Mark 4:19

19 but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of riches, and the desires for other things take over. They choke the word so that it can't produce anything.

Mark 4:19 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 4:19

And the cares of this world
The perplexing and distressing cares of it to get as much of it as they can, for themselves and families, fill their minds, and possess their souls even when and while they are hearing the word: and the deceitfulness of riches; or riches which are deceitful, especially when trusted in, and being obtained, they do not give the satisfaction they promise: and the lusts of other things entering in: carnal desires after other objects, which are pleasing to the sensual mind, entering into their hearts, and gaining, the ascendant there: choke the word, and it, becometh unfruitful; these being more attended to than the word is, that is quite lost, and becomes useless, and unprofitable.

Mark 4:19 In-Context

17 But they don't develop any roots. They last for a short time. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall [from faith].

18 Other people are like seeds planted among thornbushes. They hear the word,

19 but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of riches, and the desires for other things take over. They choke the word so that it can't produce anything.

20 Others are like seeds planted on good ground. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops--thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted."

21 Jesus said to them, "Does anyone bring a lamp into a room to put it under a basket or under a bed? Isn't it put on a lamp stand?