Mark 4:1-20
Mark 4:1
Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.
From Matthew 13, we learn that this event occurred on the same day as the previous passage, in which He discusses His family.
This is one of the three major teaching blocks in the Gospel of Mark (chapters 9–10 & 13).
In chapter 3, He’s by the lake healing and casting demons. In chapter 4, He’s teaching and preaching.
This time, the crowd is even larger, so much so that Jesus is on the boat the whole time.
Jesus, through this parable, explains how there’s so much opposition to His ministry even though He is the Messiah.
Mark 4:2–9
He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
What is a parable?
“An earthly story with a heavenly meaning” is the simple explanation.
The Greek word παραβολή originally refers to a placing of things side by side, and metaphorically means a comparison or likeness between things.
Taking one thing (an earthly concept/practice), putting it next to another thing (a heavenly truth/doctrine), and comparing them.
Jesus takes a familiar image for his hearers, a farmer. Though they are all familiar with how the land works, they are also familiar with the pain that comes with it. 90% of his hearers were farmers. They suffered from heavy taxation. Roughly 25% to 30% of their income went to Roman taxes, leaving them little to no profit.
The farmer goes out to sow his seed, scattering it. The seed falls on four places: along the path, rocky places, among the thorns, and good soil.
And then, the good soil multiplied 30, 60, 100 times.
Pretty simple, straightforward story. But what does it mean?
Lenski:
The implication is that this simple narrative about the fate of the seed has a hidden meaning, and that if one applies his ears aright he will find that meaning, whereas if one has no ears, i. e., his ears refuse to function aright, he will only be mystified. This call to hear corresponds to the briefer call ἀκούετε occurring in v. 3.
Mark 4:10–12
When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
Jesus gives his listeners time to process the parable on their own, but they couldn’t figure it out. So, the disciples (and the others close to Him) come to Him asking for an explanation.
Then Jesus explains to them that they have been given the mystery of the Kingdom, but not those outside…
Mystery, not secret!
Lenski:
“The mystery of the kingdom of God” is the sum of the blessed realities of the divine rule of grace and of glory. This is a “mystery” because by their own nature and ability men are wholly unable to discover and to know any part of it. If a man is to be enlightened in regard to this mystery, it must be done by means of a divine gift, which means divine revelation plus the faith which receives that revelation.
Now, Jesus says that those who have not been given the gift, parables are used “in order that” they may see but not perceive, hear but not understand, lest they turn and be forgiven. What does this mean?
Remember, this parable is used by Jesus to explain why there is so much opposition to His ministry. Recall Mark 3:28–30.
We understand this passage to mean that because people see (Pharisees look at what Jesus’ ministry is doing), yet not perceive (don’t understand that the Kingdom of God has arrived); people hear (Jesus preach the gospel) yet not understand (that the Kingdom is for all); then God grants them what they wish for: to not be forgiven and brought into the kingdom.
For more on this, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJQ3S23IOPI
Mark 4:13–17
Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.”
Now, Jesus turns to His disciples and explains to them the parable.
Understanding this parable allows us to understand the rest of the parables in this section.
The farmer sows the Word. Seed = Word. Matt. 13:19 expands it even more by saying “The Word of the Kingdom.” (Recall Mark 1:15)
Who is the farmer? Jesus doesn’t answer that, but He implies that it is Him.
1. Those along the path
Hear the Word, but Satan comes and takes away what was sown.
Lenski:
“At one time he tells a man that the Word which disturbs his conscience is a mere exaggeration, sin is not so deadly, God cannot have wrath, we must not allow our enlightened minds to be moved by such outworn notions; again he tells him that the Word is so uncertain that there is no uncontested fact in it, and no up-to-date man believes such things; then that the preachers themselves do not really believe what they say, that they preach only in order to make an easy living and are really hypocrites as their own actions often show. Numberless are these birds by which Satan operates. This, then, is the first group: hearers of the Word who have, indeed, heard it but promptly lose it again. That this is due to Satan’s work Jesus declares to be a fact, and it should serve as a mighty warning to every hearer.”
Irenaeus:
While we are sleeping, the enemy is sowing weeds. This is why the Lord commanded his disciples to be always on the outlook. Those who are not actively bringing forth fruits of righteousness are quickly covered over and lost among the brambles. Yet if they exercise diligence and receive the word of God as a graft into themselves, they may again recover the pristine nature of humanity, created after the image and likeness of God.14 Against Heresies 5.10.1.
2. Those sown on rocky ground
Hear the Word, receive it with joy, endure for a while, tribulation arises, then they fall.
From the beginning, they do not have roots! Since they have no roots, they cannot grow.
Mark 4:18–20
“Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
3. Seeds among thorns
Hear the Word, but the worries of life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things choke the Word.
Evagrius:
Allow the Spirit of God to dwell within you; then in his love he will come and make a habitation with you; he will reside in you and live in you. If your heart is pure you will see him and he will sow in you the good seed of reflection upon his actions and wonder at his majesty. This will happen if you take the trouble to weed out from your soul the undergrowth of sporadic desires, along with the thorns and tares of bad habits.
Chrysostom:
When the Word is choked, it is not merely due to the thorns as such, but to the negligence of those allowing them to spring up. There is a way, if there is a will, to hinder evil growth and use wealth appropriately. For this reason he warned not of “the world” but of the “care of the world”; not “riches” as such but “the deceitfulness of riches.” Let us not place the blame on what we possess, but on our own corrupt mind. For it is possible to be rich and not be deceived. It is possible to be in this world, and not be choked with its cares. For indeed riches have two contrary disadvantages; one, anxiety over them, wearing us out, and spreading darkness over us; and the other, luxury, which makes us soft.… Do not marvel at his calling our luxuries “thorns.” If you are intoxicated in your sense you may not be aware of this. One is in sound health who knows that luxury pricks sharper than any thorn. Luxury wastes the soul away even worse than anxiety. It causes more grievous pains both to body and soul. For no one is as seriously harmed by anxiety as by immoderate indulgence.… It brings on premature old age, dulls the senses, darkens our reasoning, blinds the keen-sighted mind, and makes the body flabby.
4. Seed sown on good soil
Hear the Word, accept it, produce a crop (30, 60, 100).
This is who we want to be. Not just hearers of the Word, but doers.
Lenski:
What the parable and its exposition describe is the final fate of the Word in the hearts of men. When life is done, some show a harvest, grains running to thirty, to sixty, even to a hundred; all the rest show no harvest at all. Some never let the Word in, some never let it root, some never let it grow up. This final fate of the Word is shown us now so that we may examine ourselves as to how we are treating the Word now, before life is done. This is done because, though no man can change himself, God has means to change us all, trodden path, rocky places, briar patches, into good soil for his Word. This means of God is the Word itself as this is exhibited in this very parable. Like all the Scripture revelations of man’s sinful state, this one, too, aims at the conscience and repentance, thus opening the soul for the gospel. The more it is opened, the more fruit will there be in the end.
Augustine:
Work diligently the soil while you may. Break up your fallow with the plough. Cast away the stones from your field, and dig out the thorns. Be unwilling to have a “hard heart,” such as makes the Word of God of no effect.24 Be unwilling to have a “thin layer of soil,” in which the root of divine love can find no depth in which to enter. Be unwilling to “choke the good seed” by the cares and the lusts of this life, when it is being scattered for your good. When God is the sower and we are the ground, we are called to work to be good ground.