Mark 4

The Setting of the Parables (4:1-2).

We are now given an example of how Jesus taught the crowds who came together to hear Him. He did it by the use of illustrations which were then left to convey their own message. By this means He sought to stir up their thinking, while at the same time keeping the material fresh. Each could gather from it what they would, and still be left in a positive frame of mind, hopefully ready to learn more.



“Listen. Behold a sower went out to sow.”

‘Listen.’ Jesus stresses, both here at the beginning of the parable, and at the end (Mar 4:9 ), that men must listen carefully. He wants them to be aware that the story has hidden meaning. This dual exhortation emphasised that He saw this parable as of special significance. It was a parable about the life transforming power of His words and of His message, and their response to it was all important for it would determine their whole future.

The use of parable and allegory was well known among Jewish teachers, for it was a powerful way to grip and illuminate the mind once the parable was understood, (although none, apart possibly from John the Baptiser, spoke to the huge crowds that Jesus did) and like John, Jesus used every day illustrations familiar to all. Both men, in the light of Isaiah’s teachings (Isa 32:15-18 ; Isa 44:1-5 ; Isa 55:10-11 ), saw the coming of the Kingly Rule of God in terms of God’s activity in nature, and of the activity of the Holy Spirit pictured in terms of rain being poured from Heaven. But Jesus wanted the people to give the illustrations deeper thought. All were familiar with the problems attendant on growing food. The hard and stony ground which their primitive tools often made little impression on, the precious seed that could so easily be wasted or lost. And all grieved over the birds who ate the seed before it could take root, the grain that grew too quickly without being deeply rooted, the weeds that choked the seed. They were an everyday experience of life and a burden for many. They were a part of their struggle to survive. But Jesus’ question was, did they realise that they were illustrative of what could hinder them receiving His all important message? They should have known it, for the use of such pictures were a continuation of the methods of the prophets (Isa 5:1-7 ; Isa 27:4 ; Jer 4:3 ; Jer 12:13 ; Eze 2:6 ).

He also wanted them to recognise that for those who did listen and absorb His message there would be spiritual fruitfulness and a wonderful harvest. To these people harvest represented their hope for the future, and they recognised that no harvest was quite as important as the final Harvest in the last day. It pointed to the glorious future that could be theirs under the blessing of God. Jesus wanted them to realise that this time of harvest was approaching, and that He wanted them to partake in it fully. Those who had listened to the preaching of John the Baptiser were aware of his stress on spiritual fruitfulness, and on barrenness, in the face of the judgment, and of the coming work of the Holy Spirit (Mat 3:8-12 ; Luk 3:7-9 ). Now Jesus reinforces that message and expands on it. All that they hoped and longed for was dependent on their willingness to receive and absorb His teaching.

This parable compares those who hear the word, and in three ways fail to receive it successfully, with those who do receive the word, and produce fruit at three levels. It is another presentation of the two ways (Mat 7:13-14 ). It will be noted that the emphasis is not so much on the harvest as on what is, or is not, produced. It is a brilliantly simple analysis of men’s hearts. With some there was no interest. With some there was interest but no depth of thought or understanding. With some what interest there was, was choked by other things than the word of truth, by cares, anxieties and a desire for wealth. Notice also the fate of the seed which has failed to yield fruit. Some was devoured, some withered in the sun, and some was choked. The failures thus came for a variety of reasons but the end result was the same, there was no fruitfulness. Each listener was left to think for himself what it was that might be the hindrance in his own life. And then the glorious goal was set before him that he could, if he truly responded to Jesus and His words, produce one hundredfold.

It has sometimes been argued that Jesus original intention in this parable was simply to build up to the idea of the Harvest, with that as the sole emphasis of the parable, but a moments thought will reveal that this really cannot be so unless Jesus was talking to half-wits. And He was not. He was speaking to people steeped in the Old Testament and later Jewish tradition, and inevitably when they heard of the birds swooping down to seize the seed their ears would prick up and they would think in terms of powers of evil and of demons, and even of Satan himself, in the light of Jewish tradition where birds were commonly seen in that way (compare also Gen 15:11 ; Gen 40:17 ; Gen 40:19 ; Isa 18:5-6 ; Jer 7:33 ; Jer 12:9 ; Eze 39:4 ; Eze 39:17 where the descent of birds is something that fills men with foreboding). We can compare here Rev 18:2 , which echoes those traditions, where devils, unclean spirits and unclean birds are seen to be operating in parallel (compare Isa 13:21 ; Isa 34:11 ; Isa 34:14-15 ).

But even more so when they heard of sowing among thorns their minds would immediately call to mind the words of Jeremiah, ‘Do not sow among thorns’ (Jer 4:3 ), and ‘they have sown wheat and have reaped thorns’ (Jer 12:13 ). It was inevitable. They could hardly have failed to do so. And thus alert minds would already be looking into the details of the parable and asking themselves what it meant. And it can hardly be doubted in the light of this that Jesus intended them to do so.

‘Behold a sower went out to sow.’ This was an everyday sight in season, and crucial to their existence., and they would see in their mind’s eye the sower with his bag over his shoulder, walking along distributing the seed as he went. And in view of Who was telling the story they would be reminded of the words of Pro 11:18 , ‘he who sows righteousness has a sure reward,’ and, somewhat guiltily (because they had not done it), of Hos 10:12 , ‘Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to mercy, break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the LORD, until he come and rain righteousness upon you.’ They would recognise that this sower was therefore somehow connected with this call to repentance, and for them to become prepared ground so that righteousness might flourish in their hearts. That Jesus was therefore issuing such a call for repentance and a turning to righteousness, in the light of the presence in Him of the Kingly Rule of Heaven.

