Introduction:

This morning we are continuing our study of the gospel of Mark. In chapter three we noticed that Jesus’ authority calls for each person to make a personal decision about Christ. Some said that Jesus was a lawbreaker, some said he was out of his mind, and some said that Jesus possessed an unclean spirit and worked through the power of Satan. Jesus proved these things not to be the case. Others decided that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus then taught in the end of the chapter that we are to have a new relationship with Jesus Christ, one that is greater than family and friends.

In chapter 4 we are going to see that Jesus will begin to teach in parables. It is interesting to consider that we have recorded among the gospels over 30 parables that Jesus taught. But Mark only records five of those parables, four of them occurring in this chapter. Mark even seems to note this himself in verse 2 of this chapter. Jesus taught many things in parables, but he leaves it to the other writers to record many of these teachings.

Before we begin our study of these parables in this chapter, let us first notice the explanation Jesus gives as to why he was teaching in parables. Mark 4:11-12 tells us that Jesus was trying to explain the mysteries of the kingdom of God to these Jews who had been prophesied to by Isaiah as being hardhearted and calloused to listening. The multitudes would not have understood nor accepted the teachings of Jesus concerning the kingdom if taught in direct manner. Therefore Jesus used parables to allow the aspects of the kingdom to sink into their hearts and minds. The four parables that Jesus taught to teach about the kingdom of God were the parable of the soils, parable of the lamp, parable of the growing seed, and the parable of the mustard seed. Many of us have studied these parables numerous times before today. Therefore I would like for us to look at these parables and not only notice the obvious, but turn our focus to see the deeper truths found in this passage.

Consider with me for a moment: do we believe that Jesus taught these parables of the kingdom of God as a means of simply giving them information? Were the lessons simply informative in nature? I do not believe we can look at this teaching, or any teaching of Jesus, and say that Jesus was simply trying to impart information. Jesus is always teaching in a persuasive manner, trying to change hearts and minds so that they would match the mind of God. Therefore when we read these parables, we should not read them simply to see the nature of the kingdom of God (that some would reject the seed– Mk 4:1-20; the kingdom would shine the light of God into the darkness–Mk 4:21-25; the kingdom would grow quickly and generally unnoticed–Mk 4:26-28; and the kingdom would begin small, yet encompass the whole earth–Mk 3:30-34). But we need to see what Jesus was calling for the people to become. Jesus did not want the people to walk away and simply know the kingdom would grow quickly. Jesus wanted the people to change their lives so they could enter into the kingdom. What was Jesus showing the people that they needed to be in these parables? These are the points that we will address this morning.

The Parable of the Soils (4:1-20)

The various hearts

The hard heart. Jesus begins this parable by talking about the seed falling on the path, or the wayside. The recipients hear the word but Satan comes immediately and takes it away. This person could probably be simply called the hard heart. The word does not sink into the heart where the word could flourish and change the heart and life of the person. Those in the kingdom of God do not have hard hearts. A hard heart can be seen in various ways. A hard heart hears the words of God but does nothing with them. There is no mediation of the words of God. This is what we term “in one ear and out the other.” Reading and “studying” of the scriptures may occur, but it is a matter of academics at best. It does not sink into a heart that would cause action for the Lord. Those who treat God’s word this way will not enter.

The shallow heart. The next image we see is the seed being cast on rocky ground. These gladly receive the word of God but do not have any depth. It is only a matter of time before a tribulation or a persecution or affliction will arise and the person will be lost. This person seems to accept the basic understanding of needing Jesus Christ, but never grows deeper in the faith. Worship is more a matter of attendance and there never develops a true relationship with the Lord. Thus, when troubles come, they are not grounded in the Lord and are tossed about and lost. These will not enter the kingdom of God.

The crowded heart. The third image we see in this parable is the seed being sown on the thorny ground. These are the ones who hear the word but allow the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things to choke out the word. These are the ones who believe they are too busy for the Lord. “There are too many other things to worry about right now” is the general line of thinking. Believing they can be rich, these people work hard to attain wealth and possessions. They are often deluded into believing that they are in the kingdom because they have heard the word of the Lord. But they are not, because they become unfruitful (vs. 19).

The fruitful heart. Jesus now explains the heart of the person that is in the kingdom of God. He accepts the word and produces fruit to one degree or another. How do we know if we have this type of heart? The answer is in what we see in the person. If we are bearing fruit for the Lord, then we see that we are not part of the other three hearts described. The fruitful heart is not simply attending, but is serving the Lord. Living as Christ in their lives, showing love to others, submitting one to another, and desirous of working to further the agenda of the Lord.

The importance of the heart

We see that the heart is of utmost importance when considering our role in the kingdom of God. We must be ones who allow the words of God to sink into our hearts. We cannot have a heart that ignores the words and will of God and expect to be in the kingdom of God. We cannot have a heart that has no desire to get to know the Lord more fully and grow in faith and love and expect to be in the kingdom of God. We cannot have a heart that allows the cares of the world, the riches and materialism of life, and the desires for other things to be our focus and expect to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus is telling us flat out that it will not happen. Jesus’ first lesson to the multitudes is that they open their hearts to the Lord.

