INTRODUCTION
‘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’. Mark 4:1-2
Jesus’ ministry was breaking barriers on all fronts and came in two stages. 1. Preaching. 2. Teaching.
The teaching was usually done in the synagogue not outdoors by the seashore and so here we see teaching happening in a different place and in a different way, with the use of parables. This was something that was never done in the synagogues.
He taught and spoke in parables in a way that people could understand. This is a lesson all preachers and teachers need to learn, keep them simple. Jesus uses illustrations and leaves those listening to discover truth, if people were interested they would come back to ask for more details.
Notice that Jesus got into a boat, Mark 4:1, as He does often, Mark 3:9. There would have been a small rowing boat that would take the disciples further out to the main fishing boat which was larger. We see this happening later when is asleep on the boat, Mark 4:35-41.
The parable Jesus is about to speak about is unusual in the fact that Jesus Himself explains the meaning of it.
Can you imagine what a sight that must have been? What a pulpit that must have been to use, the Master teacher sitting on a boat because His following was so large. Jesus says, “Listen” and then goes on to share the parable with those listening.
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
‘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, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:3-9
Notice how Jesus starts the parable and how He ends the parable. He starts by saying, “Listen”, Mark 4:1, and ends by saying, “He, who has ears to hear, let him hear,” Mark 4:9. It didn’t just mean listen to what I’ve just said, it means to think about it, and paying attention to what I’ve just said.
Although this is called ‘the parable of the sower’, the key to understanding this parable is understanding that the seed is the Word of God and so maybe it should be called ‘the parable of the soil’.
What is a parable? The word ‘Parable’ comes from the Greek word ‘Parabole’, which literally means a placing beside, a comparison, equivalent to or to compare. Some say that a parable is ‘an earthly story with a heavenly meaning’ but a parable is more than that.
The dictionary defines a parable as ‘a short figurative story, designed to convey some truth or moral lesson.’ Or ‘a brief story using events or facts of everyday life to illustrate a moral or spiritual truth.’
But parables come in many different styles and forms. In Luke 4:22-23, we have an example of a parable in the form of a ‘Proverb’. Again in Luke 5:36-39, we find Jesus sharing a parable in the form of a ‘metaphor’ to the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law.
And there are many other forms of parables that Jesus used too. But the point is that Jesus used parables as a form of teaching. It wasn’t the only form of teaching He used but it was certainly a form He liked to use a lot.
Throughout the gospels there are over thirty parables of Jesus recorded in some style or another. Most of them are well known to many people but all of them are classics and Jesus was the Master teacher when it came to parables.
In this parable we find the folowing, which Jesus will explain later. We have a farmer who sowing seed, Mark 4:3 and four different kinds of soil.
1. The first type is like hard-packed soil, Mark 4:4.
These hard-hearted people do not let the word penetrate their life, they reject it immediately because they have closed their minds.
2. The second type is like seed sown in rocky places, Mark 4:5-6.
The idea here is of a thin layer of topsoil covering a large rock. When the seed is sown in such a place, it will germinate and grow in the shallow soil, but it will not develop deep roots.
When the sun comes out and it doesn’t rain for a few days, the plant will wither and die. This represents a person who eagerly receives the word, but doesn’t develop roots through faith and Bible study. This person will not have the ability to withstand the temptations and persecutions that come along in life.
3. The thorny soil, Mark 4:7.
In this ground, the plant is overshadowed by taller weeds which suffocate fruit production. This soil symbolizes people who receive the word and although they allow it to continue in their lives, permit competing interests to dwarf it.
These other influences may not be bad things in themselves, but they dominate the person’s life so much that the seed can’t bear fruit.
4. The good soil, Mark 4:8.
This is the good soil in which plants bear abundant fruit. This soil represents Christians who are diligent in the service of God.
The seed fell on three different places, without any lasting success. 1. On the path. 2. On rocky ground. 3. On rocky places. 4. On the thorny ground. However, some of the seed fell on good ground. The seed fell onto different types of ground and the harvest depended on the kind of soil where the seed fell.
“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?’ Mark 4:10-13
Because a large crowd isn’t surrounding Jesus anymore, it appears its just the twelve and some others, Mark 4:10. There were only a few that asked Him what the parable was about. Matthew tells us there were only a few people who were really interested in these truths, Matthew 13:10.
