Mark 4
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CHAPTER 4
The Parable of the Sower (4:1-20)
(Matthew 13:1-23; Luke 8:4-15)
1-2 Jesus taught many things by parables. A parable is a simple saying or story which illustrates a spiritual truth. Those with spiritual understanding could understand the parables, but those without spiritual understanding could not.
3-9 The parable of the sower is about preaching the word of God. The word is like seed that falls on different kinds of soil. In this parable four kinds of soil are mentioned. The different kinds of soil represent different kinds of people. The question we must each ask ourselves as we study this parable is: “Of these four kinds of soil, which kind of soil am I? That is, what kind of heart do I have?” Jesus gives the meaning of the parable in verses 14-20.
10-11 After Jesus had finished telling the parable of the sower and the crowd had gone, the twelve disciples and some other believers gathered around Jesus and asked Him about the parable. Jesus said to them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you”—that is, to those who have open hearts, to those who seek God. But to those on the outside—that is, those whose hearts are hard and proud, those who do not seek God—to them the secret of the kingdom of God is not given. They cannot receive it. The secret of the kingdom of God is God’s plan of salvation in Jesus Christ. Only those with humble, repentant, believing hearts can understand and receive this salvation.
12 Verse 12 is a very difficult verse to understand. Jesus taught in parables so that those with open believing hearts would better understand, but those with hard unbelieving hearts—that is, those on the outside—would not understand.30A parable reveals truth to the believing heart, but hides it from the unbelieving heart. By teaching in parables, Jesus could discern those with open, humble hearts and those with hard, proud hearts. Those with hard, proud hearts see with their eyes, but do not understand what they see. They see Jesus, but do not understand who He is. They hear God’s word with their ears, but do not understand it. Such people in their hearts have already turned from God. They have already denied God. God has called to them from before, but they have rejected Him. These people who persist in unbelief have lost the chance for forgiveness. Because they have repeatedly rejected and disobeyed God, God has let them go (see Romans 1:24-26,28 and comment).
Therefore, the spiritual eyes and hearts of such people are closed. They cannot understand Jesus’ parables, otherwise they might turn and be forgiven. If they had been able to understand the parables, they might then have repented and obtained forgiveness and salvation through Christ.
God Himself does not close people’s spiritual eyes. God does not hide spiritual truth from people. He wants all men to understand; He wants all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4). But men themselves close their eyes and turn from God. They reject God’s grace. This is why in Matthew 13:12 Jesus says: “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him” (see Mark 4:25 and comment). This is an important spiritual truth. He who continues to reject God’s word (he who does not have) will soon lose all ability to understand it. But he who has received God’s word (he who has) will receive even more spiritual understanding (see Matthew 25:29 and comment).
In Matthew 13:14-15, Jesus quotes the full prophecy from Isaiah 6:9-10, which Mark mentions only in part here in verse 12. In Matthew 13:15, the people’s guilt is clearly shown: For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them (see John 12:39-40).
Then in Matthew 13:16-17, Jesus says to His disciples, “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” The disciples were blessed because they had seen and heard Jesus Himself. Jesus said, “For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it” (Matthew 13:17). The prophets and righteous men of the Old Testament looked forward to the coming of the Messiah, Christ, but did not live to see it.
13-14 In verses 13-20, Jesus privately gives the meaning of the parable of the sower to His followers. The farmer sows the word. Jesus is the farmer.31 The word of God is like a seed. When it is planted in people’s hearts, new spiritual life springs up. Without this new spiritual life, a person cannot be a true Christian (see 1 Peter 1:23).
15 The different kinds of soil stand for different kinds of people. Some people are like the hard soil of a path. The seed falls on the path but does not sprout. Such people hear the word but it does not enter their hard hearts. And immediately Satan, like a bird, comes and snatches the word away. These are people like the Pharisees and the teachers of the law; they are like the people who hear Jesus’ parables but do not understand them (verse 12). These are the people who hear a sermon with unprepared hearts, and who afterward do not meditate and pray about what they have heard. Jesus said, “Consider carefully what you hear” (verse 24). Let us not remain like hard soil. Let us plow up the ground to receive the seed, and let us cover over the seed afterward with meditation and prayer.
16-17 The rocky places have shallow soil; the rock is just below the surface. At first the seed sprouts. This kind of person at once receives the word with joy. Such a person receives any new idea eagerly. Or perhaps by receiving the word of God he just hopes to gain some benefit. Some people become Christians in order to get a job or a scholarship. Some want to find easy salvation—cheap grace. And they do believe at first. But their faith is not strong. The roots of their faith do not go deep because of the rock. Therefore, as soon as the sun shines, that is, as soon as any trouble or persecution comes, the new plant—their new faith—dies, and they quickly fall away. They wanted God’s blessing, but they were not willing to pay the price. They did not realize that persecution comes to all those who seek to follow Christ (see 2 Timothy 3:12 and comment). Or perhaps they did not get the material benefit they had hoped for, so they become disappointed and bitter. There are many who endure for a short time, but do not endure to the end. Such people will not be saved (see Mark 13:13 and comment).
Trials and hardships confirm the faith of some Christians, but shake the faith of others. We need the sun to grow; but the same sun will kill us if we have no root. Trials test our faith (James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6-7). Trials separate true Christians from false Christians (see Matthew 7:24-27 and comment).