And what would He sow? They would find their answer in Isa 55:10 . In that passage the seed for the sower resulted from God’s rain falling on God’s earth, producing ‘seed for the sower’, a seed which would then through God’s provision of rain and sun be sent forth to fulfil His will, accomplishing what He pleased and prospering in the way in which He sent it. And there it was seen in terms of the word of God going forth to accomplish God’s will of salvation and deliverance. Jesus wanted them to know that John the Baptiser had been a sower (Joh 4:36-38 ), and that He Himself was now at that moment sowing seed among them declaring that the Kingly rule of God had drawn near (Mar 1:15 ). He wanted them to recognise that the fulfilling of God’s promises humanly speaking depended on their responsiveness to what He said. The discerning among them would recognise that it was so. Indeed those who had responded to the teaching of John the Baptiser would instantly be reminded of it.

While the description ‘a sower’ was general, Jesus was not philosophising. He was not just saying, ‘have you thought about this? Isn’t it interesting?’ He was too aware of the newness and uniqueness of His message that the time for response to the Kingly Rule of God was here. No. His message was that God sent sowers out to sow and now something new was being sown. And the question was, did they realise it? Would they respond? The prophets had been sowers, as had John the Baptiser (Joh 4:36-38 ). Now He wanted them to recognise that the Sower Supreme was here and that others too would sow as He did, who would be sent out by Him. And they must be ready to receive their words.

It is not accidental that this parable follows immediately on Mar 3:35 . There we have the lesson of what Jesus was calling men to do in His teaching. He was calling them to respond to and obey the will of God. It was in that way that the Kingly Rule of God would be established. And that will was especially revealed in His own teaching. The question was, therefore, were they ready to do the will of God, or was His word to be choked by events of this life? Mark certainly intends us to see that the preaching of the Kingly Rule of God is in mind (Mar 4:11 ; Mar 4:26 ; Mar 4:30 ).

Some have sought to deny that this is to some extent allegorical and that the individual parts of the parable have a deeper meaning, but it is only necessary to notice the emphasis of the story to recognise that that suggestion is too restrictive. There can really be no doubt that one emphasis is specifically on reasons why the seed is not fruitful, as with the prophets before Him. This must therefore be a main lesson of the parable. And another equally important emphasis is on the final fruitful harvest.



“And it happened that, as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside and the birds came and devoured it.”

In Palestine the fields were in narrow strips with pathways in between the strips, and these pathways would be hardened and trampled. They were rights of way (when the Apostles had walked through the cornfields in Mar 2:23 they had used such paths). As the sower took seed from his pouch and scattered it some would inevitably fall on such ground and be wasted, for there it could not take root and the birds were ever on the watch for such seed. The sight of them pecking away at the precious seed was a familiar one to His hearers. And as we have seen above it would be a reminder, to a people steeped in the Old Testament and later Jewish tradition, of the way in which birds could be seen as swooping down to seize the seed in a way that was reminiscent of the activities of the powers of evil and of demons, and even of Satan himself, especially in view of Jewish tradition where birds were commonly seen in that way (compare also Gen 15:11 ; Gen 40:17 ; Gen 40:19 ; Isa 18:5-6 ; Jer 7:33 ; Jer 12:9 ; Eze 39:4 ; Eze 39:17 ). We can especially compare here Rev 18:2 , which echoes those traditions, where devils, unclean spirits and unclean birds are seen to be operating in parallel (compare Isa 13:21 ; Isa 34:11 ; Isa 34:14-15 ).



“And other fell on rocky ground where it did not have much earth, and it sprang up immediately because it had no depth of earth. And when the sun was risen it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered.”

Ancient ploughs could not plough up the ground like their modern equivalent. In comparison they but scratched the surface, and in many places there was little earth and the ground beneath was hard rock. The plough could do nothing about it. Thus there was nothing to give root to the seed. The result was that once there was a little rain it sprang up quickly, (all its energy went into quick growth), and it equally quickly died in the burning sun because it had no roots with which to draw on hidden supplies of water. This was a grief of heart to the farmer. The shoots showed so much promise and produced such little result. And the discerning ones among Jesus’ listeners would remember the words of the prophets, ‘break up your fallow ground, do not sow among thorns’ (Jer 4:3 ), and ‘break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to rain righteousness on you’ (Hos 10:12 ), and would ensure that their hearts were not set like stone.



“And other fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it and it yielded no fruit.”

The farmer could pull up the thorns before sowing but he could not remove the roots of the thorns. Thus both seed and thorns grew together and where there was an abundance of thorn roots the good seed had no chance. As it sought to grow it would be choked. That is why the prophet had warned his listeners, ‘do not sow among thorns’ (Jer 4:3 ). Thus Jesus’ hearers already had good grounds for recognising what was intended by His words.



“And others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. And it produced thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

The change to the plural ‘others’ stresses the individuality of those who respond and that there are many who would so respond. In spite of all the problems that he faced the farmer could be sure that some seed would grow and flourish because the ground was good, and when it did it would produce in abundance. So in the end the message is positive. A harvest is guaranteed. The seed will bear fruit in receptive hearers, even though not in others. Those who had heard John the Baptiser’s preaching would not fail to connect this with his words about the coming of the Holy Spirit, the wheat and the chaff, and the resulting harvest (Mat 3:10-12 ; Luk 3:16-17 ).

‘It produced thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold.’ This threefoldness parallels the threefoldness of the different types of barren ground. Not all seed sown in good ground produces at the same level, but all produces abundantly. The reference is possibly to the number of grains per plant, although the figures may simply be indications of fruitfulness indicating completeness, double completeness and full completeness.



‘And he said, “whoever has ears to hear, let him hear”.’

The need to take note is repeated, stressing the importance of the parable and its significance. Like the good ground men need to be ready recipients of the sown seed. This warning is repeated twice underlining its importance (see Mar 4:23 ). It echoes Jer 5:21 ; Eze 12:2 .



‘And when he was alone those who were about him with the twelve asked him what the parables meant.’

Notice that this was not just the twelve, it was a wider number of His followers ‘who were about Him’ (compare Mar 3:34 ). They recognised that there was a lesson to be learned and came to Him seeking more truth. They were not satisfied just with a story.

