Mark 4:1-20 - Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them
hear.”
When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him
asked him about the parables. He told
them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on
the outside everything is said in parables so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever
hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this
parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path,
where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the
word that was sown in them. Others, like
seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a
short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly
fall away. Still others, like seed sown
among thorns, hear the word; but the
worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other
things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the
word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred
times what was sown.”
This is a longer scripture reading than we normally take on,
but it’s important to read it as a whole.
We are introduced to the idea that Jesus often taught in parables, we
hear an actual parable, and then we get a discussion about why parables are
used. Finally, Jesus gives an interpretation of the parable we heard. All of these “sections” provide insight into
what is going on here. I encourage you
to say a quick prayer asking God to speak to you through this text. Then read it again, listening for meaning.
I only add a few quick ideas from my own time of doing what
I asked you to do just now. First, I am
impressed by Jesus not being impressed with large crowds. I do get impressed by large crowds and when I
hear that large crowds are going to hear “so-and-so,” it makes me want to hear
them too. We live in a society that
values speakers, artists, musicians, and others who attract crowds. The fact that it is possible to make a good
living now simply making videos on Youtube or posts on Instagram is witness to
this. Jesus was not impressed by His own
ability to draw crowds and the parable He tells explains why. Jesus knows that only a fraction of those
present will ever take His teaching and do something fruitful with it. I can’t help but think there is even a little
sadness in Jesus about this realization.
When the disciples ask about the use of parables, Jesus explains
that this lack of fruitfulness is not a new problem. He quotes Isaiah where Isaiah is told that
while, he is sent to God’s people with God’s message, the people will not really
hear or understand the message, much less do anything different as a
result.
This sober truth continues to play out today. I have been part of more than a dozen
Christian congregations in my lifetime.
The large majority of people who attend these congregations live lives
that look remarkably similar to the lives they would live if they never
attended church. I don’t say that to be
hurtful or judgmental. It is just the
reality that Jesus described. But here
is the hope in Jesus’s teaching here.
The small minority of people who are authentically transformed by the teaching
of Jesus tend to have exponential impact on the world around them, “some thirty,
some sixty, some a hundred times” the seed that was planted in them. Jesus has faith in the power of the that small
group of the transformed to change the world forever. He faith has proven to be well placed. Jesus doesn’t seem to care about numbers; He cares
about fruit.
One final encouragement.
This parable is not given as a way to classify others as one of the four
kinds of soils described in the story. I
see it as a self-awareness tool given by Jesus to see our own tendencies more
clearly.
Question: What kind
of “soil” do you most resemble?
Prayer: Show me my
heart, Jesus. Help me prepare it to more
fruitfully receive Your Word. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Spend
time just quietly listening for God to speak into your life today.
Song: Here’s My Heart
Lord – Casting Crowns
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