Mark 4:1-9 (NKJV) The Parable of the Sower
(Matt. 13:1–9; Luke 8:4–8)
1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The main purpose of parables is to teach a godly truth via an illustration. It reveals one point and purpose. Some are hard to understand. Searching the Old Testament is helpful, too. Those who heard Jesus could have asked Him, but they never did.
How can we understand parables?
- Read them in context.
- Interpret them in the plain, normal sense, not in the allegorical sense.
- Under whom Jesus is speaking to, their beliefs, their culture, and the situation.
- Search for cross-references of the same terms.
V1 “And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.” This is the setting and the characters. Jesus is in the boat because of safety (Mark 3:9), visibility, and to hear His voice clearly.
V2 “Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching…” Why parables? Because the people had rejected the plain speech Jesus did at the first: Matthew 13:15 (MSB) For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ For context see Matthew 13:10-17.
(Holman Commentary on Matthew 11:25-27) Implied here, and stated clearly in verse 27, is the fact that no person on his own has the ability to know or understand the supernatural realities that only God can reveal (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Jesus would continue to manifest the same type of wisdom as he transitioned into his later style of teaching (beginning in Matthew 13), presenting truth in such a way that those who had “ears to hear” would understand it, and those with hardened hearts would not.
God takes an active hand in the blindness of the hard of heart, as an act of judgment. He hides the truth from the proud of heart (Matthew 11:25; cf. Matthew 13:14-16).”
V3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.” The word “listen” is important. He wanted them to pay attention. Compare Mark 9:7.
V4 “And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.” This is the shoulder of the road. It never sprouted.
V5 “Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.” The ground was warmed there, yet the roots could not penetrate the soil to any depth.
V6 “But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.” The roots were shallow and the sun hot.
V7 “And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.” The seeds spouted and had leaves but no fruit because of lack of sunlight and overcrowding.
V8 “But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” The difference might be in the rain (God’s blessing) and the condition of the soil. For the Christian, we need food (Bible reading and study) and water (the help and grace of the Holy Spirit).
V9 “And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” The importance of paying attention. If the people did not understand, they had an opportunity to ask what it meant.
This has been explained and applied in many different ways.
If it is the Gospel, then all types of people heard the message, but the response was different.
The birds eat the seed as the devil averts their attention to other things, and they did not hear the words of the message.
The rocky ground group heard the message and responded perhaps in an emotional way and were never converted. It could be they heard and responded but had no conviction to withstand persecution. Their “conversion” lasted a short time.
The weed group heard the message, did believe, but remained involved with worldly activities instead of growing in the faith. They produced no spiritual fruit.
The “good ground” group heard the message, believed the message, and started living as Christ followers producing fruit. It is important to bear much fruit, but all have their gifting from the Holy Spirit. Some receive much; some little.
We learn:
- Why Jesus began teaching in parables.
- The difference in responses to Jesus’s message.
Questions: - What group do you belong to?
- How is your spiritual growth?