‘When He was alone.’ That is, when the crowds had dispersed and He was no longer in demand. This explanation need not necessarily have been given immediately. Indeed this comment suggests that it may well not have been, for Mar 4:35 suggests connection back to Mar 4:1 indicating a day of preaching, and some of these enquirers would not have been in the boat with Him. It awaited a suitable time and place. Mark puts it here so that the application immediately follows the giving of the parable and brings out Jesus’ purpose in the use of parables.

‘What the parables meant.’ Notice the plural for ‘parables’. This may indicate that Jesus had taught a number of parables at this juncture, to which they required explanation. However it may be that it rather indicates that they had recognised the fact that His story of the sower contained a number of ‘parables’, i.e. riddles to be explained. We may translate, ‘what the illustrations meant’. (Compare Mar 3:23 . The meaning of the word ‘parable’ is more fixed for us than it was for them). We need not assume that they were completely in the dark about its meaning, but rather that they wanted to make sure that they had the message right.



‘And he said to them, “To you is given the mystery of the Kingly Rule of God, but to those who are without all things are done in parables, in order that seeing they may see, and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest it should happen that they turn again and it should be forgiven them”.’

‘To you is given.’ This is a way of saying ‘God has given you’ without using the name of God (compare His use of the passive tense in such a way in Mat 5:3-9 and often). ‘To you is given’ compares with Jesus’ words in Joh 6:65 , ‘no man can come to me except it were given to him of my Father’. It is saying that by nature man is blinded to spiritual truth, and that it is only as God’s undeserved love acts on a man that he comprehends and responds to the truth (compare Mat 11:25 ).

‘The mystery of the Kingly Rule of God.’ In the New Testament a ‘mystery’ was something previously hidden but now revealed. It was an ‘opened secret’, and because these disciples sought, it was to be opened to them. For this idea of the secret things of God compare Deu 29:9 ; Amo 3:7 ; Psa 25:14 ; Pro 3:32 ; Job 15:8 . The LXX uses the word ‘musterion’ of the secret God reveals to Daniel (e.g. Dan 2:19 ). Thus God’s secret was now being revealed, the secret that the Kingly Rule of God was now present and spreading. Compare Mat 13:35 .

‘To those who are outside.’ Compare Mar 3:31 . All who hear His words, but do not seek their deeper meaning, are spiritually ‘outside’, just as His mother and brothers were ‘outside’ earlier, so that they were not welcomed as His ‘brother, sister and mother’ (Mar 3:31 ).

Jesus is aware of how easily men could become like the hard ground on which seed could not grow. If they were told the significance of the parable before their hearts were opened they would just become hardened. They would see and not perceive, they would hear and not understand, and His fear was that they may then prematurely ‘turn again’ and receive a transient ‘forgiveness’ (see Mar 4:16 ) which was not real and lasting, a spurious experience. That has been the lot of many a man. It was the lot of Judas. But Jesus wanted true seekers, not those with a mere casual interest. Thus it was necessary to preach a partly hidden message which would lead those who wanted to know the truth to seek further, while leaving the remainder untouched but unhardened.

‘Done in parables.’ That is as hidden sayings, riddles (compare Psa 49:4 ; Psa 78:2 ; Pro 1:6 ; Eze 17:2 ), something to entice thought without being too openly apparent.

‘In order that (hina) seeing they may see, and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest (mepote) it should happen that they turn again and it should be forgiven them” The quotation is taken from Isa 6:9-10 . Its being quoted in the third person instead of the second, and the use of ‘forgive’ instead of ‘heal’, is paralleled in the Targum (Jewish commentary) of Isaiah (Mat 13:14 onwards reproduces the LXX). The New Testament writers used different sources for their quotations in Greek (just as we may quote Scripture from different versions).

At face value this appears to be declaring that God’s purpose is that they might not see or hear in case they should turn again and thus find forgiveness, that is, that God is specifically acting in them and blinding their minds and their thoughts in order to prevent them from finding forgiveness.

Taken in this way it must be seen as being an example of God being seen as the final cause of all that happens. We can compare how in 2Sa 24:1 ‘the Lord’ (YHWH) causes David to number Israel, whereas in 1Ch 21:1 it is Satan who does so. The idea behind the first statement is that God is the great First Cause and that it is God Who is in the end sovereign over all that happens so that He is even seen as responsible for allowing Satan to do what he does. And who can deny that that is true? If this is accepted it can thus be argued that in the same way God is here taking the responsibility for what men do, even though it is not directly His doing. In other words it is then saying that if men and women close their eyes and their ears lest they be converted, then in the end it is God Who has done it, for He made man as he is.

However, other suggestions have also been made. These mainly depend on taking hina (in order that’) and mepote (‘lest’) and not accepting them at face value. For example it has been suggested that ‘mepote’ may possibly translate an Aramaic word used by Jesus (dilema) which means ‘unless’. This would then mean that turning again and being forgiven was to be seen as a possible alternative to not hearing and not perceiving. But it is not what mepote usually means.

In the Hebrew of Isaiah the word certainly means ‘lest’ and may thus be seen as signifying that in God’s purposes only the few are chosen (Mat 22:14 ), and the same applies to mepote in the Greek.

An alternative is to see Jesus as speaking ironically. He may be saying that if God did not prevent it they might superficially ‘turn again and be forgiven’, but that it would be in a way that was transient and passing, and not real. That is then to be seen as the ‘turning again’ that He is trying to prevent. It is saying that He does not want superficial repentance. It would have in mind, for example, what happened with Israel at Sinai. There too there was a turning again and a receiving of a kind of forgiveness, but in many it was not genuine so that they soon turned back to their own ways and in the end perished in the wilderness. And the same happened again and again throughout their history (consider Isa 58:1-8 ). The point here then is that He did not want that to happen again. If there was to be repentance He wanted it to be genuine and true, and thus He acted to prevent them coming to a position of false repentance. This way of looking at it actually fits well with the idea of Jesus’ use of parables in order to prevent men becoming case hardened.

