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Mark | 1:1-11 | 1:12-34 | 1:35-45 | 2:1-20  | 2:21-3:12 | 3:13-35 | 4:1-20 | 4:21-41 | 5:1-20 | 5:21-43 | 6:1-13 | 6:14-29 | 6:45-56 | 7-12| 13-16 |

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Outline

I. Parable of the Sower (1-9)
II. A purpose of parables (10-13)
III. The parable explained to the disciples (14-20)

I. Parable of the Sower (1-9)

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think Jesus often taught by the sea?
• Who was Jesus’ audience in this passage?
• Why did Jesus often teach in parables?
• What is a parable? Is this an effective teaching method? Why or why not?
• Do we use this teaching method today?
• How can we interpret parables?
• Imagine, for a minute, you didn’t have the interpretation of this parable. Do you think you could understand it? What points would you get from this parable?
• Why did Jesus conclude His parable by saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear?”

Cross-References

Matthew 7:24-27, Matthew 13, Matthew 25 – Many more “kingdom parables.”

Matthew 9:37-38 – Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Luke 10 – Jesus sends the disciples out to preach.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Jesus taught from a boat – The sea made for a good place to teach from because he could get on a boat and separate slightly from the crowd. All of the crowd would be in one direction so he could face them. Also, they would all be able to see him. This simple form of crowd control would typically be a lot more orderly than if he was surrounded by masses of people constantly pressing to get as close to him as they could.

2. Parables – About one-third of Jesus’ teaching was in the form of parables. Later in this passage, we will look at some of the reasons why he used parables.

A parable can be a metaphor, simile, allegory, illustration, or story. It makes use of figurative language where certain aspects of the story correlate to a truth that Jesus was teaching.

A. Problems in interpreting parables – Historically speaking, parables have sometimes been over-interpreted. This occurs when the parable is taken too far and given more meaning beyond what Jesus intended. People who practice an allegorical approach to biblical interpretation frequently make this mistake. They may assign meaning to every single thing in a parable.

For example, Augustine interpreted this parable in an allegorical manner, assigning deeper meaning to the donkey, the coin, the cloak, the inn, the thieves, the road.

Here is the meaning he assigned to some aspects of the parable.

• The beaten man represents Adam.
• The thieves represent Satan and his demons
• The priest and Levite represent the Old Testament priesthood.
• The Samaritan is Jesus.
• The binding of the wounds is the restraint of sin.
• Oil is the comfort of good hope.
• The donkey is the flesh.
• The inn is the church.
• The coins are either the precepts of love or the promise of this life and the life to come.
• The innkeeper is the Apostle.

Would a listener have understood these points? Did Jesus intend those ideas?

Jesus’ main point was that we should love our neighbor, whoever that may be. He likely had a sub-point that even respectable people do not always do this.

B. How to interpret a parable – A key to biblical interpretation is to recognize the genre of the passage we are reading. Different genres have different interpretations. Parables generally have one main meaning or truth. We should not read deeper meaning into them. A good Biblical scholar takes ideas out of the text (exegesis) rather than putting them into the text (eisegetic).

In some more elaborate parables, like the one in this passage, there are several sub-points. Jesus did us the favor of telling us what each different thing represented in this parable. But in other parables where Jesus didn’t do this, it would be safer to stick with the main point instead of getting bogged down in debating what various symbols represent.

C. Parables are effective teaching methods – Jesus was an amazing teacher. His parables help us to understand spiritual truths in a far more vivid way than if he just said, “Love your neighbor, put God first, and forgive others.” Parables also help us to remember what we have learned, as an interesting story is far more easily remembered than a lengthy factual discourse.

Application – When teaching or sharing the gospel, we should try to think of simple illustrations that can help people understand and remember spiritual truths.

2. Listen to this! – Jesus tells them to pay attention. What He says is important. He demands not only their attention but also ours.

3. He who has ears to hear, let him hear – Not everyone was spiritually prepared to understand Jesus’ message. Those who didn’t go to listen to Him for the right reasons would not have focused enough or meditated on it enough to truly grasp it, nor would they have been enlightened by the Spirit to take in its meaning.

Application – When we listen to sermons or Bible studies, we need to listen not only with our ears but also with our hearts. We should meditate on the words and ask the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the truth. His Word is “living and active.” Let our hearts be soft to receive it.

4. The parable of the sower – Jesus used illustrations they were familiar with in his parables. It was an agricultural society. Many farmers were in the audience. Perhaps Jesus or the people had even seen people sowing seed that very day.

Illustrations help us understand deep theological truths. The details of the parable will be examined below in the section where Jesus explains its meaning to the disciples.

