A Sower Sows the Word - Mark 4:1-20

Introduction

There is a story about a entomologist who was in the early days of his education began to study insects. He took an internship under a rather famous zoologist, who’s first lesson was to give him a dead fish with the instructions: look at the first. After a while I will ask you what you have seen.

He left and the student began to look at the fish. after a few minutes be concluded that he had seen all there was to see of the fish, but the professor was nowhere to be found.

So he kept looking at the fish. Several hours passed. He began to take a closer look and notice finer details he hadn’t considered before. Finally the professor returned and began to ask him about the fish. He told what he saw, and the professor seemed dissapointed. “You’ve missed some of the most basic details”

So he left him to look at the fish some more.

And this went on for days. All that student did for four days was look at the fish.

That student went on to say that was the singularly more valuable lesson he received in all his education: Look at the fish.

This illustration has often been used to encouraged students of Scripture to look at the text. In my own seminary education I was told ot make 25 observations on Psalm 23:1 . The next week the assignment was given: make 25 more observations on the same verse. and Let me tell you. That text contained way more information than I ever could have thought it contained.

The point of the exercise is this: no matter how familiar you are with a verse, no matter how well you think you know it, you need to examine the text without assuming that you know all there is to know.

Today’s text is such a familiar one that it would be very easy for us to rush through it because hey, we already know what’s here. That would be a mistake. We need to approach this text with fresh eyes and take in all the details.

Often many of Jesus’ parables present interpretive difficulties. I love this parable because Jesus himself explains it.

Let’s begin reading the text:

The Parable Given

Let’s read verses 1-9

Mark 4:1–9 ESV

1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Let’s look at a few details in this parable.

First we see Jesus saying “Listen” and then he closes the parable by saying “Let anyone who has ears to hear, listen.” Pay attention to that because listening and hearing is a key theme in Jesus’ explanation of His parable. Clearly Jesus thinks this is important.

The disciples did not understand what Jesus was getting at, so they approach him and ask:

Mark 4:10–13 ESV

10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” 13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

This is a challenging Paragraph.

The Parable Concealed

Jesus says I’ll explain it to you, because to you it has been given to understand, but to those on the outside, everything is in parables.

I cannot help but think of the previous paragraph in chapter three where Jesus’ family came looking for him and they are literally on the outside of the house, but Jesus says that they are on the outside of the Kingdom as well.

Verse 12 is a hard one to embrace:

So that they may indeed see but no perceive and may indeed hear but not understand lest they should turn and be forgiven.

The reason why Jesus spoke in parables was to keep those in rejection of Christ in their condemnation.

That is hard to accept. And yet this is a consistent pattern that we see in Scripture. Pharoah hardens his heart, and later the text says that God hardens Pharaoh's heart. Jesus here quotes from Isaiah, and there the people were already in wilful rejection of their God, and Isaiah was sent essentially with a ministry of condemnation on a rebellious people.

And in last weeks text we saw the blasphemy of the Spirit which Jesus said is a sin that will never be forgiven.

So then it seems that the means through which Jesus pronounces judgement on a people who are in willful and persistent rejection of him is to speak in parables, further entrenching them in their condemnation.

It is not as though Jesus spoke this parable against a people that was eager to believe in Jesus if only they understood. They were in willful, persistent rebellion, and so their condemnation is just.

Notice one more detail at the end of verse 13: Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

Jesus seems to present this parable as the key to understanding all the parables.

Let’s now turn ourselves to Jesus’ explanation:

The Parable Explained

Mark 4:14–20 ESV

14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

The sower sows the Word. That sentence alone is packed with so many things. We must first understand this parable in the context of Jesus’ ministry and then we can make application to our our lives.

There is a person, and action, and an direct object.

Jesus is the sower, going out and sowing the word. He is preaching a message of repentance and faith

But not everyone is responding the same way to his message

Let’s start to consider the different responses

Group 1: Hear, but reject

Mark 4:15 ESV

15 Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them.

People who hear and manifest no signs of anything penetrating their hearts are these individuals. In Jesus’ day there were certainly those that rejected Jesus entirely. The religous leaders are the prime example, they attributing Jesus’ miracles to the Devil! But then we just saw some of Jesus’ own family seek to restrain Jesus and call him a madman, a lunatic as well.

So that’s the first group of hearers. The second:

Group 2: Hear, respond, but fall due to hardship

Mark 4:16–17 ESV

16 And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. 17 But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.

This group seem promising. The immediately receive the word, and they receive it with joy! But it doesn’t seem to last. When hardship comes they abandon the faith they once claimed. Some that claimed to follow Jesus fell away out for fear of the Pharisees or fear of being excluded form the synagogues. In history there have been numerous examples of those who fall away in the face of persecution. That’s the second group.

Third Group

Group 3: Hear but fall due to love of the world

Mark 4:18–19 ESV

18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

This group is also intersting. They hear the word, and perhaps have a positive initial response, but ultimately the cares of this world prevent them for producing fruit. We see men like the rich young ruler who was willing to do anything to enter the kingdom....except give up his wealth. Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. There are others like Demas in 2 Timothy 4 who, though he has been ministering alongside of Paul abandoned him because “he loved this present world.”

Then we come to the last group.

Group 4: Hear, respond, produce fruit

Mark 4:20 ESV

20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

Here are individuals who hear the word, welcome it, or receive it, and then produce fruit to varying degrees. These are individuals who hear the message from Christ and embrace wholesale. They may not have been the model disciples, but they fully embraced the message and Jesus patiently taught and molded them into his witnesses who would eventually all die for the faith but before spreading the Good News of Christ the world over.

