Mark 4:1-9
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. Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 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.” And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The Parable – an earthy story with a heavenly meaning.
Mark 4:10-13
But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 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, 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.’” And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
Mystery – something previously hidden, but now fully revealed
Mark 4:14-20
The sower sows the word. 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. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 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. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 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. 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.”
- Parable explained
- Parables
- Disclose truth exactly in the degree which men can accept; hiding it from those who would refuse its truth and imparting it to those who would obey it.
- Parables serve the double and opposite purpose of revealing and concealing.
- You would not try to reveal to a child in the same manner as an adult.
- Three things are required
- Hear the Word
- Receive the Word
- Bring forth fruit
- Four categories of people who hear and receive
- Satan steals what was sown in the heart – sown by the wayside
- There is no root or real commitment in the hearer – stony ground
- Deceitfulness and cares of this world choke out the Word – sown among thorns
- Production of good fruit – 30/60 100 percent – good ground
Only one category of the four who hear and receive the Word will bring forth fruit.
For Christians there are several lessons we can take from this parable.
First, we need to be careful that we do not fall into one of the three categories. Even though we have believed and received the Word of God, we can still be so distracted by our daily lives, our jobs, our responsibilities, our pleasures that we neglect God’s Word.
How many times have you been listening to a sermon or a Bible lesson when you suddenly found your mind thinking about other things. Where you will go to eat after service? What you have to do in the coming week? Worrying about that bill you have to pay next week? Even thinking about the upcoming vacation?
There is a lot of false teaching out there today on the internet, on the YouTube that we can be deceived if we do not carefully check the things we hear to see if they agree with God’s Word.
Second lesson is that we are to be bearing good fruit. There are many ideas of what good fruit means for a Christian. Simply put: fruit is basically the outward actions of a Christian that result from the condition of the heart.
Galatians 5 list some of the conditions the heart should have. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
We cannot on our own produce that kind of life. It is only as we maintain a relationship with Jesus, that we will produce that good fruit. Bearing fruit in the Christian life requires abiding in Jesus.
John 15:4-5 – Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Bearing fruit in the Christian life requires abiding in Jesus.
Thoughts of a Retired Pastor 