Mark 4_1_25

Mark 4:1-25The Sower, The Seed, and The Soil

Intro: A man was having difficulty communicating with His wife and concluded that she was becoming hard of hearing. So he decided to conduct a test without her knowing about it.

One evening he sat in a chair on the far side of the room. Her back was to him and she could not see him. Very quietly he whispered, "Can you hear me?" There was no response.

Moving a little closer, he asked again, "Can you hear me now?" Still no response.

Quietly he edged closer and whispered the same words, but still no answer.

Finally he moved right in behind her chair and said, "Can you hear me now?" To his surprise she responded with irritation in her voice, "For the fourth time, yes!"

Hearing is important and Jesus emphasizes the hearing and understanding of this parable, because without understanding it the disciples could not understand any of the Parables (13)

This scene takes place on the same day Religious Israel rejected Jesus by attributing His mighty works to Satan, Mathew 13:1 reads on that day Jesus went out by the sea and a large crowd gathered and He began to teach in parables.

Normally one would be thrilled when a large crowd arrives, certainly the newly called disciples were but Jesus saw the inward reality (heart) of the crowd and was not fooled by their outward appearances. He took no stock in the crowds only stock in The Father. On that day He began to teach in parables, parabolē means to put along side. It is a story put beside a teaching in order to express truth. And that became His norm whenever crowds appears. He taught in parables to help to conceal truth from those who rejected Him and wished to cause Him harm and to explain truth to those who received Him.

In this we see the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10 fulfilled, Israel saw and heard but could not see and hear. What a glorious day it was, the visitation of the Lord, the day the Prophets and saints of old longed to see yet, to many it was a day of judgment.

CPS: But to those who were His, a lesson was taught about the Kingdom of God and the mission given to them and every future saint. Sow the seed into the soil and some fruit will grow because the day is coming that everything thing you have done will be exposed.

The Sower

In Ancient Israel seed was sown by hand, scattered from an apron then plowed into the soil

Jesus Sowed

You Sow

Sow Plentifully

Sow Passionately

Sow Patiently

The Seed

The Word of God – “Logos” (7x) message – Gospel

The Seed is wonderful

The Seed is powerful (Romans 1:16)

The Seed is fruitful (Romans 10:17)

The Soil

Soil – Land = Heart.

The Hard Heart

The Impulsive heart (emotional)

The Destructive Heart

Lust of the flesh

Lust of the eye

Pride of life (1 John 2:16)

The Productive Heart

Conclusion: The Light Exposes (21-23)

Illustration: In the Middle East there is a large market for Pottery – one way to check the pottery to see it was of quality is to put it up into the light. Light reveals cracks and flaws. Sometimes cracks were covered with glue or paste – the sunlight exposes the glue and in time will melt it. The light reveals all things -open and secret. A day is coming when we will have to stand in the light – a day of manifestation, it will be seen if business or self-indulgence were allowed to take precedence over testimony for the Savior.