MARK 4- JESUS AND PARABLE OF THE SOILS.

Jesus, “He said to them, “Let’s go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may also preach there; for this is why I came.” He came to preach and teach people, and here in Mark 4, He teaches the people a parable. The word “Parable,” is ” a placing beside, a comparison.” It was something “placed alongside” something to tell a truth. Jesus used parables alot in his teaching.

  • “And with many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to [a]understand it; and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.”-{Mark 4:33-34}

According to one source He used around 35 in the first three Gospels. And, in Mark we are introduced to several such as …

  • Mark 4:1-34 gives us several “parables.” The parable of the sower/soils, the light and bushel basket, the growing seed, and the Mustard seed.
  • Jesus gives two explanations of how the Parable will work or not work upon the ones who hear.

THE PARABLE OF THE SOILS.

Jesus uses that which they would be familiar with, namely a farmer who sows seed. The seed falls on various soils, three of them do not take and so do not germinate, grow, and sprout. Only one of the soils produces fruit. The problem was not in the seed, for the same seed was sown on each soil. the problem was in the condition of the soil.

THE EXPLANATION OF THE PARABLE.

Jesus asked His disciples, “Do you not understand the parable?”-{v 13} and with that He began to explain, “The sower sows the WORD,: The “seed” is THE WORD OF GOD. When the Word of God is sown, each hearer responds depending on the condition of their heart. There is no deficiency in the WORD but in the condition of the hearers heart.

1.- “BESIDE THE ROAD;

“The sower sows THE WORD. These are the ones who are beside the road where THE WORD  is sown; and when they HEAR the WORD IMMEDIATELY satan comes and takes away the WORD which has been sown in them.”- {v 14-15}

2.- “ROCKY PLACES”

“And in a similar way these are the ones sown with seed on the rocky places, who, when they HEAR the WORD, IMMEDIATELY receive it with joy; and yet they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution occurs because of THE WORD, IMMEDIATELY they fall away.”-{ v 16-17}

3.- THORNY SOIL;

“And others are the ones sown with seed among the thorns; these are the ones who have HEARD THE WORD, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter and CHOKE THE WORD, and it becomes unfruitful.” -{

Note they too HEAR THE WORD, But it is choked out through the worries of this world, deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other THINGS! Do you see the danger of “worry?” it can CHOKE OUT the Word from having its desired effect in the heart of the hearer! Wealth is not a problem but the deceitfulness that it can often produce. Paul wrote to Timothy of it when he said, “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, [j]perseverance, and gentleness.”- {1 Timothy 6:9-11}. Woory, the deceitfulness of wealth where a person’s confidence, security are placed in it, displacing God, is a spiritual danger. The Greek word used here can also be translated, “DELUSION.” Those two along with “the desirers for other things”- the craving, lusting after other “things”

They “CHOKE- cut off,… literally, “choked because joined with.” as weeds choke out a plant, so these three choke out the Word of God in the heart of the hearer. The issue is not that they HEAR THE WORD OF GOD, but the condition of their heart! Guard your heart! It is not enough to HEAR THE WORD OF GOD, but to be Recptive to it.

The above three all heard the WORD but they did not bear fruit from the seed planted… they were lost, unsaved!

The only one that bears, produces fruit is the…

4. – GOOD SOIL;

“And those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil;and they HEAR THE WORD and ACCEPT IT, and BEAR FRUIT, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.”-{v20}

These are the ones who upon HEARING THE WORD… respond differently than the other three…. they ACCEPT IT for what it is – THE WORD OF GOD... “The word “ACCEPT” or some translations say “RECEIVE,” isin the present tense which means they continually receive, accept it, deliberately, willingly, to themselves, personally.

And The evidence they have accepted it? They produce spiritual fruit. though to different degrees, some “thirty” others sixty, others a hundred times as much, but all those who accept the WORD have this in common they bear… fruit… that is evident! produces fruit.

Take for example the church at Thessalonica and what “Fruit” Paul said was evident in their lives…

“You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word during great affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place the news of your faith toward God has gone out, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us as to the kind of reception we had with you, and how you TURNED TO GOD FROM IDOLS TO SERVE A LIVING AND TRUE GOD, and to WAIT for HIS SON from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is, Jesus who rescues us from the wrath to come.”- {1 Thessalonians 1:6-10}.

The Scripture speaks of various types of SPIRITUAL FRUIT such as…

  • The Fruit of Repentance -{1 Thess 1: 6-10}
  • The Fruit in Soul winning- {John 435-36;Rom 1:13- the word “harvest” is the same word John uses for “fruit in John 4}
  • The Fruit of Giving – {2 Cor 9:6-8}
  • The Fruit of Faithful service- {Phil 1:22}
  • The Fruit of the Spirit- {Galatians 5: 22-23}
  • The Fruit of Obedience- {Mark 4:20;}

“I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last”-{John 15:16}.

APPLICATION;

BE CAREFUL TO…

HEAR THE WORD OF GOD.

RECEIVE THE WORD OF GOD

APPLY THE WORD OF GOD.

God Bless,

Aidan,