For the truth is that men have an infinite capacity for discovering methods by which they can be put in the right with God without the actual need of a true submission to Jesus Christ, through, for example, making gifts of money to the church, by means of a stereotyped confessional, or by signing a decision card. In Jesus’ day it may well have been through offering the appropriate sacrifices without considering the need for genuine repentance, giving money to the Temple or the observance of certain feasts (see Isa 1:11-15 ).

Another alternative is again to see it as ironic and as suggesting that the emphasis must be put on the last phrase each time, thus ‘in order that seeing they may see and not perceive’, and hearing they may hear and not understand, with the words in italics indicating the position that they deliberately take up. Then the subsequent ‘lest’ is put at their door. They have deliberately not perceived and not understood because the last thing that they want is to have to turn again and be forgiven.



‘And he says to them, “Do you not know this parable? And how shall you know all parables?” ’

‘Do you not know this parable?’ Strictly He means ‘do you not know what this parable means, do you not understand it?’ There is a slight rebuke implied in Jesus’ words. These eager hearers have revealed their inability to grasp truth and to link it up with what they have heard before in the ministry of John the Baptiser. Yet He feels that they should have done so. John had himself clearly used ‘parabolic’ forms of expression illustrating the going forth of the word of God and its impact, in terms of agriculture and nature, and of abundant grain (Mat 3:6-12 ; Luk 3:7-9 ; Luk 3:17 ). Why then did they still not see?

But the descriptions in the parable had been commonplace ones and without that first clue the parable is not as clear as it would be once the clue was given. We are so used to it that it seems obvious, but we are not hearing it for the first time without an explanation. It was not so obvious to the first hearers. They only knew that it had a spiritual message to convey that they had, at least partly, missed. Had we been in the same situation we too may not have fully understood.

‘How then shall you know all the parables?’ Perhaps His words here were intended to dampen down any feeling of superiority they may have been developing because they saw themselves as His true followers. But it also warns them that they must put more effort into their interpretation. If they cannot understand this one which is so clear, how will they get on with the more problematic ones?

Such a rebuke is not likely to have been invented at a later time when the Apostles and those who had directly followed Jesus, and were eyewitnesses, had great prestige. None but Jesus could have given it. And this helps to confirm that what follows are His words as well. The idea that Jesus could not have intended a number of lessons to be contained in His parable has little foundation in fact. Mar 12:1-9 , for example, is clearly intended as an allegory. And there is nothing forced about the applications, either in that parable there, or the one here.



“The sower sows the word.”

This is the clue that makes the meaning of the parable clear. What is sown is God’s word to man. This includes the message that ‘the Kingly Rule of God is at hand’, and that by faith they can repent and come under His Kingly Rule. The initiator is in the first place God. It is He Who in the Old Testament sends forth His word to bring about His purpose. But He sends out and provides seed for the sower (Isa 55:10 ). Thus the sower is the One to Whom He has given His word, and who is to follow in His steps. Here it is especially Jesus by implication, but as well includes John the Baptiser, together with Jesus’ own followers, for once He has trained them they too will be given the seed and will sow the word. Compare how the work of Jesus as the Servant of God is to be continued in His followers (Act 13:47 ). But the main emphasis is certainly on the fact that it is God’s word that is being sown. It is on the fact that God’s word is now among them as never before. The message is all the more poignant in that it could already be seen as having occurred in the ministry of John, and to some extent as having failed to some degree. True there had been great response in many, but in many more the early enthusiasm resulting from his ministry had already died down.

The discerning listener would have been reminded of Isa 55:10 . ‘For as the rain comes down, and the snow, from heaven, and does not return there, but waters the earth and makes it bring forth and bud and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth, it shall not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please and prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’ In these words Isaiah depicts the whole process of the growth of grain, the rain and snow from heaven, the watering of the earth, the bringing forth of grain and fruit, the sower who receives and sows the seed in order to continue the process, and the eater who eats what is produced from it. By comparison with Isa 44:2-5 this could then be related to God’s activity in sending forth His Spirit to change the hearts of men. God’s word is the prime source and the prime emphasis is on the fruitfulness produced by the activity of God, and the sower sows as a result and continues the work. Then He likens it to the going forth of His word which directly accomplishes His purposes. Thus the sower is one provided with seed to assist in the carrying forward of the purposes of God.

The discerning among Jesus’ hearers were well aware that a great work of God was going on in Jesus. That is why they had come to listen to Him. And they did not need to be reminded of the need for heavenly rain to water the seed. The need for rain to produce fruitfulness was to them a constant fact of life and had been illustrated spiritually in John’s baptism. But there was also need for a sower, and Jesus is now saying that the time for the sower to go forth to continue the work of God has come, a sower taking forth the word of God.

‘The word.’ Compare Mar 2:2 ; Mar 7:13 . To Jesus ‘the word (logos)’ refers to the true message of God, both to His own message of the nearness of the expected Kingly Rule of God (Mar 2:2 with Mar 1:15 ) and to ‘the word of God’ as found in the Scriptures (Mar 7:13 ). Indeed to Him they were both one word. However, the stress in the parable (as in Isaiah) is not on the sower but on the going forth of the word, and that the word that is going forth is the word of God (Isa 55:11 ). And then the stress is on the hindrances to its reception because of the condition of the ground, which represents the condition of the hearts of men, and what results for those who truly receive it. The sower, though necessary, was secondary. The going forth of the word and the condition of the ground that received it were primary.



‘And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown. And when they have heard Satan comes immediately and takes away the word which has been sown in them.’

Here the seed is the word, and the hearers are like the beaten down path, for they do not absorb the word so that Satan is able to take it away ‘immediately’. They are totally unmoved and go on to other things, not even aware of what they have lost. Matthew tells us that it is ‘the word of the kingly rule’ and that it is ‘the Evil one’ who snatches away ‘what has been sown in his heart’. Matthew then adds, ‘this is he that was sown by the wayside’. Thus ‘to be sown’ is an abbreviation for someone receiving the sown seed.

