days when they claim at
first, this new truth and said they proved it without any doubt. Talk to them now and they really do not
remember.
The word “hear” is used 13 times
in this
chapter and
refers to the receiving
of God’s truth into
the inner person, just the
way soil receives the seed. Not
a surface thing, an inside thing.
We must be careful
how we hear and use it.
*Luke
8:18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For
whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even
what he seems to have will be taken from him."
and what we hear, go back to verse 24
Mark 4:24 Then He said to them, "Take
heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you;
and to you who hear, more will be given.
For this determines what we have to share with others. Just think, how many notes have we taken over
our lives, just setting at home or have we shared with others.
We do not receive the Word so we can enjoy it by ourselves. We receive that we might share, just as a lamp gives
itself to provide
light for the house
Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the
world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. (15)
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand,
and it gives light to all who are in the house. (16)
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father in heaven.
We need to share what we
have learned. Not just put our notes
away on book shelves but share it with others.
We can take these principles and apply them in many ways without
sounding preachy to others.
There are two seas in
Israel. One is of abundance, the other
is of death. The Sea of Galilee is of
abundance, people, fishing brings life.
The Jordan River continues on down to the Dead Sea and the Dead Sea
continues to receive fresh water, and water has nowhere to go, but the sea is
dead. Christians are sometime like this,
we continue to receive and receive and receive and not allow it to go out from us
or share it.
New Parable
explained.
The Parable of the Seed Growing, Reaping
(only found in Mark)
Mark 4:26 And
He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,
We know from Matthew
*Matthew
22:14 because
many are (called) invited, but few are chosen."
To me, this is a mystery. The Lord sows and reaps in a manner unknown
to us. Why did the Father call one
person and not another. Some fail to
answer the calling or invite.
Remember, seed will fall
on different types of ground as we covered before, along the path, stony
ground, thorn bushes, and good soil.
In the
kingdom, we are laborers for and together with God; the
results of our work depend on him, and for the perfection of these results he
takes his own time. We cannot
speed it up in any way.
Isaiah 55:10-11 "For just as the rain
and snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the
earth, making it bring forth and sprout, yielding seed for the sower and bread
for eating, (11) so will my message be that goes out of my mouth--it won't
return to me empty. Instead, it will accomplish what I desire, and achieve the
purpose for which I sent it.
1 Peter 1:23-25 For you have been born again,
not by a seed that perishes but by one that cannot perish--by the living and
everlasting word of God. (24) For "All human life is like grass, and all
its glory is like a flower in the grass. The grass dries up and the flower drops
off, (25) but the word of the Lord lasts forever." Now this word is the
good news that was announced to you.
Scatter seed on the ground: The word of God, the
Gospel.
Mark 4:27 and should sleep by night and rise by day,
and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
After
the Father has finished sowing the seed, we are to wait patiently to see
the seed to grow, not doubting that the seed should spring forth, which grows both by day
and night. This shows
it takes a life time of growing in the Word until our end.
It is our
calling to work the ground with all diligence, and always, always,
give the success to God: for His mighty work in
individuals.
It
is interesting how the Holy Spirit works with one person who accepts the Truth
and grow and produces fruit and another person does not get it. Jesus will give time for the seed grow
and
come forth
Mark 4:28
For the earth yields crops by
itself: first the blade, then the
head, after that the full grain in the head.
Meaning,
we plant the seed, but God gives the growth.
We do not struggle to make it grow.
Individuals do not suddenly become mature saints. We have to
“Grow in grace.” It takes a life time. Spiritual Maturity comes in steps.
First the
blade. There is a law of orderly development in natural growth, so also is
it in reference to spiritual growth.
1 John 2:12-14 I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have
been forgiven on account of his name. (13) I am writing to you, fathers,
because you have known the one who has existed from the beginning. I am writing
to you, young people, because you have overcome the evil one. (14) I have
written to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have
written to you, fathers, because you have known the one who has existed from
the beginning. I have written to you, young people, because you are strong and
because God's word remains in you and you have overcome the evil one.
Some growths
are quicker than others, but in all there is growth. Some
5 times and some 10 times. The young
convert is the first appearance of the blade. We can see there is growth
and that
each stage of the growth is more apparent than the preceding stage. We all are going through this in our life.
First the blade - The green, tender shoot, that first starts out of the earth before the
stalk is formed.
Then the ear - The original means the stalk or spire of wheat or barley, as well as the
ear.
The full grain - The ripe wheat.
Mark 4:29 But when the grain ripens, immediately
he puts in the sickle, because the
harvest has come."
Sickle: drepanon drep'-an-on
means (to pluck); a
gathering hook (especially for
harvesting): -
sickle.
Grain Ripens: or ripe: Unto perfection, and is fully ripe; is brought to
maturity, and faith is performed with power, and the good works.
*Job 5:26 You shall come to the grave at a full age, As a
sheaf of grain ripens in its season.
Immediately he puts in the sickle; and cuts it down, and gathers it in;
When Jesus returns to the earth and the harvest starts: when all
the elect of God are called is brought to its perfection, and they have brought
forth all the fruit they were ordained to bear, and will be gathered by
Jesus.
What
we have to look forward towards.
2 Timothy
4:7-8 I
have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
(8) Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but
also to all who have loved His appearing.
This parable can be summarized in four words:
presents God's
kingdom in brief, from first sowing v. 26; 2nd
sleeping, v. 27; 3rd
growing, v. 28; and 4th final reaping, v. 29. All we can do is sow the seed; God alone can give the increase, sows and reaps in a manner
unknown to men. This is what the Apostle Paul explains.
*1
Corinthians 3:6-7 I planted, Apollos watered, but
God gave the increase. (7) So then neither he who plants is anything,
nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
Remember, we cannot make the seed grow; in fact, we do not fully understand how the seed grows. Our task as
Jesus Body is to sow the seed,
go about our lives, be examples and then be alert when the harvest is ready.
John 4:35-38 Do you not say, 'There are
still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you,
lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for
harvest! (36) And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers
fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. (37)
For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.' (38) I
sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and
you have entered into their labors."
Jesus statement simply reminds us that hard-working people need their rest. If workers do not take care of themselves, they cannot do the work God has called
them to do.
Mark 6:31 And He said to them
(apostles), "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a
while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
Mark 6:32 So they went away in a
boat to a deserted place by themselves.
Rest during the Feasts days throughout the year.
We will start with Mark 4:30, The Parable of the Mustard Seed