In the context of Jesus’ ministry, there have been various responses to Christ. Some are excited because of the miracles, but won’t stick with him. Some outright reject. Some come to him seeking life, but aren’t willing to surrender their idols.

Jesus is teaching a lesson about the nature of the Kingdom. When the message goes out, not all will believe. But some will, and they will produce such an abundant harvest you wouldn’t almost not believe it.

One of the common questions that arises from a study of this text is which os these groups represents believers and which are groups that are lost.

I don’t think that is Jesus point, but it is certainly a related question. If we consider the responses to Christ in this Gospel, I think that answer is clear enough.

Group 1: outright rejection. Very clear: they are not believers. There is no debate about this

There are debates about groups two and three, though I don’t think there should be.

These seem to make an initial profession of faith. However, they end up falling away. To use Jesus’ own language: are they insiders or outsides?

This can be hard because we know many who once professed faith in Christ and even seemed to be really excited about God but now are not walking with him. How do we understand them? Are they just backslidden? Are they just carnal Christians? Have they lost their salvation? Or were they never saved to begin with?

I believe this text is clear. I believe there are three crystal clear indications that it is only the fourth group that Jesus would say are on the “inside”

The first indication is found in the word “hear” I wish translators brought this into the English, because this really does make a difference. All four groups have one thing in common: they hear the word. But the hearing is different in groups 1-3 than it is for group 4. In groups 1-3, Jesus says these individuals “hear the word” but that word is in what is called the aorist tense. This speaks of a action that simply occured in the past, but we see it did not have lasting effects. The hearing of those in group one, which everyone agrees is not a hearing that leads to saving faith, is the same hearing that occurs in groups 2-3. They heard the word. But they didn’t listen.

However, in group four, when Jesus says they “hear the word” its in the present tense. That’s an important change in language. This indicates an ongoing hearing, a genuine listening to the word. It’s not a one time deal, it’s not in one ear and out the other, but an ongoing listening, receptivity and obedience to the Word which produces much fruit. In verse 9 Jesus said “He who has ear to hear, let him hear”. This is also in the present tense and indicates an active listening. This distinction in hearing makes It’s clear who is in and who is out from these four groups.

The second indication is found by observing which groups are producing fruit. Only the fourth group produces fruit. The Scriptures are clear throughout the entire Bible that Christians produce fruit. I’m not to say “you must produce x number of fruit and it look this way” We must understand that we are all in process. Some produce 30, some 60, and some 100fold. But there is fruit. Those living in outright willful and unrepentant sin and rebellion against God are not those that Jesus describes as those who present tense hear the word.

The third and final indication is simply to consider the context of our passage. Different people have responded in different ways to the message as it was preached. The Scribes were clearly group 1. The crowds clearly group 2. Judas seems to be one would fit group 3. The disciples who stick with Jesus. They are group four.

That was the context of Jesus’ ministry. This was a parable about how people were responding to the message.

There are similar realities with ministry today.

I was talking with another pastor this week about this parable and he said that this was certainly the parable he thinks about the most. In pastoral ministry we see people respond in different ways to the Word of God and it is so often heart breaking.

I probably talk to group one people the most. Hard hearts in outright rejection of the Word. It goes in one ear and out the other, no apparent receptivity, and often antagonistic.

Then there are those who seem to be initially excited about the faith. But it is usually social pressure that makes them bend and break. They don’t want to be seen as an intolerant bigot.

Those in group three are just more concerned about material things than eternal things. They don’t want to give up their immorality, their greed, or their lifestyle.

Sometimes this can be discouraging as sowers. We just want people to embrace the truth and see it produce fruit in their lives. We just want Christ to be glorified through the changed life of someone who embraces Christ en toto, but it breaks our hearts to see people forsaking the faith for trivial things.

But then Jesus talks about group four. And I believe this is really the central point:

You are just the sower. You cannot control the results. Yes, it is heartbreaking to see those reject the truth. But then there are those sown in good soil. what joy it produces to see the work of Christ and the sanctifying effect of the word in the hearts and lives of those who don’t just hear, but listen.

So as we consider a few points of application there are two angels to think about:

As sowers.

A sower sows the word. it takes individuals to take the message. “How will they hear without a preacher”

A sower sows the word. We must be active in Gospel proclamation. We cannot control the harvest, but we can invest ourselves in activty that is designed to bring about a harvest.

A sower sows the word. We don’t get to proclaim whatever it is that we want, but we must proclaim a particular message, we must proclaim the word of God.

When we do that, the result aren’t up to us. You cannot make the seed grow. You cannot produce the fruit. That is for the Holy Spirit to accomplish. It hurts to watch people reject truth, but know that some will hear and some will respond and some will produce wonderful Gospel fruit, and be encouraged by that.

As seeds in soil

How’s your soil? Are you open and receptive to the God’s Word? Does the word go in one ear and out the other? We need to have hearts that are always hearing and receiving the word. Present tense hearing. ongoing action. And when we hear, we obey and produce fruit in increasing measures.

Part of the fruit that we produce is becoming sowers to see the Word of God go to others who will respond in various ways.

But remember. You aren’t responsible to make that grow. You are responsible to sow the word, and then rejoice when you see the fruit that only God can produce.