18-19 The soil with the thorns is very good soil. It is not hard; it is not rocky. It is deep and fertile. The seed that falls in this soil sprouts and grows well. This soil represents people who receive God’s word, believe it deeply and begin their Christian lives well (Galatians 5:7). But in that good soil are also thorns, that is, selfishness, the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things. These grow faster than the word of God and soon choke the spiritual life of the Christian. The Christian’s spiritual life perhaps doesn’t die, but it becomes unfruitful. And what does God do with unfruitful branches? He cuts them off and throws them into the fire (John 15:2,6). How many Christians have started well, but then have fallen because of these worries and desires! Are any among us like this thorny soil?
20 But the farmer does not sow in vain. True, in some places no fruit comes from God’s word; however, in other places it does. God says: “… so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). Whenever we preach God’s word, there will be a harvest from part of the soil. The good soil is soil that bears fruit. Jesus does not say that there are no rocks and no thorns in the good soil. What He does say is that this soil bears fruit. Some of us will bear more fruit than others, but let us all bear fruit according to the grace God gives us. And with God’s help, let us remove as many rocks and thorns from our soil as we can.
What fruit must we bear? First, we must bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). True, this is the Spirit’s fruit and not our fruit, but even so, we must still prepare the soil for it to grow in, and we must water it. Second, we too must sow seed, and thus produce new Christians. New Christians are also fruit. According to the fruit we produce, we bring glory to God (John 15:8).
In summary, we must understand from this parable that man’s heart is like soil. In this soil are rocks and thorns. These thorns—that is, greed, evil desires, anger, slander, jealousy—grow very quickly. Therefore, in order for our new spiritual life to grow, it is necessary that our “soil” be kept in good condition. It must be kept watered with Bible study and prayer and fellowship, and the thorns must be removed as soon as they appear. Otherwise the new spiritual life in us will die.
A Lamp on a Stand (4:21-25)
(Matthew 5:15; 7:2; 10:26; 13:12; 25:29; Luke 6:38; 8:16-18; 11:33; 12:2; 19:26)
21-23 Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? The lamp here is Christ, or His word (John 8:12). Christ’s coming was at first to some extent concealed. He forbade demons to say who He was (Mark 3:11-12). He spoke in parables, which not everyone could understand. But in the end, Christ will be fully disclosed, fully manifest (see Matthew 10:2627). Not everyone accepts Christ now, but one day all will acknowledge Him as Lord (see Philippians 2:9-11). On that day His light will be set on its stand.
24-25 Consider carefully what you hear. Consider and believe. With the measure you use—that is, according to the faith you exercise—it will be measured to you. As much as you believe, that much will you receive—new life, joy, power—and even more, eternal life in heaven.
Whoever has—that is, whoever has faith—will be given more (verse 25). He will be given more understanding (Matthew 13:12), more joy and power, more faith, more life. But whoever does not have faith, even that which he has will be taken away. He is like the soil of the path where the seed was sown but couldn’t sprout, and the devil snatched the seed away.
If we do not use our gift of faith and the other gifts God has given us, we shall lose them (Matthew 25:24-30). If we do not exercise our legs, we will soon be unable to walk. As it is with our bodies, so it is with our spiritual lives. Therefore, let us use our ears (verse 23) and consider carefully what we hear!
The Parable of the Growing Seed (4:26-29)
26-29 In this parable, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a harvest. A man, that is, Jesus, scatters seed. Then the seed sprouts and grows by itself—by God’s power. No man can say, “I produced the harvest.” Man’s part is to sow, to water, and to reap. God gives the growth (see 1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
The Parable of the Mustard Seed (4:30-34)
(Matthew 13:31-32; Luke 13:18-19)
30-32 The kingdom of God in the beginning was like a tiny mustard seed. When Jesus started preaching, only a few heard and believed. Most people rejected Him. They mocked Him and killed Him. His disciples fled. But look what happened. By the power of the Holy Spirit, from that tiny seed a mighty church has grown up, and it has spread to every country in the world. Such is the kingdom of God.
33-34 In this way, Jesus taught the people in parables, as much as they could understand (verse 33). People can’t understand spiritual things all at once. They need first to hear a simple illustration or parable. Then, as they open their hearts, they slowly begin to understand more (see Matthew 13:34-35 and comment).
Christ, however, explained everything to His twelve disciples and other followers. They had opened their hearts and were ready to learn more. Jesus’ most important work was to train these disciples to become teachers, to become fishers of men (Mark 1:17).
Jesus Calms the Storm (4:35-41)
(Matthew 8:23-27; Luke 8:22-25)
35-36 Jesus had taught the crowds all day from the boat. He was certainly tired. So His disciples took Him, just as he was—that is, still in the boat—across the Sea of Galilee to the other side.
37-38 In the middle of the sea a furious squall came up. Such wind often occurs on the Sea of Galilee. The boat was tossed to and fro, and waves poured into it. The boat began to sink. Though some of the disciples were experienced fishermen, they were afraid.
But Jesus was asleep. The disciples were a little upset with Him. “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” they asked, waking Him up.
39 Jesus, the Son of God, had complete control over all the power of nature. Mark has described, so far, His power over sickness and over demons. Now we see His complete authority over the forces of nature. At His word the wind stopped.
40-41 Then Jesus rebuked His disciples because of their lack of faith: “Do you still have no faith?” And they asked among themselves, “Who is this?” Even the disciples did not have a full understanding of who Jesus was. They were learning step by step.
In Matthew’s description of this event, Jesus rebukes His disciples first and then calms the storm. Both Matthew and Mark’s accounts are true. Jesus rebuked His disciples both before and after calming the storm. We must remember as we compare the four Gospels that each writer did not always write a complete account of these events. When we study the four Gospels together, we can obtain a fuller description of what happened.