03/23/2019

Mark 4:2-3

² And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ³ “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. ⁶ And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. ⁸ And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” ⁹ And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

These parables found also in Matthew and Luke cannot be overemphasized in their importance.

Mark, in 4:13, makes the understanding of the sower and the seed the test for understanding of all parables.  That being so, what are we to learn from this parable?

What do we know?  We know first that the sower is the same in every instance.  Secondly the seed is the same also.  The only difference is the ground and the reception the seed gets.

In three instances the reception is so undesirable that there is no fruit at harvest time.  There is unconcern and disinterest, there is enthusiasm but no commitment.  There is interest but no perseverance, and yet in the one instance of fruitfulness there is attention, commitment, and perseverance with the satisfying results.

The lesson of this parable is an overruling principle of the Kingdom.  “Fruitfulness in the Kingdom of God is determined by your attitude toward the Word of God”.  cf Mark 4:20.

²⁰ But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”