THE MESSAGE OF THE KINGLY RULE OF GOD WILL NOW BE SPREAD WIDELY AND WILL PRODUCE ABUNDANT FRUIT (4:1-34). As we have already seen the Gospel began with Jesus Christ as God's beloved Son and has gradually built up to the idea of the new community of believers who hear His words and do the will of Hi... [ Continue Reading ]
“Listen. Behold a sower went out to sow.” ‘Listen.' Jesus stresses, both here at the beginning of the parable, and at the end (Mark 4:9), that men must listen carefully. He wants them to be aware that the story has hidden meaning. This dual exhortation emphasised that He saw this parable as of spec... [ Continue Reading ]
THE PARABLE OF THE FOUR KINDS OF GROUND (4:3-9). Jesus now tells a story which contains within it a number of lessons, and is thus a kind of allegory. It is based on a scene well known to His hearers, that of a sower sowing seed. Those who knew their Scriptures well would remember that in Hosea 12:1... [ Continue Reading ]
“And it happened that, as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside and the birds came and devoured it.” In Palestine the fields were in narrow strips with pathways in between the strips, and these pathways would be hardened and trampled. They were rights of way (when the Apostles had walked through t... [ Continue Reading ]
“And other fell on rocky ground where it did not have much earth, and it sprang up immediately because it had no depth of earth. And when the sun was risen it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered.” Ancient ploughs could not plough up the ground like their modern equivalent. In compar... [ Continue Reading ]
“And other fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it yielded no fruit.” The farmer could pull up the thorns before sowing but he could not remove the roots of the thorns. Thus both seed and thorns grew together and where there was an abundance of thorn roots the good seed h... [ Continue Reading ]
“And others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. And it produced thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” The change to the plural ‘others' stresses the individuality of those who respond and that there are many who would so respond. In spite of all the problems... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said, “whoever has ears to hear, let him hear”.' The need to take note is repeated, stressing the importance of the parable and its significance. Like the good ground men need to be ready recipients of the sown seed. This warning is repeated twice underlining its importance (see Mark 4:23).... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when he was alone those who were about him with the twelve asked him what the parables meant.' Notice that this was not just the twelve, it was a wider number of His followers ‘who were about Him' (compare Mark 3:34). They recognised that there was a lesson to be learned and came to Him seekin... [ Continue Reading ]
THE EXPLANATION OF THE PARABLE AND THE MYSTERY OF GOD'S RULE (4:10-20). Once the parable had been given those desirous of knowing more crowded round Jesus for an explanation. This was what distinguished the true disciples from the hangers on. ANALYSIS. a And when he was alone those who were about... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “To you is given the mystery of the Kingly Rule of God, but to those who are without all things are done in parables, in order that seeing they may see, and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest it should happen that they turn again and it should be f... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he says to them, “Do you not know this parable? And how shall you know all parables?” ' ‘Do you not know this parable?' Strictly He means ‘do you not know what this parable means, do you not understand it?' There is a slight rebuke implied in Jesus' words. These eager hearers have revealed the... [ Continue Reading ]
“The sower sows the word.” This is the clue that makes the meaning of the parable clear. What is sown is God's word to man. This includes the message that ‘the Kingly Rule of God is at hand', and that by faith they can repent and come under His Kingly Rule. The initiator is in the first place God. I... [ Continue Reading ]
THE EXPLANATION OF THE PARABLE. Jesus now provides the explanation for the parable. It should be noted how smoothly it fits in without there being anything of a mechanical nature in the interpretation which would be the hallmark of later allegorical interpretation. This method of parable followed b... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown. And when they have heard Satan comes immediately and takes away the word which has been sown in them.' Here the seed is the word, and the hearers are like the beaten down path, for they do not absorb the word so that Satan is able to take... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And in the same way these are they who are sown on the rocky places who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy. Yet they have no root in themselves but endure for a while. Then when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.' Some hear... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And others are those who were sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word, and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things, entering in, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.' Some seed was sown among thorns. This represents those... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And those are they that were sown on the good ground, such as hear the word and firmly receive it, and bear fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold.' This is the climax of the parable to which all else has been leading. There are those in whom the seed sown will bear fruit, and that in abund... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HIDDEN TRUTH IS MEANT TO BE REVEALED AND EXPERIENCED (4:21-23). The sayings in this next section are repeated in Matthew and Luke in different contexts. This reminds us that, as with all preachers, Jesus would in His ministry use the same illustrations again and again, even sometimes with differ... [ Continue Reading ]