Note that the explanation does not specifically apply the detail of the parable as if it were fully an allegory. The interpretation is not mechanical but living. For example no attempt is made to relate the plural birds to the singular Satan. As the explanation continues the hearers might be thought to be revealed as the seed itself, but as we see from Matthew that is to apply the language too pedantically. What they are is the soil and the resultant grain that results from the action of the word on the ‘soil’. They are thus the result of the sowing of the seed combined with their response to it. Jesus is depicting the general consequences of what happens. He is not applying every detail. This supports the idea that the interpretation follows closely on the giving of the parable. A later mechanical application by the church as an allegory would have been more particular and specific.

We should notice that the idea of the activity of Satan is prominent in the surrounding context (Mar 3:11 ; Mar 3:22-30 ; Mar 5:1-20 ). We should not therefore be surprised to find a reference to him here. Jesus is quietly emphasising that He and Satan are not on the same side, and that Satan is in fact rather seeking to hinder His teaching.

We have already seen how the descent of birds in Scripture is regularly seen as something that should fill men with foreboding (e.g. Gen 15:11 ; Gen 40:17 ; Gen 40:19 ; Isa 18:5-6 ; Jer 7:33 ; Jer 12:9 ; Eze 39:4 ; Eze 39:17 ) and that we can compare Jesus’ words here with Rev 18:2 , which echoes Jewish traditions where devils, unclean spirits and unclean birds were seen to be operating in parallel (compare Isa 13:21 ; Isa 34:11 ; Isa 34:14-15 ). Thus their very background should have given them an inkling of the significance of the birds.



‘And in the same way these are they who are sown on the rocky places who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy. Yet they have no root in themselves but endure for a while. Then when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.’

Some hear the word and receive it with joy. But they are in fact in contrast with those who are described for example in 1Th 2:13-15 who receive the word with joy in truth, for they are like sprouting of the seed sown on the rocky places, instead of prepared ground. The seed begins to grow enthusiastically as the result of a little rain, but as no root is established they quickly wither and die. The work is superficial. No true spiritual work has taken place in their hearts. They have been swayed by the magnetism of some great preacher, or the enthusiasm of someone whom they admire. But it has not touched their hearts. There have always been many such. And persecutions and troubles soon filter them out. Tribulation and persecution in one way or another has always been the lot of the one who seeks to follow God’s word. And it separates the true from the false, the genuine from the fake. If only they had broken up their fallow ground. Then God would have come and rained righteousness upon them (Hos 10:12 ).

‘They who are sown.’ That is, the word of God is sown in them. They hear the word and receive it with joy and sprout up. We should note again here that all the people spoken of in the parable are both the ground that receives the seed (which is basically at this point Israel) and the grain that results. The seed is sown and produces differing responses within the people, and in those who respond, different behaviour which results from a changed nature (Rom 6:4 ; 1 Corinthians 5:17 ). The word unites with responsive people in producing (or not producing) a new life, which is the basis of Jesus’ teaching on the new birth (‘born of water’) (Joh 3:1-8 ).

These, and those choked by thorns and thistles, are like the people spoken of in Hebrews 6 (note Heb 6:8 ). They have been enlightened and have experienced the heavenly gift (compare the temporary ‘forgiveness’ which was mentioned in Mar 3:12 which God did not want men to receive), they have gone along with the Holy Spirit in His revealing work and tasted the good word of God, they have witnessed, and even possibly experienced, the miracles of the coming age. Judas was certainly one such. He had cast out evil spirits and done miracles in Christ’s name along with the other Apostles. But Jesus knew from the beginning his true state (Joh 6:64 ). And like him, many fall away because they have no root (and He knew who they were as well (Joh 6:64 )). They bear thorns and thistles. They are not receptive and fruit producing ground.

Jesus, and John the Baptiser as a sower before Him, were both well aware that some who would at first seem eager would be disappointed and cease to follow because what resulted did not come within their expectations (Joh 2:23-25 ; Joh 6:66 ; Joh 12:43 ), and because they did not want the truth as it was revealed (Joh 6:60 ). They would appear to have accepted forgiveness but did not want it on God’s terms.

‘Endure for a while’ or ‘are temporary’. The word proskairoi occurs only here in the Gospels (and in the parallel Mat 13:31 ) and twice more in the New Testament (2Co 4:18 ; Heb 11:25 ) indicating that which is temporary, that which only lasts for a while.

‘Tribulation or persecution arises.’ Jesus constantly warned that those who followed Him must expect tribulation and persecution (Mar 8:34 ; Mar 8:38 ; Mar 10:30 ; Mat 5:10-12 ; Mat 10:17 ; Mat 10:21-23 ; Luk 6:22 ; Joh 15:20-21 ; Joh 16:2 ; Joh 16:33 ). He knew it Himself as an everyday fact of life (Luk 4:28-29 ; Mar 3:6 ).

‘They stumble.’ The verb skandalizein only occurs in Biblical Greek and literature influenced by it. The skandalon (or skandalethron) is the stick which is baited to operate a trap, thus a bait or snare, or even in LXX a stumblingblock. The verb is only used metaphorically and means ‘to ensnare into sin’ or ‘to take offence at’, also ‘to give offence to’, ‘to anger’. Thus here they are ensnared into sin, and they therefore find the word a stumblingblock.



‘And others are those who were sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word, and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things, entering in, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.’

Some seed was sown among thorns. This represents those who allow other distractions to choke the effect of the word in their lives. The succint summing up of such distractions (‘the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things’), bears the stamp of the Master. They affect both poor and rich alike. The problems and difficulties that men face, the longing for greater and greater wealth, the lusts and desires of the flesh, how these sum up men’s lives. But when they prevent reception of the word they have become a curse indeed. And when the harvest comes and the sickle reaps, where are they then?

‘Those who have heard the word.’ There has been some response but it fails to attain its object. They have not sown to themselves in righteousness and broken up their fallow ground.

