Mark 4 – Mining a Few Deep Verses……

In the parable of the soils….

Mar 4:2  And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

Mar 4:3  Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

Mar 4:4  And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

Mar 4:5  And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

Mar 4:6  But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

Mar 4:7  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

Mar 4:8  And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

Mar 4:9  And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

So we have: the way side, no depth, no root and the final good ground.

Jesus then explains:

Mar 4:13  And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

Mar 4:14  The sower soweth the word.

Mar 4:15  And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

Mar 4:16  And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

Mar 4:17  And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

Mar 4:18  And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

Mar 4:19  And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Mar 4:20  And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

I think you can see from the highlights that in all four cases they heard the word.

In the first Satan Immediately turns them away, in the second they have no root in themselves, and in the third there are 3 distractions: cares of worldly culture, riches which decieve and the many lusting after other things or behaviors.

The response of the good soil is to fully receive the word and to believe it…ie becoming fruitful.

Act 2:37  Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?

Act 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Also note Jesus appears to be saying that there is some mystery to this process of faith.

The Parable of the Seed Growing

Mar 4:26  And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

Mar 4:27  And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

Mar 4:28  For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

Mar 4:29  But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.