MEN MUST ENSURE THAT THEY RECEIVE GOD'S TRUTH WHILE THEY MAY, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT LOSE IT (4:24-25). Having spoken of God's truth as being like a lamp whose effectiveness depends on what men do with it, Jesus now stresses the need to take heed while it is still shining. And He does it in terms of... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SEED GROWING SECRETLY UNTIL THE HARVEST (4:26-29). Jesus now illustrates the certainty of the harvest which will come about through God's secret work in the world. Man casts the seed on the earth, but it is God Who causes it to grow, and then, even when men are least expecting it, and it is bey... [ Continue Reading ]
TWO PARABLES EMPHASISING NEW BIRTH AND GROWTH (4:26-32). Jesus follow up the parable of the sower with two parables about new birth and growth. In these the seed of the word is sown, and it produces new life and steady growth as God's rain falls on it (Isaiah 55:10 where it is literally ‘bring to b... [ Continue Reading ]
THE GRAIN OF MUSTARD SEED (4:30-32). The grain of mustard seed was a favourite illustration of Jesus (Matthew 13:31; Matthew 17:20; Luke 13:19; Luke 17:6). It was a tiny seed and yet it would quickly grow into a large bush, often well over two metres high, in which birds could take shelter. Indeed... [ Continue Reading ]
CONCLUDING WORDS (4:33-34). Mark concludes this section by pointing out that these parables that he has described were just examples of many parable that Jesus gave, and in fact that to the crowds He did not speak without a parable. However, to His own He explained everything. ANALYSIS. a And wit... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS' DIVINE POWER AND GLORY IS REVEALED WHILE HIS OWN TOWNSFOLK ARE BLINDED TO THE TRUTH ABOUT HIM (4:35-6:6A). In the first part of this new section Jesus power and glory will now be revealed in four ways: · As the One Who can tame the sea with a word - power over nature (Mark 4:35). · As the... [ Continue Reading ]
SECTION 3. JESUS' MINISTRY THROUGHOUT GALILEE AND IN THE SURROUNDING REGIONS (4:35-9:32). After the initial opening up of the story of Jesus with its continual emphasis on His unique authority, Who He was and what He had come to do (Mark 4:1), and the series of parables which have indicated how the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And on that day when evening was come he says to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” ' ‘And on that day when evening was come.' This connects back with Mark 4:1 giving the impression that we are dealing with one day in the life of Jesus. And in a sense we are. But we have already noticed that... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS TAMES THE ROARING WAVES (4:35-41). One supreme importance of incidents like this one was that in them the disciples themselves directly benefited from Jesus unique power. It was one thing to see others delivered, it was quite another when it happened to them. They had become somewhat anaesthe... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And leaving the great crowd they take him with them, even as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him.' The simple detail emphasises that we have here the words of an eyewitness. It would seem that the crowds were so great and pressed so close to the shore line to hear His words that lan... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And there arises a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat insomuch that the boat was now filling. And He Himself was on the cushion in the stern, sleeping.' The sudden arousal of strong winds to lash the lake up into a fury without warning was a common feature of the Lake of Galilee... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they awake Him and say to Him, “Master, do you not care that we are about to die?” The wind was howling, and the huge waves were continuing endlessly to batter and overwhelm the boat, and the boat was flooded, and, clinging on to whatever they could hold on to, the drenched and frightened disci... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still.” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.' The picture is one of total control. Here was One Who could control Himself and could control the elements. He had no fear of the wind or the sea, batter as they would, for H... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And he said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you not have faith?” ' There was a gentle counter-rebuke in His words. He had a right to expect them not to be afraid. They knew to some extent Who He was and they should have realised that His ways were in the hands of God and that He had chosen them... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And they were filled with great awe and said one to another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” ' But this topped all they had ever seen. They had seen His miracles of healing on all who came to Him. They had seen His power over evil spirits. But to control the wind and t... [ Continue Reading ]