What are the four places where the seed of the word is broadcast? Why did Jesus speak in parables to outsiders? Is light to be hidden under a basket? How is God’s kingdom like harvesting? How is God’s kingdom like a mustard plant? How would we have reacted as Jesus calmed a lake storm? Let’s discuss this in Mark 4.
What teaching method did Jesus often use for large crowds? Did Jesus use a boat on water as a natural means of amplification?
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. He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: (Mark 4:1-2 NLT)
What four places did the sower sow? Do we have ears to hear?
“Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it. Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil. When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much.” He said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:3-9 WEB)
What was the purpose of parables? Was it so that people would not understand?
When they were alone, the people around Jesus, along with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. He said to them, “The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables. This is so that they can look and see but have no insight, and they can hear but not understand. Otherwise, they might turn their lives around and be forgiven. (Mark 4:10-12 CEB)
What was Jesus’ key to understanding other parables? Is this a description of four kinds of people who attend our churches?
Jesus then told them: If you don't understand this story, you won't understand any others. What the farmer is spreading is really the message about the kingdom. The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But Satan soon comes and snatches it away from them. The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it at once. But they don't have roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up. The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life. They are fooled by the desire to get rich and to have all kinds of other things. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and welcome the message. They produce 30 or 60 or even 100 times as much as was planted. (Mark 4:13-20 CEV)
Is the message of Jesus like a lamp? Do we have ears to hear?
And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:21-23 ESV)
Do we pay attention to the words of Jesus, or nod politely and ignore them?
Then He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure you use, it will be measured and added to you. For to the one who has, it will be given, and from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.” (Mark 4:24-25 HCSB)
What is the kingdom of God like? Has harvest time come?
He was also saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn’t know how the ground produces grain by itself—first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come.” (Mark 4:26-29 ISV)
Will God’s kingdom remain that little flock or grow incredibly large? There are several kinds of plant called mustard. The black mustard plant can grow very large and dominate a vegetable garden.
And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. (Mark 4:30-32 KJV)
Were parables a more useful teaching tool for large crowds, but in private did Jesus explain more to His disciples?
And with many such parables He was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear it; and He was not speaking to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples. (Mark 4:33-34 LSB)
Did Jesus take a boat to cross the lake? Were there other boats with Him?
On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” After dismissing the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. (Mark 4:35-36 NASB)
On a shallow lake squalls can cause dangerously high waves. What happened to the group?
A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:37-38 NIV)
What did Jesus do? What did He say? Did the disciples catch a glimpse of who Jesus was?
Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (Mark 4:39-41 NKJV)
What are the four places where the seed of the word is broadcast? Why did Jesus speak in parables to outsiders? Is light to be hidden under a basket? How is God’s kingdom like harvesting? How is God’s kingdom like a mustard plant? How would we have reacted as Jesus calmed a lake storm? You decide!