‘The cares (‘anxieties’) of this world (or ‘age’)’. ‘Anxieties’ (merimna) - compare its use in Luk 21:34 where it is used in parallel with surfeiting and drunkenness. But surfeiting and drunkenness often do result from the fact that men are burdened down with care, so we may see merimna here as referring to all the cares and anxieties that burden men down in this present age. ‘Of this age.’ There is possibly a contrast with the fact that the new Kingly Rule has drawn near and the new age is about to begin. And they are in danger of missing it!

‘The deceitfulness of riches’ (or possibly ‘the pleasantness of riches’). When men are wealthy they are deceived into thinking that wealth is all. Diversions are open to them, and the very pleasantness of wealth itself is a snare (1Ti 6:9-10 ). It shields men from response to God (compare 1Co 1:26 ), and promises what it cannot give, true heart satisfaction. It becomes a god in itself, that rules men’s lives. When men are not wealthy they see it as something greatly to be desired and for which all else can be forfeited (Pro 15:27 ). It lures them on with its false promises and destroys lives (Pro 1:19 ; Pro 28:20 ). When they are wealthy their wealth takes possession of them and they become neglectful of spiritual things. We can compare here the rich young ruler (Mar 10:17-22 ).

‘The desires for other things.’ Here epithumia means ‘lusts’, desires that grip men’s lives, driving them on thoughtlessly without regard for God. In later terminology they are described as the lusts of the flesh (see Gal 5:16with 1:9-21 ) and of the mind (Eph 2:3 ). It covers all that men desire which stops them thinking about God.

So human cares and anxieties, wealth and the desire for it, and the longings of men for other things, all combine to choke the word, making them unresponsive to the Kingly Rule of God.



‘And those are they that were sown on the good ground, such as hear the word and firmly receive it, and bear fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold.’

This is the climax of the parable to which all else has been leading. There are those in whom the seed sown will bear fruit, and that in abundant measure, because they firmly receive it. The magnificence of the yield draws attention to its importance in the parable. As every farmer knew, some seed sown would produce a harvest. And that was why he went on sowing. Thus there were those who would hear the word, and would take it to their hearts so that it could give them new life and mould their lives, and there would be fruit in abundance.

We should note here again Isa 55:10-13 , “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, making it bring to birth (the Hebrew is yalad in the hiphil, almost exclusively used of the birth of living creatures) and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be -- ’. Jesus does not mention rain in the parable but it would be everywhere assumed by his hearers, and it brings to new life those who receive it. To Isaiah the life-giver was the rain of the word of God and only secondarily the seed, to the Spirit empowered Jesus it was the seed sown in the power of the Spirit that was the word of God, but both represent the word going forth to fulfil God’s purposes.



The Hidden Truth Is Meant To Be Revealed and Experienced (4:21-23).

The sayings in this next section are repeated in Matthew and Luke in different contexts. This reminds us that, as with all preachers, Jesus would in His ministry use the same illustrations again and again, even sometimes with different emphases depending on context. See for example, Mat 5:15 ; Mat 7:2 ; Mat 10:26 ; Mat 13:12 ; Mat 25:29 ; Luk 6:38 ; Luk 8:16-18 ; Luk 12:48 ; Luk 19:26 . A good illustration is always worth repeating.

Note how the words here balance out those in Mar 4:11-12 . There the problem was those who heard and did not understand, here it is those who see and do not perceive. The idea is very similar to that in the parallel of the sower. The difference lies in that there the emphasis was on the condition of the receptor, here the emphasis is on what the receptor does with what he receives.

Analysis.

a And he said to them, “Does the lamp come to be put under the corn measure, or under the bed, and not to be put on the stand?” (Mar 4:21 ).

b “For there is nothing hidden except for the purpose of it being openly revealed” (Mar 4:22 a).

b “Neither was anything made secret but that it should come to light” (Mar 4:22 b).

a “If any man has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mar 4:23 ).

Note that in ‘a’ the lamp is put on the stand so that men may see by it, and in the parallel the one who has ears to hear, must hear. In ‘b’ we have two comparisons which parallel each other demonstrating that God’s purpose for His secrets is that they might come out into the open and be understood.



Men Must Ensure That They Receive God’s Truth While They May, Otherwise They Might Lose It (4:24-25).

Having spoken of God’s truth as being like a lamp whose effectiveness depends on what men do with it, Jesus now stresses the need to take heed while it is still shining. And He does it in terms of an offer that is being made, which men must then decide whether they will accept or reject.

Analysis.

a And he said to them, “Be careful what you hear” (Mar 4:24 a).

b “With what measure you measure it will be measured to you” (Mar 4:24 b).

c “And more shall be given to you” (Mar 4:24 c).

b “For to him who has, to him will be given” (Mar 4:25 a).

a “And he who has not, from him will be taken away even that which he has” (Mar 4:25 b).

Note that in ‘a’ they are to be careful what they hear, and in the parallel this is because if they do not accept what is offered they will lose even what they have. In ‘b’ they will receive the measure from God (or from other people) that they measure out to others, while in the parallel the one who has what is worthwhile will receive more. Central in ‘c’ is the thought that God gives more and more to those who are ready initially to receive.



The Seed Growing Secretly Until the Harvest (4:26-29).

Jesus now illustrates the certainty of the harvest which will come about through God’s secret work in the world. Man casts the seed on the earth, but it is God Who causes it to grow, and then, even when men are least expecting it, and it is beyond their understanding, God produces His harvest, which He has been secretly developing all the time. For it is all a part of His purpose. And once the harvest is ripe, the sickle is put in and it is reaped.

Analysis.

· And he said, “So is the Kingly Rule of God, as if a man should cast seed on the earth” (Mar 4:26 ).

· “And should sleep and rise, night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he does not know how” (Mar 4:27 ).

· “The earth bears fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear” (Mar 4:28 ).

· “But when the fruit is ripe (literally, ‘when the fruit allows’), he puts forth the sickle because the harvest is come” (Mar 4:29 ).

