The Gospel of Mark #10 – “The Parable of the Soils”
Mark 4:1-20
Intro –
1. Don’t you love to hear a good story? I know I do!
2. The Bible is the story of God. (PICTURE – The Story…)To understand the Bible, you need bifocal lenses, because two perspectives are involved. The Lower Story, our story, is actually many stories of men and women interacting with God in the daily course of life. The Upper Story is God's story, the tale of his great, overarching purpose that fits all the individual stories together like panels in one unified mural.
3. VIDEO – The Bible’s story in 50 words…
4. Jesus was the Master story teller. Jesus’ stories reveal His heart. They tell His autobiography & the autobiography of God. Do you want to know how God feels about people being a good neighbor, read the story of the Good Samaritan. Do you want to know how God feels when someone who is lost finally finds home again? Read the story of the Prodigal Son. Do you want to know how Jesus feels about people obeying His teachings? Read the story of the house built on the rock or sand?
5. Mark 4:1-20 (Read)
6. Jesus is now ministering to the largest crowd that has ever followed Him. In fact, the crowd is so large that Jesus gets into a boat and uses it as a pulpit to teach the people who have gathered on the seashore. However, He has also been rejected by the very nation He came to preach to – Israel. As a result, Jesus begins to teach the multitude almost exclusively in Parables.
7. This parable has been often called “the Parable of the Sower” but is probably more accurately described as "The Parable of the Soils."
8. It was told by Jesus to illustrate different reactions that people have to the gospel.
I. What is a Parable? (Vs. 1-2)
Jesus told at least 30 parables in the Synoptic Gospels. That is over 1/3 of all His recorded teaching. That being the case, it is important that we understand what a parable is.
A. The definition of a parable –
1. Common: “An earthly story with a heavenly meaning.”
2. Better: “A simple story used to teach a moral or spiritual lesson.”
a. The purpose of any parable was for Jesus to teach important truths about Himself, the Father & the Kingdom of God.
b. The word “parable” means “to cast alongside of.” In a parable truth is cast alongside life & life interprets the truth. In other words, a parable takes the common, everyday events of life & uses them to illustrate the deep things of God.
B. The purpose of a parable – vs. 10-12
1. To reveal or conceal truth, depending upon the hearers.
2. Vs. 11-12 – these have to be the most “Seeker unfriendly” verses in the Bible!
3. Jesus used parables to reveal truth to those who were open to what God was saying & to conceal truth from those who had closed their minds to what God was saying.
4. They were much like our two way mirrors of today, they concealed to one group while revealing to another.
5. ILL – My mom always told me I had “selective hearing”…
6. So the key is “are you simply hearing, or are you listening?”
C. The interpretation of a parable –
1. Jesus rarely interprets His parables, but He does interpret this one.
a. Why this one & not others?
1) The disciples asked Him too – vs. 10.
2) According to Jesus (vs. 13) this is a foundational parable that is the key to understanding all of His other parables.
b. **The Law of 1st mention.
2. There is only 1 key interpretation per parable.
a. We must be careful when we try to interpret the parables in the Bible. Some people make the mistake of trying to make every single twist in the parable mean something spiritual. As a result, many false doctrines & foolish teachings have sprung to life.
b. A parable is designed to teach one primary truth. When that truth is understood, the parable becomes clear.
II. Who are the Key Players in this Parable? (Vs. 2-8)
What is the example from life that Jesus’ uses to teach this parable?
A. The Sower – Jesus (Matthew 13:37) or anyone who shares the gospel message.
1. Matt. 13:37 “He answered, ‘The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.’”
2. A “sower” was a farmer planting his crop. He had no machinery so he used a leather bag strapped around his shoulder to carry his seed. He then liberally “tossed” the seed all around his field in hopes that some would take root & grow into a crop. He knew not all the seed would grow, but some would.
3. ILL – throwing down salt to melt ice…
4. Anyone who shares the gospel is a “sower.” While not all will believe, we like the farmer, must have faith that some seed will take root!!
5. 1 Cor. 9:22 “To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.”
6. We need to sow the seed & leave the results up to God!!
B. The Seed – the Word of God (the gospel).
1. The gospel is the good news that Jesus came into this world, died for sinners, rose again from the dead & offers salvation to everyone who will receive Him.
2. In this parable, some of the “seed” produces fruit & some does not. The problem does not lie in the “seed”. All the seed was good “seed”.