Its clear that His disciples and others didn’t understand the parable, Mark 4:10 / Mark 4:13 / Mark 4:33-34, and so, Jesus said He speaks in parables so that He can reveal secrets about the kingdom of heaven, Mark 4:11.
Why did Jesus speak in parables? Mark 4:10-13. His parables were designed to test His hearers, not an intelligence test but rather a spiritual responsiveness test.
Jesus shares the parable with the people and says, ‘Do you want to know a secret?’ ‘I’ve shared a secret with you about the kingdom of heaven,’ Mark 4:11.
And the parable He shared did exactly what the parable was designed to do. They were designed to get a response, Mark 4:10-12 / Luke 8:9-10. It split the people into two groups, those who were interested in truth and those who weren’t, Mark 4:12 / Isaiah 6:9-10.
Morgan, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Jesus didn’t use parables to blind people, but because they were blind. ‘Therefore Jesus used the parabolic method, not in order to blind them, but in order to make them look again; not in order to prevent them from coming to forgiveness, but in order to lure them toward a new attention.’
Jesus is saying ‘My people can see and perceive, My people can hear and understand but they just don’t want to,’ Isaiah 6:9-10. He’s saying they don’t want to turn to God and be forgiven because their hearts are so far away from Me.
He says My people have always seen, they’ve always heard but My people don’t want to listen and understand, because they are too stubborn, Isaiah 29:13.
A couple of chapters later Jesus says that the religious people were hypocrites who were more interested in the traditions of men rather than the commands of God, Mark 7:6-8.
And it’s then, that Jesus asks those who are listening, if they can’t understand this parable, how will they understand any other parable that He will share, Mark 4:13.
Jesus is saying this secret about the kingdom of heaven is so easy to understand, Mark 4:11. He says it’s so plain and obvious and yet none of you can understand it!
He’s telling them that they need to be able to understand this parable so that they can go on and understand other parables He will teach them.
It’s much the same as what Paul says to the church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 3:1-2. The great call of Scripture is for growth, for us to grow spiritually.
The minute we were born again in the waters of baptism, John 3:3 / Acts 2:38, we should be starting to grow spiritually. And the more we study the Word of God, the more we understand and grow, but we need to grow, 2 Peter 3:18.
A lot of kids in the world today are born with a disease that stops them from growing both physically and mentally. But sadly, the same goes for some Christians, not physically or mentally but spiritually, Hebrews 5:11-14. Notice how the Hebrew writer describes how we become mature, “By constant use and training”.
Studying isn’t easy sometimes, but it’s something that all Christians need to do, they need to train themselves to do it. The desire for understanding the Bible will drive us forward to understand even more of the Bible.
That’s what Jesus’ disciples did, they wanted to understand more and so, Jesus gave them even more solid food, Matthew 5:6 / Luke 24:27.
So we find that these few people who were listening to Jesus didn’t understand what the parable of The Sower meant, but they had the desire to know and so Jesus explains it to them. He says, ‘Here’s a secret about the kingdom of God’, Mark 4:11.
Matthew records in Matthew 13:16-17, that the disciples were blessed because they used their eyes to see and their ears to hear, that is, they were open to Jesus’ teaching and as a result were blessed, Matthew 16:17 / John 20:29.
Many of the Old Testament prophets and righteous people who lived by faith longed to see what the disciples were now seeing, they longed to hear the teachings Christ was teaching His disciples.
In other words, they longed to hear the wonderful things which Jesus was revealing to His disciples, John 8:56 / Galatians 4:4-5 / Hebrews 11:13 / Hebrews 11:25-26 / Hebrews 11:39-40 / 1 Peter 1:10-12.
“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–thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.” Mark 4:14-20
Jesus taught and explained the parable using an everyday life event, He uses the illustration of a farmer sowing his seed. Have you ever wondered why some people become Christians and then a little later they fall away? Have you ever wondered why some people aren’t Christians?
We have people who come into our assemblies, they hear the Gospel of Christ being preached, they know what they need to do to become obedient to the Gospel, and yet, nothing ever seems to happen.
How come we don’t get people coming to Christ when the Gospel is preached as it was during Biblical times? Well, maybe the best way to answer that question is by letting Jesus ask the question He was asking. How could the scribes and Pharisees misrepresent God the way they did? Isaiah 6:9-10 / Mark 4:12.
How could the disciples and those listening not totally understand what Jesus was teaching? The way the Word is being sown or being preached isn’t the problem, the problem is the way people receive it. In other words, those people who are honestly searching for the truth, it’s those people whom the truth will become much clearer.