Note that in ‘a’ he sows the seed and in the parallel he reaps the harvest. In ‘b’ he does not understand the process of growth, and in the parallel that growth takes place regardless.



The Grain of Mustard Seed (4:30-32).

The grain of mustard seed was a favourite illustration of Jesus (Mat 13:31 ; Mat 17:20 ; Luk 13:19 ; Luk 17:6 ). It was a tiny seed and yet it would quickly grow into a large bush, often well over two metres high, in which birds could take shelter. Indeed they were very fond of its small black seeds, and birds would have been a common sight around a mustard bush.

Analysis.

a And he said, “How shall we liken the Kingly Rule of God, or in what picture (parabolos) shall we set it forth? It is like a grain of mustard seed which,

b When it is sown on the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,

b Yet when it is sown, grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs,

a And puts out sizeable branches so that the birds of the air can shelter under their shadow

Note that in ‘a’ the Kingly Rule of God is like a grain of mustard seed, and in the parallel this results in sizeable branches in which the birds can shelter. In ‘b’ it commences as the smallest of all the seeds used by Palestinian farmers, and in the parallel its resultant bush becomes greater than all the herbs.



Concluding Words (4:33-34).

Mark concludes this section by pointing out that these parables that he has described were just examples of many parable that Jesus gave, and in fact that to the crowds He did not speak without a parable. However, to His own He explained everything.

Analysis.

a And with many such parables he spoke the word to them.

b As they were able to hear it.

b And he did not speak to them without a parable.

a But privately to his own disciples he expounded all things.

Note that in ‘a’ He spoke to the crowds in parables, while in the parallel to His disciples He expounded all things. In ‘b’ He spoke as the crowds were able to hear it, and in the parallel this was therefore not in plain speech but in parables.



‘And on that day when evening was come he says to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” ’

‘And on that day when evening was come.’ This connects back with Mar 4:1 giving the impression that we are dealing with one day in the life of Jesus. And in a sense we are. But we have already noticed that it is his method to deliberately bring together incidents of a similar kind, or which go together, to present a full picture. (Mar 1:1-45 ; Mar 2:1 to Mar 3:6 ; Mar 3:7-35 and so on). And it is quite clear that Mark does not see Him as having been sitting in the boat while all that is described in chapter 4 has been happening. For example Mar 4:10 indicates a period when He was alone with His followers. The introductions in Mar 4:21 ; Mar 4:26 ; Mar 4:30 also suggest stories told at different times deliberately introduced here (Mark clearly does not present it as a continuous sermon in contrast with Matthew 5-7), and Mar 4:33-34 summarise a practise over a period. So the connection between the sayings are loose ones. It seems therefore that he brings into the incident described in Mar 4:1-9 , taken with Mar 4:35-36 , other matters which can be connected with the events of that day in order to give them a readable context. (He is not writing a chronological biography but a Gospel biography).

‘When evening was come.’ Night was falling which would make what follows even more dramatic.

‘Let us go over to the other side.’ It is probable that this was because He was exhausted and needed to escape from the crowds to an area where nothing was expected of Him. He in fact did no preaching on the other side which was the area of the Ten Towns (Decapolis), although that may have been because of what happened. This was a mainly Gentile area which ruled itself under Rome, although there were many Jews living there.



‘And leaving the great crowd they take him with them, even as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him.’

The simple detail emphasises that we have here the words of an eyewitness. It would seem that the crowds were so great and pressed so close to the shore line to hear His words that landing would be difficult and uncomfortable, and Jesus was exhausted. So the disciples immediately set off across the lake without landing, taking Him ‘just as He was’ after the long day, enabling Him for His part to be able to sleep. (This takes up from Mar 4:1 when He entered the boat, the material included meanwhile (e.g. Mar 4:10 ) being ignored).

The fact that ‘other boats were with Him’ stresses the eagerness of His closest followers to stay near Him. His boat could only take so many and thus those of His followers who had not been invited into the boat because of shortage of space, had boarded other boats so as to be able to listen and follow Him wherever He went. It was thus quite an armada that set off across the lake. They too would be caught in the storm. That is possibly another reason why He stills it.



‘And there arises a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat insomuch that the boat was now filling. And He Himself was on the cushion in the stern, sleeping.’

The sudden arousal of strong winds to lash the lake up into a fury without warning was a common feature of the Lake of Galilee, surrounded as it was by mountains, and defiles through which the winds could be caught and compressed and then let loose on the lake. Whoever is describing this knew the lake well. But this was a storm of unusual ferocity even for this lake, for it terrified even these experienced sailors, and they were too familiar with the lake to be frightened by any normal storm.

The wind lashed around them in the darkness, the huge waves pounded into the small boat, and the more they tried to bale it out the more they saw that the boat was filling with water. They realised that the end was near. They knew that their boat could not last long and must soon go under. If this went on nothing could save it. They had seen exactly the same thing happen before to other boats (and the other boats of disciples were no doubt in a similar state). If this was a similar type of fishing boat to that discovered and housed at Ginosar in 196:8 it would be roughly eight metres by two and a half metres (twenty five foot by eight foot) and have low sides, making it vulnerable to high waves.

This may well be seen as an attempt by Satan to end Jesus’ mission when it had only just begun, hoping to destroy the whole band at one go. Compare Job 1:19 . The same agent was probably seen as at work. But it is not portrayed as the work of demons.

‘And He Himself was on the cushion in the stern, sleeping.’ What a sublime picture is presented here. He was totally unconcerned. Not because He did not care but because He knew that they were safe in the Father’s hands. In a boat such as this there would be a special seat at the stern which was the place of honour for any distinguished person aboard, where there would be a cushion and possibly a carpet. This was the place occupied by the exhausted Jesus.



‘And they awake Him and say to Him, “Master, do you not care that we are about to die?”

