Mark 04

The Parable of the Sower

1Again he began to teach by the lake. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there while the whole crowd was on the shore by the lake.

 

The crowds were getting so large that they began pressing against Jesus. To escape the crowds, Jesus had to sail a boat into the lake and teach from the boat.

 

 2He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching said to them: 

 

After the Jewish leaders rejected the Messianic Kingdom and called Jesus demon-possessed, Jesus began to teach in parables.

 

3“Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 

 

A planter spread seeds out among his field. However, the birds ate all of the seeds. 

 

5Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep 6When the sun came up it was scorched, and because it did not have sufficient root, it withered.

 

Some of the seeds fell on rocky ground and did not grow. The seed was scorched by the sun, because it could not take root.

 

7Other seed fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked it, and it did not produce grain. 

 

Some of the seeds were choked out by thorns.

 

 

8But other seed fell on good soil and produced grain, sprouting and growing; some yielded thirty times as much, some sixty, and some a hundred times.” 

 

Some seeds produced abundant crops.

 

9And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear had better listen!”

 

Those who have ears to hear are those who were called by God before the foundations of the world were created.

 

 

The Purpose of Parables

10When he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 

 

The disciples did not understand why Jesus was now teaching in parables. They also did not understand the meaning of the parable.

 

11He said to them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those outside, everything is in parables,

 

The secrets of the kingdom of God is the understanding of Bible doctrine. The natural man cannot understand Bible doctrine. Only those chosen before the foundation of the world can understand Bible doctrine. Understanding of the Word of God is a gift from God. The disciples were given the gift of understanding these parables.

 

12so that although they look they may look but not see, and although they hear they may hear but not understand, so they may not repent and be forgiven.”

 

Isaiah predicted that the Messiah would be rejected by the nation of Israel. He also predicted that the Messiah would speak in parables that the people would not understand.

 

13He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand any parable? 

 

Jesus used formative assessments. He asked questions in order to teach and help the disciples understand and retain the information that He was presenting to them. The point of this parable is that the disciples cannot understand any parable unless God reveals the meaning to them.

 

14The sower sows the word. 

 

The planter who plants seed is the believer who teaches the good news. When the Word of God is given out by believers, there are four different responses.

 

15These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: Whenever they hear, immediately Satan comes and snatches the word that was sown in them. 

 

The first response is unbelief. Some hear the good news, but they are blinded by Satan. Therefore, they die in unbelief and they will burn in the Lake of Fire forever.

 

16These are the ones sown on rocky ground: As soon as they hear the word, they receive it with joy. 17But they have no root in themselves and do not endure. Then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away. 

 

The second response is belief, but failure to mature as a strong believer. They hear the Word of God and are saved. However, they do not study Bible doctrine. When trouble or persecution comes, they are not grounded deeply enough into the Word of God to be able to cope with the pressures that Satan places upon them. Therefore, they become unproductive in their Christian lives. They produce no fruit. They die, go to heaven, but gain no rewards.

 

18Others are the ones sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word, 19but worldly cares, the seductiveness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it produces nothing. 

 

The third response is belief, but failure to mature because of carnality. They hear the Word of God and are saved. However, they are so caught up in the material things of the satanic world system, that they do not have time for Bible doctrine. They produce fruit for the satanic world system, but not for the kingdom of heaven. They die as believers, but they lose their reward.

 

20But these are the ones sown on good soil: They hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, one thirty times as much, one sixty, and one a hundred.”

 

The fourth response is belief that grows toward spiritual maturity. They hear the Word of God and are saved. They study the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level and apply what they learn. They disciple others who study and apply what they learn. Their disciples produce other disciples and the growth is exponential. These believers die and receive great rewards in heaven. The purpose of the YEBC Study Bible is to produce exponential disciples.

 

 

The Parable of the Lamp

21He also said to them, “A lamp isn’t brought to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Isn’t it to be placed on a lampstand? 

 

Light is divine revelation which is given from God to the believer. Light creates responsibility. When one is given light from God, then he is to shine and reveal this knowledge. He is not to keep his candle hidden under a basket.

 

22For nothing is hidden except to be revealed, and nothing concealed except to be brought to light. 

 

When it is night, the lamp needs to shine. When an unbeliever is living in darkness, light is to be shined upon him.

 

 

23If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!” 

 

Only those who were chosen before the foundations of the world to be holy  and blameless can hear and understand divine revelation. They have been given more light. Therefore, they need to listen to the divine revelation and obey it.

 

24And he said to them, “Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, and more will be added to you. 

 

Those who can hear and understand the Word of God need to be careful of what they select to hear. The more they hear the Word of God, the more divine revelation they will receive.

 

25For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

 

The more Bible doctrine a believer receives, the more divine revelation he will receive. If a believer does not continue to feed himself the Word of God on a daily basis, then he will not lose salvation, but he will lose his capacity to intake divine revelation.

 

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26He also said, “The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground. 

 

The kingdom of God is like a planter planting seed into the ground.

 

27He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 

 

The crop grows, but the planter does not know how it grows.

 

28By itself the soil produces a crop, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 

 

Science cannot explain how a little acorn grows into a giant tree.

 

29And when the grain is ripe, he sends in the sickle because the harvest has come.”

 

It is God who causes the acorn to grow into a large tree. It is also God who causes the believer to mature and plant other crops.

 

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30He also asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it? 31It is like a mustard seed that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground – 32when it is sown, it grows up, becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and grows large branches so that the wild birds can nest in its shade.”

 

Mustard is not a food, but a condiment. It makes bad food taste good. It grows in the garden into an ugly tree and wild birds settle in it. The wild birds are unclean birds, which represent the agents of Satan. The agents of Satan have entered the churches as a condiment to make satanism taste good.

 

 

The Use of Parables

33So with many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear. 34He did not speak to them without a parable. But privately he explained everything to his own disciples.

 

Since Israel rejected the Messianic Kingdom and called Jesus demon-possessed, Jesus was now only speaking in parables.

 

Stilling of a Storm

35On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” 

 

Jesus was tired and needed to rest.

 

36So after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat, and other boats were with him. 

 

There were other boats that followed Jesus, because they wanted to hear His teachings.

 

37Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. 

 

A whirlwind attacked the boat. Many of the disciples were experienced fishermen, so they knew the danger of this storm.

 

38But he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” 

 

Jesus was so tired, that not even a dangerous storm could awaken Him.

 

39So he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Calm down!” Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm. 

 

The Greek word for “rebuked” is ἐπιτιμάω (epitimaow), meaning to rebuke, warn, or silence one who is misbehaving. This verb was often used when Jesus rebuked a demon. Therefore, there was most likely a demonic power behind the wind. Possibly, Satan was attempting to murder Jesus and the disciples in order to stop their ministry.

 

40And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?” 

 

The disciples were immortal until they completed the task which Jesus had given them.

 

41They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and sea obey him!”

 

 

They still did not understand that Jesus was the Creator God in human form.