We need to remember whom the Word of God is being preached to, it’s being preached to sinners. People whose hearts have been hardened with sin over the years.
Jesus says that people are like the place where the seed lands, Mark 4:3-8. He’s talking about four different soils, which represent four different reactions or responses when people hear the Word of God.
1. Jesus said that the birds mentioned in Mark 4:4, are a picture of the devil himself, who comes down and takes the seed away, Mark 4:15.
But the reason the devil can so easily take it away is because the Word of God has no impression on these people at all. They’re so hardened in sin, they don’t even understand the significance of the words being said. In other words, the path is hard, Mark 4:4, the seed has got nowhere to plant its roots, Jeremiah 4:3 / Hosea 10:12.
They hear the gospel but don’t hang around long enough to find out what it means to them. Because when people are hardened with sin, they always think that whatever’s being said doesn’t apply to them.
2. Jesus goes on to describe another reaction to the Gospel.
People who hear the Word of God, accept it with gladness and joy, Mark 4:5, but they have no root in themselves, Mark 4:16-17. Jesus says these people are OK for a while but as soon as any persecution or worry comes along from being a follower of God, they just give up.
So the Word that was planted in them at the start, just springs up very quickly but the soil was lacking, Mark 4:5. And so when the sun comes out, it’s quickly burnt up because it has no root and lacks moisture, Luke 8:6.
Jesus is saying there are hearts out there that will receive the truth with great readiness and joy, Luke 8:13. And He says it’s not until the heat gets turned up, that these people fall away.
Spurgeon, in his commentary, says the folowing.
‘Then there are many more, whose religion must be sustained by enthusiastic surroundings. They seem to have been baptized in boiling water; and unless the temperature around them is kept up to that point, they wither away, the religion that is born of mere excitement will die when the excitement is over.’
It worries me when people become Christians without even studying the Word of God first. People need to know and understand Who and what they are committing to, Luke 14:26-35.
Jesus says whenever the heat of tribulation or persecution comes along because of the Word of God, their delight in the truth just withers away and dries up.
3. Jesus goes on to describe another type of response to the Gospel.
In the case of the seed that fell among the thorns, Mark 4:4 / Mark 4:18-19, we must note that there was nothing wrong with the soil. It’s not too hard like the seed that fell along the path, there’s enough soil for the seed to take root, unlike the seed that fell on a rocky place.
It’s not the soil that’s the problem, it’s what is in the soil around it. It’s the environment in which it’s living is the problem. One of the ways that Satan likes to attack God’s people is with worry, worry is the greatest joy stealer there is.
Jesus says there are three things that steal our joy as a Christian. He says there are three things that can stop us from becoming a fruitful follower of the Word.
1. The cares of this world, Mark 4:19.
People are so caught up in this life that they forget about the next. They worry about their jobs, they worry about their homes, and they worry about having enough money to get by.
Jesus says we shouldn’t be getting distracted by anything, He’ll take care of all your worries, Matthew 6:25-34 / Matthew 6:33. He says, listen, we’re Christians, we don’t need to worry about these things, 1 Peter 5:7, just leave the worrying to the unbelievers.
2. The deceitfulness of riches, Mark 4:19.
The world’s biggest con these days is this, ‘get rich fast and you’ll be happy’. Whether that comes in the form of a new car or a new home, it doesn’t matter.
I don’t know if you have noticed, but over the past few years, the ‘National Lottery’ has now got even more chances for you to win every day of the week. They now have a daily ‘National Lottery’ draw.
And that’s because they realise that in a world that’s so commercial, people are lusting after the quick fix answer to their problems or a get me rich fast answer to your problems.
But Jesus tells us that, that’s not the fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23. He says that those riches are the fruit of the world. He says people are being deceived into thinking that material goods are the answer to life.
The only answer to this life is Jesus Christ Himself and if we want answers about this life then we need to look to Jesus, John 14:6. Because He’s the only one who has the answers for this life.
3. The pleasures of this life, Mark 4:19.
Everyone likes to have fun and there’s nothing wrong with that but the problem comes when the fun becomes more important than godly living.
There’s nothing wrong with playing cards but the problem comes when we start gambling and our gambling habit takes over our life. There’s nothing wrong with having a drink, but the problem comes when the drink comes more important than God himself.
God has given us the gift of pleasure, which in itself can be innocent. But we need to remember that the world’s idea of enjoyment is totally opposite to God’s idea of enjoyment.