The wind was howling, and the huge waves were continuing endlessly to batter and overwhelm the boat, and the boat was flooded, and, clinging on to whatever they could hold on to, the drenched and frightened disciples gave up their efforts and waded their way through the swirling water in the boat, fighting their way through the wind and spray past the grim helmsman struggling to control the helm, and finally reaching the stern where they desperately shook Jesus to wake Him. They had tried all they knew but it was useless. They knew that any second now they would go under. And so, at the end of their tether, they had come to the One on Whom their lives had up until now depended. And He was their last resort, for the fact that they went to Him at all suggests that they did feel that He might be able to do something. (Why else should experienced sailors wake a novice?). But they seemingly could not understand why Jesus seemed so unconcerned.

‘Master, do you not care that we are about to die?’ There is possibly a rebuke in the words, although their aim might simply have been to shock Him into doing something. This was their last resort. The words bear the mark of the fear of brave men who have done all they could against the relentless wind and sea and are facing a certain end. Surely the Master (didaskalos - the authoritative master teacher) should know the situation, even if He was asleep? He instinctively knew so much. So why did He sleep on? Why did He not do something? It seemed that He did not mind whether they all died or not. And they did mind! Everything they now had to live for was in that boat. For we must recognise that their ‘we’ included Jesus. They were not just thinking of themselves. With them was perishing the hope of Israel. When the storms of life arise how easy it is for us to assume that God does not care and is not in control.



‘And he awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still.” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.’

The picture is one of total control. Here was One Who could control Himself and could control the elements. He had no fear of the wind or the sea, batter as they would, for He knew that they would obey His will. This is not just a miracle, this is a portrayal of the One Who is Lord of all. Of One Who rules the power of the sea (Psa 89:9 ). And we may surmise that Mark deliberately used ‘sea’ rather than ‘lake’ to make this connection.

‘He rebuked the wind and said to the sea.’ Compare Psa 106:9 , ‘He rebuked the Red Sea also and it was dried up’; Isa 50:2 , ‘Behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea’; Nah 1:4 , ‘The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry ---.’ Here in each case is the voice of the Creator speaking to His creation as in Genesis 1, rebuking it and bringing about His will. In none of these cases is there the suggestion of a demonic element. Even inanimate nature responded to His voice (compare Gen 1:6-7 ). Now here in this boat is the Son of God, and the same thing occurs. The sea obeys His word.

On the whole, however, while we cannot justifiably introduce a demonic element, the story may certainly be seen as reflecting the defeat of another attempt by Satan to destroy his enemy.

‘Peace, be still (‘calm down and be quiet’).’ The verb rendered ‘be still’ meant literally ‘be muzzled’ and had been extended to mean ‘be silent’. He is telling the elements to come under control. To stop what they are doing. To cease their clamour and disturbance and be at peace. They have made their effort and now it is time to finish. To those who try to suggest that He saw Himself as talking to animate spirits we can only ask, what other verbs could Jesus have used to a raging sea when He wanted His disciples to know what He was doing?

‘Peace.’ He brought peace amid tumult. And He knew that this was what the world was also seeking both individually and as a whole. And if it would but listen to His voice it would be theirs.

‘And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.’ As Jesus spoke the wind ceased and the sea settled instantly. The creation obeyed His will. And the calm was so noticeable that it was seen as worthy of comment. One can almost hear Peter saying to his listeners afterwards with awe ‘and there was a great calm’. These were men who knew the Sea of Galilee and its ways, its essential placidity and the sudden storms that could develop, and their equally sudden cessation. But they had seen nothing like this. There can be no question that the disciples, some of them experienced sailors who, as we say, knew the Sea of Galilee well, saw this as a remarkable miracle (Mar 4:41 ).



‘And he said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you not have faith?” ’

There was a gentle counter-rebuke in His words. He had a right to expect them not to be afraid. They knew to some extent Who He was and they should have realised that His ways were in the hands of God and that He had chosen them to work for Him and with Him. How then could they all perish? Did they not have faith in God and His promise that the Kingly Rule of God was here in Him? Did they not realise that He was immortal until His task was done?



‘And they were filled with great awe and said one to another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” ’

But this topped all they had ever seen. They had seen His miracles of healing on all who came to Him. They had seen His power over evil spirits. But to control the wind and the sea, both recognised as uncontrollable, before which men had to always to bend while doing their best to fight against them, this filled them with awe (Although it was not in fact a greater miracle, only more spectacular).

We should note that in a sense their whole experience had been recorded long before in the vivid description of men in a storm in Psa 107:23-30 , except that here it had been heightened. We cannot doubt that the fishermen among them had often meditated on this Psalm which so expressed something which was probably to them a fairly regular experience, and gave the welcome impression of God’s care for fishermen and other seamen;

‘Those who go down to the sea in ships,

Who do business in great waters,

These see the works of the LORD,

And His wonders in the deep.

For He commands, and raises the stormy wind,

Which lifts up the waves thereof.

They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths,

Their soul melts away because of trouble.

They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man,

And are at their wits’ end.

Then they cry to the LORD in their trouble,

And He brings them out of their distresses.

He makes the storm a calm,

So that the waves thereof are still.

Then are they glad because they are quiet,

So He brings them to the haven where they would be.’

The point, however, here was that this storm went beyond anything that that has in mind. They had no doubt already cried to God, but things had got so bad that it left them nowhere to go but Jesus as their last hope.

It is probable that we are to see that Jesus acted in time to save, not only those in His own boat, but His followers in the other boats as well. For this would be included in Jesus’ word of faith.

In concluding the passage we should consider the fact that it is extremely unlikely that Mark failed to recognise the overwhelming message of the passage, that with Christ present all is right with His people, however extreme the storms. He is Lord of Wind and Wave and Storm, whether physical or spiritual. But the thought that would also have been carried away by them all was undoubtedly that Jesus was Lord of Creation, just as He was Lord of the Sabbath.

It should be noted that in the section chiasmus this parallels Jesus’ words concerning His suffering as the Son of Man, which will finally result in resurrection. That describes another Satanic storm through which He will have to go, from His point of view far worse than this one, and from which also He will emerge triumphant (Mar 9:30-32 ).