3. Each kernel held the potential to produce fruit. The problem was not the “seed”; the problem was the “soil”.
4. The gospel has the power to save everyone, but is only effective for those who turn to Christ & believe on Him.
C. The soil – the hearts & minds of people.
1. Everyone who hears the Gospel hears it in a different way. Some revile it, some reject it & some receive it. It is the “soil” that is the primary emphasis of this parable.
2. This is why I call it “the Parable of the soils.”
III. How does Christ Interpret this Parable? (Vs. 13-20)
The variable in this parable is not the sower or the seed (they remain constant) but rather it is the soil that teaches us the lesson.
A. The path – hard hearts (vs. 15)
1. The “way side” refers to the narrow footpaths that ran beside & through the fields.
2. These were the roads of the day & the soil on them had become as hard as concrete from the feet of the travelers and animals that had walked upon them. When the seed fell on the footpath, it could not penetrate the soil & it remained there in the open, only to be devoured by the fowls of the air.
3. In Matt. 13:19 we are told that this speaks of the person who hears the Gospel, but who doesn’t “understand it”. That is, they cannot make the connection between the claims of the Gospel & their own life. They cannot see how the Gospel could possibly hold any value for them or their life.
4. They are hard hearted & the seed of the Gospel cannot penetrate the soil of their hearts & minds.
B. Rocky places – shallow hearts (vs. 16-17)
1. These stony places are common in Palestine. Often there will be an outcropping of limestone rock covered by a thin layer of topsoil. This soil looks like it is ready to be sown. This ground looks good & productive & seed cast here will germinate & quickly spring up into a promising plant. But, because there is no depth of soil, as soon as the sun beats down on the tender plant, it withers and dies without producing any fruit.
2. This kind of soil speaks of those that makes an emotional response to the presentation of the Gospel. This is seen in the words “receive it with gladness”.
3. Perhaps this person heard the Gospel and said, “That is just what I need! I might as well give Jesus a try.” Perhaps they heard a shallow presentation of the Gospel that presents the benefits of salvation but does not share the costs. This person knows nothing about repentance, dying to self, & turning away from the old life.
4. Whatever happened, they made a profession, they are excited, they are active, & they are accepted as the real deal. But because they have no depth to their profession, they fall away when the persecutions & tribulations associated with knowing Jesus arise.
5. This happened in John 6. Jesus taught about “eating his flesh & drinking his blood” & many of his followers couldn’t handle it.
6. John 6:66 “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”
7. While this is heart-breaking to many of us – it happens even today.
C. Among the thorns – divided hearts (vs. 18-19)
1. This soil looks like it is ready to be sown, but underneath the surface are the living roots & seeds of thorns & weeds. The soil has been tilled and the thorns have been cut down, but their roots are alive & well, just under the surface. When the seed falls here, it springs to life quickly & gives every indication that a good harvest will follow. When the seed springs to life, so do the thorns & weeds that were already there & they soon choke out the tender plant. The young tender plant withers & dies without producing any fruit at all.
2. This is a picture of a person who tries to have the benefit of the Gospel while still clinging to the old life of sin. They try to “have their cake & eat it too!”
3. However, the seed of the Gospel cannot survive to produce fruit in a heart filled with other things.
4. Jesus said it was the cares of the world, the quest for earthly riches, and the lust for the things of this world that spelled disaster for this kind of soil.
5. ILL – The deceitfulness of riches…A man named Dan stood to inherit $250 million dollars when his sickly father passed. He met a woman & when he felt he was comfortable with her, he told her about it. 2 weeks later, she became his step-mother! / A man professed his deep love for his girlfriend & said, “All I can offer you is my undivided love. You are my world. I don’t have a new car like Johnny Brown, or a big house like Johnny brown, nor do I have a job that will make me wealthy like Johnny Brown. But, I do have a heart filled with love for you & I would give my last breath to marry you.” She replied, “I love you too, but tell me more about this Johnny Brown!”
6. Matt. 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
D. Good soil – receptive hearts (Vs. 20 – “accept it”)
1. This was ground that had been worked & prepared. It had been plowed & tilled & it was ready to receive the seed when it came. The seed germinated within the heart of the soil & the plant began to grow. When the plant reached maturity, it began to produce fruit that brought honor & gain to the farmer.
2. This is a picture of the heart that has been plowed deeply by the Word of God, & tilled by the convicting work of the Holy Ghost.
3. The only difference was “they accepted it.”
Conc. –
1. The real question today is, “What kind of soil are you?”
2. No-one can tell but you, so we must take a look into our own hearts.
3. Ps. 139:23-24 “23Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
