Mark 4:13-20 (NKJV) The Parable of the Sower Explained
(Matt. 13:18–23; Luke 8:11–15)
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
V13 “And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” Jesus is not rebuking them. He is pointing out that they need help to understand. Jesus needed to begin teaching in parables because the people had rejected Him. He is also showing some principles for interpreting parables.
Comments:
Mark 4:13 (Holman Commentary) “Jesus’ question was a gentle rebuke to the disciples. If they did not understand this parable, the key to all parables, how would they understand the rest of them?”
(Wuest Word Studies) “The definite article before the word “parables” indicates that our Lord is pointing to the parables He has already given and those which He will give. The implication in the question of our Lord is that to understand the parable of the Sower is to understand all the parables. The word “how” is pōs, “how is it possible,” declaring the impossibility of knowing all the parables if one does not know the one about the Sower.”
(Wilbur Pickering) “See Isa 6:9-10. Jesus only started using parables after He had been rejected by the religious leaders. As Jesus clearly states, He started using parables so the people would not understand. (Any claim that Jesus was a ‘great teacher’ based on His use of parables is just hot air.)”
V14 “The sower sows the word.” The seed is ready, and the farmer sows. Compare Proverbs 11:18, Ecclesiastes 11:6, Jeremiah 4:3, and Mark 13:37. When Jesus preached the Gospel, He preached to all who were gathered to hear Him.
V15 “And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” Jesus now explains the seeds planted in various places. The wayside is the walking path next to the prepared soil. Satan is always active because he wants all people to go to hell. His main tactic is diversion. While the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner, the enemy is busy diverting their attention to it and brings a crisis or something else to stop them from thinking about the Gospel and responding positively to it.
V16 “These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness…” Some hear and accept but, for personal reasons, stumble in the faith so that it all but disappears.
V17 “…and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.” All new believers need to be discipled and taught the truths of Christianity. These are God’s character and attributes, His worldview, lifestyle, rules, beliefs, etc.
V18 “Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word…” Some seeds end up in the thorns, and people make something else their priority. See Luke 16:13, Proverbs 28:11, and Hebrews 13:5. They are Christians but live life without much regard to spiritual growth and living the Christian life.
1 Timothy 6:10 (MSB) “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”
Comments:
(Biblical Illustrator): “Next, our Lord classifies the thorn-choked hearers. A peculiar kind of thorn in that country grows suddenly and rankly, and seems to love the borders of wheat fields (Mark 4:7, 18). Demas’s history has been offered us for an illustration of this short-lived sort of emotion, in one melancholy sentence of Paul’s Second Epistle to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:10). Perhaps the saddest of all experiences we have to meet is found in this watching of people who promise so much but who come to so little.”
V19 “…and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” This person worries about financial matters, politics, etc., over following the plans of Jesus as written in the New Testament. Riches are deceitful (Proverbs 28:20, Proverbs 30:8-9, and 1 Timothy 6:18). They do not bring peace, fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), or the riches of God’s grace. We should desire to live godly lives instead of desiring the things of the world. See Hebrews 6:7-8.
V20 “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” May we all be dedicated followers of the Lord Jesus (Luke 9:62, John 6:66 (may it never be), and
We learn:
- We need the Gospel.
- We need to be taught the faith.
- We need fellowship to help encourage us in the faith.
Questions
- What group are we in?
- Are we growing in the faith?