The Parable of the Lamps (4:21-25)

Does not hide the message of the Lord

We must continue to ask ourselves what Jesus was trying to get the people to do or to change as we read these words about the parable of the lamp. In this parable the kingdom of God is compared to a lamp. The appropriate place for a lamp is up as high as possible, uncovered, so that it can be seen by all. We have lamps on our ceilings for a reason. What does this mean for those who belong in the kingdom of God? Followers of Christ do not hide the message of the Lord. They do not conceal their Christianity. Followers of the Lord are lights in the darkness of the world. They tell others about the good news of Jesus Christ. How ashamed we can show ourselves to be when it comes to speaking to others about Christ! There are many times that I think in my mind how Paul probably would have said something to these people as he was waiting here. While in prison, Paul was preaching to the centurion who would have been watching him. Those in the kingdom of the Lord try to maximize their opportunities to spread the gospel of Christ. We must remember that we have no excuse for not sharing the good news in one way or another to those who are outside. From bringing up spiritual topics, to asking for Bible studies, to reading the Bible with them, to handing out cards and invitations, there is not a reason why we are not compelled to speak about Christ.

Uses the things given by God in service to God

In verse 25 we are told, “For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” This is the principle of the talents. God has given a person many things to work with. We have abilities, possessions, wealth, time, and blessings given to us by the Lord. God has given us all things that we have. What shall we do with all of these things? Those in the kingdom of God understand that we are going to be judged based upon how we use these things that God has given us. We must have the proper attitude concerning the great blessings that we have. They are not to be used first on myself and then whatever is left over is for God and others. These things are to be used in service to God and others and then for ourselves to enjoy. We need to have the heart that will give all things for the Lord to be in the kingdom of God.

The Parable of the Growing Seed (4:26-28)

Power of the word of God

Here we see the great hidden power of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God, in this passage, is likened to a man who scatters the seed. While he sleeps, the seed grows by itself until it is a full head of grain. One of the things that we must see is the great power of the word of God. Its likeness is that of seed. Seeds are very fascinating. Here is this little seed that is seemingly insignificant and of no value. However, when planted in the right place and given the proper conditions, this seed is able to bring forth an amazing stock of grain that has tangible benefits. We can look at the scriptures and it may seem to simply be printed words on a page. It looks like something very ordinary and of not much value. But planted in the right place and given the right conditions, the word of God has the power to changes lives and, in fact, to change the world. We cannot underestimate the power the word has to make a difference in your life. If we will give it a chance, the word of God has power to put things right in our lives that are wrong. The word of God has the power to bless our lives and give us hope and confidence that we need to live for the Lord and be at peace. The word simply needs the chance.

Those in the kingdom are sowers

What else was Jesus trying to get across to his listeners? Was he simply telling the people that God has the power in the word? I believe he was asking for this information to change their lives. The seed needs to be scattered to have its work. The seed must be planted if it is to be able to bear grain. Seeds do not have any use if they remain in the package. We must get the word of God out of the package and sow within our own hearts so that we may bear fruit. Remember in verse 20 we saw that those with the good heart bear fruit. Applying the word of God in our lives is one way that we will bear fruit. Further, we need to scatter the seed in the world. We must be scattering the message of the Lord where we can so that the power of the word can have effect. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:6-7, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.” Those in the kingdom of God see that role that they play in the kingdom. We are not expected to “do it all.” Most of the work is in the power of the good news of Jesus Christ. But we have to get that word into the hands and the hearts of others. Those in the kingdom see their responsibility that God has placed upon them and are actively doing what they can to sow the seed of Jesus Christ.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed (4:30-34)

Growth of the kingdom

Again, Jesus likens the kingdom of God to a mustard seed. Jesus notes how small the mustard seed is, yet it is able to grow to be greater than all the herbs of the field. This certainly describes the nature of God’s kingdom. It would start off very small, with only twelve ordinary men who would fail from time to time, to Jesus’ resurrection appearance to the 500, to the three thousand that would be converted in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. We know that the word of God would spread from Jerusalem, into Judea and Samaria, and in less than 30 years spread to the whole world. It all started with the dedication of twelve men and now we see the powerful kingdom that came from what Jesus left.

Growth in us

But, again, this was not merely information for these disciples. It is the way the word of God is to grow within each of us. It is the way the word of God grew in these disciples. Faith began slowly and would falter from time to time. But these men grew in faith and knowledge and we know the outcome, as they would then have the boldness to preach before hostile crowds and in perilous times. This is the way our faith will grow when we give it the opportunity and allow the word of God to dwell in our lives. In the beginning, things are very difficult and we will struggle. We cannot expect to be able to conquer the world in a day. We cannot expect that we will have the knowledge or wisdom of seasoned Christians. We cannot expect to have the abilities that we see other Christians have. But keep working, keep learning and keep studying and these things will come also. Knowing the word of God can do so much in your life. It will cause you to flourish like a great tree. We must look to grow and give time and opportunity for the Lord to work in our lives through his word and we too can have great faith. Those in the kingdom of God will grow and contribute to the growth of the kingdom.

Conclusion:

Jesus has clearly described the characteristics of those who are in the kingdom of God. How are we doing? Are we pressing to the goal, or have we drifted back? Are we striving to attain these characteristics, or have we given up the battle? Let us see that Jesus has called us to greatness in the kingdom if we will allow ourselves to live and serve him. Let us all the more serve our Lord today.

Lesson adapted from sermon given by Brent Kercheville