II. A purpose of parables (10-13)

Discussion Questions

• Who was Jesus’ audience in verses 1-9? How about verses 10-20?
• Why did He give the interpretation to only this smaller group of people and not the larger group?
• How might someone who is not spiritually sensitive respond to a parable they didn’t understand?
• How about a spiritually sensitive person?
• What is the principle here?
• Why was this group privileged to understand the mystery of the kingdom of God?
• Have you been given the secret of the kingdom of God?
• Why were outsiders not given this secret?
• Which group are you in?
• What does verse 12 mean?
• Why did God want them to “see but not perceive?”

Cross-References

Isaiah 6:9-10 – And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy,
and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 – This passage reminds us that a natural-minded man cannot understand the things of God.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables – Jesus’ closest followers sought to understand this parable better. There is an important spiritual truth here.

Where were the other people? If they didn’t fully understand, why did they not come and ask Jesus about it?

These questioners cared enough to seek out an answer, while the rest of the people were ambivalent about the true meaning.

Application – In your Bible study, you may encounter some difficult questions. Perhaps an event in the Bible will confuse you. Maybe you don’t understand some deeper aspects of theology. Don’t give up. Keep studying, learning, asking, and meditating so that you can understand more than before.

Hebrews 5:11-14 – About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Don’t become spiritually dull. Instead, sharpen your spiritual capacity to understand through more study and meditation.

2. Jesus answered them – He only told the meaning to a select group, not to everyone. He rewarded their persistence and sincere questions with the explanation. Not telling the entire crowd was something akin to not casting pearls before swine. They didn’t value it enough to spend time seeking after it. If you have something valuable, you want to give it to someone who values it.

Application – Don’t take God’s word for granted. We have better access to the Bible than at any point in all of human history. Not only that, but solid answers to almost any Biblical question lay right at our fingertips. Good commentaries, study guides, apologetics, Q and A, teaching videos, and blogs are freely available online. There is no good excuse to be ignorant on important Biblical matters. You will learn as much as you want to learn.

3. To you has been given the mystery – It was a great privilege and blessing that Jesus’ followers could hear and understand spiritual truths that no one had grasped up until that point in history. Jesus taught truths in the parables of the kingdom that were a mystery before.

We also have been taught these same truths since they are recorded in Scripture for our benefit. We have more knowledge and understanding about the things of God and His kingdom than any generation who lived prior to Christ. What are you doing with this opportunity?

4. Verse 12 –

Mark 4:12 – So that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”

On the surface, this verse is hard to understand. It seems to conflict with much of what we know about Christ and His ministry of preaching the gospel so that people would repent and believe (Mark 1:15, 2 Peter 3:9). But we can better understand this verse by considering its historical context. This quote actually comes from Isaiah 6, where God calls Isaiah to ministry. Before his ministry began, God explained to Isaiah that his ministry would not be fruitful in the traditional sense. Although he would spend years preaching, the people would not repent. Instead, their hearts would grow harder to the truth.

God used Isaiah to warn the people and to make them more culpable for their own sins. As a nation, they had already used up God’s patience and He planned to punish them for it. While Isaiah’s message could be heard and believed by some individuals, the nation would reject it as a group. Their rejection was part of God’s sovereign plan.

This is the same type of situation with Jesus. Jesus’ mission to bring salvation required crucifixion. He would not be crucified unless the nation as a whole rejected His message. While many individuals would hear and repent, as a group the people would reject Him as the Messiah. The truths of God’s sovereignty and people’s responsibility are taught side-by-side throughout Scripture. We see those truths again here.

A. Those who were not spiritually enlightened would not truly grasp Jesus’ core message.

B. To understand the Word, we have to be regenerated and enlightened by the Spirit.

C. Jesus did not always talk in parables and His parables were not always hard to understand.

Can you think of any parables that the people could easily understand?

Generally speaking, Jesus’ parables were easy to understand. One example is the Good Samaritan. Yet in certain cases, He made them harder to understand. We can conclude that the makeup of the crowd, its attitudes, and the people present were such that Jesus found it best to occasionally obscure certain parts of His message. While Jesus claimed to be divine and told certain people He was the Messiah (John 4:36), at times He was vague and did not avail Himself of an opportunity to say that clearly in front of a large crowd. If He spoke too early or to the wrong group, it could have resulted in His untimely death.

Sometimes Jesus used His words to push people on the fence away from Him. When He was wildly popular, He told the people they needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood (John 6:56).

This pushed away many people who were following Him for the wrong reasons and left only the most dedicated behind.

Everything Jesus did and said was for a purpose.

III. Parable explained to the disciples (14-20)

Discussion Questions

• Identify the various symbols in the parable, including the sower, seed, four soils, birds, thorns, roots, and fruit.
• What are the key lessons we can get from this parable?
• Where are you in this parable?
• What should you do based on what you have learned in this parable?
• Are there any lessons we can apply as we seek to share the gospel?
• Can you think of a way to sow only on the good soil?
• How can you get a better crop?
• What will you do to make sure you have a firm root that can withstand persecution?
• What will you do to bear fruit?
• What will you do to become a more faithful sower?

