Puzzles can be fun or extremely frustrating. Some people look at the pieces of a puzzle poured out on a table and have no idea what to make of it. They pick up a piece or two and nothing seems to make sense. They can’t see the whole picture and they aren’t willing to work it out. But others see the puzzle as a challenge. Each one has his or her own strategy for attacking the puzzle. Some look for edge pieces, others for similar colors or patterns, still others try to match unusually shaped pieces together. Part of the enjoyment of puzzles is solving the challenge and seeing the final work displayed.
Mark takes a brief break from the actions of Jesus to focus on His words. The actions demonstrate what He can do, but His words clarify and challenge people to understand who He is and what it means to be His disciple. Yet He speaks these words in puzzles called parables. Why? Let’s find out:
1
The Greek indicates this was the largest crowd yet, so large that it forced Jesus not to have a boat ready but to actually get into a boat out in the lake. Being out on the water also created a natural public-address system as His voice reflected off of the surface of the water.
2 – 9 The Parable of the Sower
First of all, what is a parable? It is a likely fictional story featuring familiar situations on earth to illustrate profound spiritual truths. Why did Jesus use so many parables? He’ll explain in a bit, but first—the Parable of the Sower (which is really about the soil)
Notice as well how Jesus begins: “Listen! Consider…” All through this section Jesus will repeat the importance of having a listening ear and a considering heart. When it comes to learning about ultimate truth and understanding God your heart must be open to taking in, and then digesting what God is telling you. The word “listen” is also an imperative. Action on the words is more important than mere comprehension.
Farmers in those days did not plant in neat rows like today. They walked and scattered seed by hand from a bag slung over their shoulders. No matter how accurate the farmer intended his tosses, some seed would fall on the paths next to the field, some would be carried away by the wind, or end up on the unplowed edges of the field with the weeds or in the areas where rocks prevented him from plowing effectively—so the farmer had to sow liberally.
The hearers would have nodded in familiarity with the picture. As to what it means, we get that straight from Jesus in a moment. But notice that the crowds only got the story. It was up to them to ponder, then asking questions perhaps of Jesus or the disciples, of what it meant and what it meant to them. Jesus wants us to be curious and probing. Later, Jesus explained why he taught in parables, but only to His followers.
10 -12
Essentially, Jesus is setting up two groups: those “inside” are true disciples and have understanding. The “secret” just means “hidden.” They have “ears to hear.” The others (“outside”) reject Jesus, so to them the stories seem silly, just as much of the Bible is a mystery to many people. Jesus gave out His truth in puzzles, but they are not that hard to solve if you just work on them!
The scripture he quotes is from Isaiah 6:9. Jesus is telling His followers that the message will be received about like the Israelis received it in Isaiah’s time—it fell on deaf ears then just like it will now. So did Jesus purposefully hide things from people? Though there is some debate on this, it seems likely that Jesus’ purpose is merely to affirm the choices people have made, much like God affirmed Pharaoh’s choice to harden his heart but helping him out. Seven times Pharaoh hardened his heart and then God hardened it seven times. In the end we will get what we want.
So let’s explain what Jesus meant by the parable:
13 – 20
First we need to understand that puzzling out this parable is key to understanding any of the parables. Why is that? Because only a mind that listens and considers the words of Jesus can understand and follow Jesus. The Lord wants us to engage with Him. “Come let us reason together” says Isaiah 1:18. Set the plow deeper. Let your mind really mull over what Jesus says about who He is.
There are basically four soil conditions Jesus uses to represent the various conditions of the mind that hear “the word” which is the gospel.
14 – 15 Along the path
I would submit to you that the person who has no desire to consider Jesus is like a path along the field: hard, well worn, impenetrable. Ideas cannot reach this person because their shields are up and active. They’ve heard it all before and have already made up their minds. This, by the way, is the default human position.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 But if, in fact, our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 Regarding them: the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
For a person who is hard in their hearts, it will be as if they had never heard, though they will be accountable to God: the word was “sown.” Perhaps later the word will take root, but not now.
16 – 17 Among the Rocks
In a farmer’s field there are always places where big stones and rocks keep them from plowing deep enough or at all. In this case it refers to a rocky layer just beneath the surface. There is enough moisture to allow germination but because there is no depth the sun dries up that water quickly and the plant withers. I think this person’s heart is much like the one that is so hard the word bounces off. But in this case there is just a surface acceptance, like a person who takes on the surface appearance of a believer but isn’t really.
It reminds me of Matthew 7 where Jesus gathers the people before Him and one group thinks they have done all the right things but Jesus tells them to depart because “I never knew you.” You can’t just glue Christianity onto the outside of your life—go to church, sing the songs, talk the talk—but not know Jesus. When they begin to realize that knowing and belonging to Jesus means their lives must change, that there is a transformation that involves pain, they walk away. I would categorize these as “make-believers.” That’s also why a quick emotional decision to follow Jesus isn’t always the best idea.
18 – 19 Weedy
Weeds rob newly germinated seeds of moisture, sunlight, and nutrients in the soil for their roots to grow. Weeds, in this case, represent the allure of this age and the weight of living in a fallen age. While the rocky people look forward to the difficulties of transformation and want nothing to do with it, the weedy people look back like Lot’s wife. They aren’t willing to break free of the hold this age has on them. Notice it isn’t just “good” things either. Some people would rather stay in their decrepit condition of captivity to sin than release themselves to another Lord. We must “confess with our mouths Jesus as Lord” as Paul says (Romans 10:9). Bearing fruit means that they have placed their lives firmly down on Jesus—that’s what faith means.
20 Good Soil
Given the right conditions of sun, moisture, and nutrients, a seed will germinate and grow, yielding a crop. If you “listen and consider” Jesus and begin to understand that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and you place yourself firmly in His hands, the gospel will bear fruit in your life. You will have new life and that new life will take hold and grow. Notice how it grows more in some than in others. I think that, frankly, some are more embracing of this new life and they grow more. It doesn’t mean the farmer comes along and rips out the plants that aren’t producing a bumper crop, it just means we aren’t all the same, but we are all producing fruit—the natural results of having a true relationship with Jesus.
Conclusions
The obvious question out of this is what is the condition of the soil in your mind? This applies whether you are a follower of Jesus already or not.
Is your mind already made up about so much that you have no room for anything to challenge you?
Do you listen to God’s Word but only take it in until it actually affects your life and then you abandon it?
Are you so in love with the world, even its misery that you don’t let yourself depend on Him and let go of this age’s ideas?
Good soil of the mind is easily tilled. Those good seeds of thinking like God’s kingdom need time, warmth, moisture, and nutrients to grow. We don’t live off of the seeds but what they produce in our minds: the transformation (“renewing”) that occurs by the agency of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:2).
Know this: seeds are being sown on your life. The gospel is out there. You will hear about it. Jesus is the Lord of the universe and He did die in your place so you could have everlasting life. Are you willing to till up your mind to listen and consider? Remember, you can’t see the finished puzzle picture unless you work the pieces!
Jesus is not easy to understand but He is worth the effort as He wants us to be invested in a relationship with Him.
