Study Tip:
The more we know about the Mosaic Law and the Old Covenant the more we understand the New Testament. Always click on the links to the Old Testament passages, they are an essential tool that helps us piece together and understand God's plan.
The more we know about the Mosaic Law and the Old Covenant the more we understand the New Testament. Always click on the links to the Old Testament passages, they are an essential tool that helps us piece together and understand God's plan.
The Gospel According to St. Mark
The King James Bible
Mark: 4:1-20
Parable of the four soils 1 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, 3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not 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 fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? 14 The sower soweth the word. 15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. 18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. |
Margin notes:
"Parables." (4:2) - Short, simple stories or metaphors that use well known life experiences to convey profound religious or moral truth. Parables had long been used in Judaism (Numbers 23:18; 24:3; Judges 9:7-15; 2 Samuel 12:1-4; Job 27:1; Ezekiel 24:3-5) and were a favorite teaching tool of Jesus. These down to earth stories make deep spiritual truths easier to understand for those willing to open their hearts and take the time to study their meaning. To scoffers and non-believers, parables are silly, confusing riddles (Matthew 13:13; Mark 4:11-12). "His doctrine." (4:2) - "His teachings." "Hearken." (4:3) - Means "listen." "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." (4:9) - Jesus repeats this important advice in verse 4:23. "Them that are without." (4:11) - Refers to non-believers. "That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand." (4:12) - Paraphrased from Isaiah 6:9. John also references this Old Testament verse in John 12:39-40 as did Luke in Acts 28:25-27. "Immediately they are offended." (4:17) - "Immediately they stumble and lose faith." "The cares of this world." (4:19) - "The burdens of this world." |
You can read Luke's account of the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4-18. Matthew's report can be found in Matthew 13:1-15 (lesson 25).
New Living Translation
Mark: 4:1-20
Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed
1 Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore.
2 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:
3 "Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed.
4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it.
5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow.
6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn't have deep roots, it died.
7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain.
8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"
9 Then he said, "Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand."
10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.
11 He replied, "You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,
12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:
'When they see what I do,
they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say,
they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me
and be forgiven.'"
13 Then Jesus said to them, "If you can't understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?
14 The farmer plants seed by taking God's word to others.
15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.
16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.
17 But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word.
18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word,
19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.
20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Today's Question:
1. What is meant by, "The cares of this world"? (4:19)
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD.
1. What is meant by, "The cares of this world"? (4:19)
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Painful moments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD.
Answer: (Do you agree?)
1. "The cares of this world" refers to the distractions of life. Verse 4:19 is a warning not to allow daily problems or the desire for wealth and the pleasures of life to "choke" off spiritual growth (1 John 2:15-16). Which of life's distractions threaten to keep you from bearing fruit? How do you deal with it?
Application thought for the day:
Jesus warned us not to be fooled by the false promise of riches (4:19). Wealth, power, and physical gratification are powerful yet deceitful lures. Nothing has changed in the two thousand years since Jesus spoke these words. The temptations that led people astray back then are still dangerous today. Thankfully, God's remedy for temptation hasn't changed either. To protect yourself from temptation, follow Jesus' advice and plant yourself on "good ground," "hear the word, and receive it" (4:20).
1. "The cares of this world" refers to the distractions of life. Verse 4:19 is a warning not to allow daily problems or the desire for wealth and the pleasures of life to "choke" off spiritual growth (1 John 2:15-16). Which of life's distractions threaten to keep you from bearing fruit? How do you deal with it?
Application thought for the day:
Jesus warned us not to be fooled by the false promise of riches (4:19). Wealth, power, and physical gratification are powerful yet deceitful lures. Nothing has changed in the two thousand years since Jesus spoke these words. The temptations that led people astray back then are still dangerous today. Thankfully, God's remedy for temptation hasn't changed either. To protect yourself from temptation, follow Jesus' advice and plant yourself on "good ground," "hear the word, and receive it" (4:20).
Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible". All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2020 evolke
© 2020 evolke