Cross-References

Matthew 13:18-23 – Parable of the sower in Matthew.

John 15:15 – No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.

2 Timothy 4:2 – Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1. Verse 13 –

Mark 4:13 – And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

This parable seems to be the key parable to understanding the rest of the kingdom parables. The basic principles in it about the seed and fruit are seen across several other parables, so if we understand this parable, it will give us insight into others.

2. Observations on the parable of the sower –

A. The sower sows – Every believer should be a sower. We should all be sowing the Word of God. If we are not spreading His Word, then we cannot be called a sower. In this parable, the sower sows seed on all types of soil. He doesn’t know which seed will grow and which won’t. When we share the gospel, we don’t know who will believe and who won’t. Sometimes the person we think least likely to accept the gospel will be the one to surprise us. Our job is not to try to figure out what the good soil is. It is not to try to filter out people. This is not the way to guarantee a big crop.

The best way to have a big crop is to sow more seed. The more seeds you sow, the better the chance will be that some will fall on good soil. If you sow one seed, there is a pretty good chance nothing will grow. If you sow five seeds, there is still a chance nothing will grow. If you sow one thousand seeds, it is very likely that some of those seeds will hit good soil and grow into a healthy plant.

Application – It is more effective to start sharing the gospel with anyone than to spend time thinking about who to share with.

B. Satan actively opposes God and God’s workers – Wherever the sower is active, Satan is also active. Satan is working against the gospel all the time. He tries to snatch it out of people’s hearts (by making them forget it or ignore it) before it can take root.

What can we do about this?

The only thing we can do is pray. This truth should drive us to our knees. Pray that the seed we sow will be protected by God, that it will be remembered, and that God will water it.

We should strive to share a clear and accurate gospel message. Yet at the end of the day, God is the one who changes hearts. We should not trust in our own eloquence or skill but rather in God. Depend on the power of the Holy Spirit. Pray more for Him to change hearts.

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 – And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

C. Not all positive reactions indicate a real change – Some people who hear the gospel and respond with joy and excitement will fall away. We see that happening throughout Jesus’ ministry and we can still see it happening today.

Reflect – Why do the people fall away?

They didn’t have a strong root. Perhaps their response was just an emotional one. When trouble comes, these people abandon their newfound faith because it is too difficult to keep it.

What can we do about this?

This is just a fact. Jesus forewarned us that some people would fall away. We have to accept that it will happen sometimes and not get too discouraged when we see it happening. When others fall away from God, it should not shake our faith.

At the same time, a good farmer will do everything he can to protect the crops. We should obviously pray for a strong root for new believers. In addition to prayer, we can share with them how to become rooted in God’s Word and in prayer so that they will be able to persist better in times of persecution.

Application – Ask God to strengthen your root. Meditate on His Word. Develop a close relationship with Him. A deep root in Him will keep you safe in times of testing.

D. The thorny soil – Worldly influences are powerful. They can keep people from pursuing a relationship with God. This is another of Satan’s traps to ensnare people.

Reflect – What does the thorny soil represent? What are things that can distract people and lure them away from God?

Jesus gave the answer in verse 19.

Mark 4:19 – But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

• The busyness of the world
• The pursuit of money and materials
• Worldly cares and worries
• Pursuit of pleasure and entertainment
• Desire for comfort
• Searching for happiness in travel, luxury, food, or achievement

This very thing happened to one of Paul’s teammates, Demas.

2 Timothy 4:10 – For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.

The world is fleeting. The things in it won’t last. Let us learn from what John said in 1 John 2:15-17.

1 John 2:15-17 – Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Application – Remember that what the world offers does not last. Satan always promises more than he delivers.

Isaiah 40:8 – The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Evaluate how you spend your time. Are you prioritizing your relationship with him or things in this world?

E. The seed on the good soil will bear good fruit – All true believers will be fruitful.

Matthew 7:17 – So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

We may be fruitful to different extents, but we will be fruitful. In farming, the seed multiplication ratio is used to calculate the amount of seed planted compared to the amount harvested. A ratio of at least 3 to 1 (3 grains harvested for each grain planted) is considered the minimum necessary to support human life. In the ninth century AD, that ratio was as low as 2.5 to 1. Though type of crop, season of year, and geographical region cause great variability in this number, a ratio of 10 or 20 to 1 is common. A ratio of 30 to 1 is already very good, and a ratio of 100 to 1 is phenomenal.

Mark 4:20 – 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.

Application – Where do you see yourself in this parable? Are you a sower? If so, are you sowing a lot of seeds or just one seed here or there? Are you the good soil? If so, are you bearing fruit? Do you want to bear fruit 30 or 100-fold? What must you do to bear 100-fold? What do you plan to do in the next week to apply what you have learned today?