These three things or these three thorns, that we have just mentioned are constantly in the environment that we live in every day. And what they do is smother and choke the Word of God, Mark 4:18-19. And Jesus says, the reason that these people don’t bear any fruit is because of these thorns.
He says, they look promising, they look like they’re going to bear fruit but they never do and so they end up choking to death. He says the thorns soak up all the moisture and riches that are in the soil and so the world ends up with all their attention and God just gets the dregs of whatever is left, Matthew 22:37. They are starved of the truth, which is found in the word of God.
4. Jesus speaks about the good soil, Mark 4:8 / Mark 4:19-20. Jesus says, ‘this is the soil I’m looking for, this is the kind of response to My words that I’m looking for.’
This soil is the total opposite from the three other soils mentioned. These are the people whose hearts are soft and tender, they received and cherished the seed, when it was planted.
These people soak up the Word of God and gain strength from it and go on to produce a crop of ‘thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown,’ Mark 4:20 / Luke 8:15.
These are the people who plant good seed in people’s hearts and are rewarded with a good crop, that is a good number of people responding to the Gospel message, 1 Corinthians 3:6.
They can see the world’s riches for what they really are, they guard themselves against worldly pleasures, Proverbs 21:17. And they cast all their anxieties onto Him because they know He cares for them, 1 Peter 5:7. They produce much fruit and it’s these people who are the long-distance faith runners, who are faithful to the end.
And it’s to those people who Jesus says, “Do you want to know a secret?” Mark 4:11. Don’t be surprised when people don’t want to hear about Me.
Don’t be surprised when people become Christians and only last a short time. Don’t be surprised when people look like they’re going to be great ambassadors for Christ but they fall away.
Everyone has a place in the parable of the sower. Jesus wants us to evaluate which type of soil we are.
1. Hopefully, we won’t be the hardened, wayside soil.
If we are, we will close our minds to the truth and refuse to allow the Gospel to penetrate our hearts and change our life.
2. Perhaps we’ll be the rocky soil.
On the surface, we appear to be growing and serving the Lord enthusiastically. But we aren’t deepening our roots through faith, study and a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When times become tough, we will fall away, and others will marvel because on the surface it looked like we were doing so well.
3. If we end up being the thorny soil, we will continue to ‘be a Christian,’ but our life will be dominated by other activities and we will never have much time or attention to share with spiritual concerns.
This is probably the most subtle danger because the plant in thorny soil never completely falls away. As a result, we can soothe our conscience and believe that we are still doing OK, when in fact, we aren’t bearing fruit.
4. Ideally, we will be the good soil that bears the fruit of righteousness for the Lord.
God’s Word doesn’t vary but man’s heart does. The nature of the response is dictated by the nature of the heart that receives it. The secret is this, don’t give up planting the seed, but persevere, Galatians 6:9. We never know what kind of response you’re going to get.
Jesus explained that the seed represents the word of God, Luke 8:11. There are many lessons that can be learned by the analogy between seed and the word.
For example, a seed always produces after its kind. That is, rice seed always produces rice plants, corn seed produces corn plants and pumpkin seed pumpkin plants. There are no exceptions.
By the plant results, one can determine what seed was planted. So it is in the spiritual realm. When the pure word of God is planted, the resulting plants are Christians.
It would be theoretically possible to eliminate pumpkin plants from the face of the earth. Yet if pumpkin seeds were preserved, someone many years later could plant them, and again produce pumpkins. So also in Christ. The seed is the word of God, 1 Peter 1:23-25.
Even if there had not been servants of Christ on the earth for a long time, when people returned to following the Bible only, they would become Christians. Our goal should be to reproduce pure disciples of Christ in the twentieth century, just like they were in the first.
The biggest mistake we can make as Christians after studying this is to look around us and say, ‘Yes, I know people who fall into one of those categories’. ‘I know someone who didn’t last long as a Christian’, that’s not the point of the parable.
The point of the parable is to get you to look at yourself, is your heartfelt response to the Gospel described in this parable? And let me just say that it would be very foolish for anyone to stand and say, ‘Yes, when the seed fell on me, it fell on the good soil.’ Because you can’t answer that question until the day Jesus returns or the day you die, 1 Corinthians 10:12.
Let’s not judge each other with this parable. But let’s continue to encourage each other to remain faithful to the end and trust in God to help us produce the fruit He requires.
