The Cares of This Life

Is it Taking its Position.

Understanding Parables seeing His Diety and understanding His Humanity.

Mark 4:19 “19 and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word and it becomes unproductive.

Luke 21:34–35 “34 “But take care for yourselves, lest your hearts are weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of daily life, and that day come upon you suddenly 35 like a trap. For it will come upon all who reside on the face of the whole earth.”

Romans 12:1–2 “1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers, through the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may approve what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.”

Hebrews 12:1 “1 Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, putting aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, let us run with patient endurance the race that has been set before us,”

1 John 2:15–17 “15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, 16 because everything that is in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the arrogance of material possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and its desire, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.”

Believer’s Bible Commentary (V. Two Dangers to the Fellowship: The World and False Teachers (2:15–28))

1 john 2:15, 16 We are plainly warned not to love the world or the things that are in the world, for the simple reason that love for the world is not compatible with love for the Father. All that the world has to offer may be described as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The lust of the flesh refers to such sensual bodily appetites as proceed from within our evil nature. The lust of the eyes applies to such evil desires as may arise from what we see. The pride of life is an unholy ambition for self-display and self-glory. These three elements of worldliness are illustrated in the sin of Eve. The tree was good for food; that is the lust of the flesh. The tree was pleasant to the eyes; that is the lust of the eyes. It was a tree to be desired to make one wise; this describes the pride of life.

As the devil is opposed to Christ, and the flesh is hostile to the Spirit, so the world is antagonistic to the Father. Appetite, avarice, and ambition are not of the Father, but of the world. That is, they do not proceed from the Father, but find their source in the world. Worldliness is the love for passing things. The human heart can never find satisfaction with things.

2:17 The world is passing away, and the lust of it. When a bank is breaking, smart people do not deposit in it. When the foundation is tottering, intelligent builders do not proceed. Concentrating on this world is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. So wise people do not live for a world that is passing away. But he who does the will of God abides forever. It is the will of God that delivers us from the temptation of passing things. This, incidentally, was the life verse of D. L. Moody, the great evangelist, and is inscribed on his tombstone: “He who does the will of God abides forever.

There is such a thing as hearing the gospel for the last time. It is possible to sin away the day of grace. Men do drift beyond redemption point. There are men and women who have refused the Savior and who will never again have the opportunity to repent and be forgiven. They may hear the gospel but it falls on hardened ears and an insensible heart. We say, “Where there’s life, there’s hope,” but the Bible speaks of some who are alive, yet beyond hope of repentance (Heb. 6:4–6, for example).

4:13 Going back to the parable of the sower, the Lord Jesus asked the disciples how they could expect to understand more involved parables if they could not understand this simple one.

4:14 The Savior did not identify the sower. It could be Himself or those who preach as His representatives. The seed, He said, is the Word.

4:15–20 The various types of soil represent human hearts and their receptivity to the Word, as follows:

The wayside soil (v. 15). This heart is hard. The person, stubborn and unbroken, says a determined “No” to the Savior. Satan, pictured by the birds, snatches away the Word. The sinner is unmoved and untroubled by the message. He is indifferent and insensible to it thereafter.

The stony ground (vv. 16, 17). This person makes a superficial response to the Word. Perhaps in the emotion of a fervent gospel appeal, he makes a profession of faith in Christ. But it is just a mental assent. There is no real commitment of the person to Christ. He receives the Word with gladness; it would be better if he received it with deep repentance and contrition. He seems to go on brightly for a while, but when tribulation or persecution arises because of his profession, he decides that the cost is too great and he abandons the whole thing. He claims to be a Christian as long as it is popular to do so, but persecution exposes his unreality.

The thorny ground (vv. 18, 19). These people also make a promising start. To all outward appearances, they seem to be true believers. But then they become preoccupied with business, with worldly worries, with the lust to become rich. They lose interest in spiritual things, until finally they abandon any claim to be Christians at all.

The good ground (v. 20). Here there is a definite acceptance of the Word, cost what it may. These people are truly born again. They are loyal subjects of Christ, the King. Neither the world, the flesh, nor the devil can shake their confidence in Him.

Even among the good ground hearers, there are varying degrees of fruitfulness. Some bear thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. What determines the degree of productivity? The life that is most productive is the one that obeys the Word promptly, unquestioningly, and joyfully.

Luke 9:23 “23 And he said to them all, “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross every day and follow me.”

Luke 9:62 “62 But Jesus said, “No one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God!””

Luke 11:33–36 “33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a bushel basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is sincere, your whole body is full of light also. But when it is evil, your body is dark also. 35 Therefore pay careful attention that the light in you is not darkness! 36 If therefore your whole body is full of light, not having any part dark, it will be completely full of light, as when the lamp with its light gives light to you.””

E. The Responsibility of Those Who Hear (4:21–25)

4:21 The lamp here represents the truths which the Lord imparted to His disciples. These truths were not to be put under a basket or under a bed, but out in the open for men to see. The bushel basket may represent business, which if allowed, will steal time that should be given to the things of the Lord. The bed may speak of comfort or laziness, both enemies of evangelism.

4:22 Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables. The underlying truth was hidden. But the divine intention was that the disciples explain those hidden truths to willing hearts. Verse 22 might also mean, however, that the disciples should serve in constant remembrance of a coming day of manifestation when it will be seen if business or self-indulgence were allowed to take precedence over testimony for the Savior.

4:23 The seriousness of these words is indicated by Jesus’ admonition: “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

4:24 Then the Savior added another serious warning: “Take heed what you hear.” If I hear some command from the Word of God, but fail to obey it, I cannot pass it on to others. What gives power and scope to teaching is when people see the truth in the preacher’s life.

Whatever we measure out in sharing the truth with others comes back to us with compound interest. The teacher usually learns more in preparing a lesson than the pupils. And the future reward will be greater than our puny expenditure

Believer’s Bible Commentary E. The Responsibility of Those Who Hear (4:21–25)

4:25 Every time we acquire fresh truth and allow it to become real in our lives, we are sure to be given more truth. On the other hand, failure to respond to truth results in a loss of what was previously acquired

Parable of the Growing Seed (4:26–29)

This parable is found only in Mark. It can be interpreted in at least two ways. The man may picture the Lord Jesus casting seed on the earth during His public ministry, then returning to heaven. The seed begins to grow—mysteriously, imperceptively but invincibly. From a small beginning, a harvest of true believers develops. When the grain ripens … the harvest will be taken to the heavenly garner.

Or, the parable may be intended to encourage the disciples. Their responsibility is to sow the seed. They may sleep by night and rise by day, knowing that God’s Word will not return to Him void, but will accomplish what He has intended it to do. By a mysterious and miraculous process, quite apart from man’s strength and skill, the Word works in human hearts, producing fruit for God. Man plants and waters but God gives the increase. The difficulty with this interpretation lies in verse 29. Only God can put forth the sickle at harvest time. But in the parable, the same man who sows the seed puts in the sickle when the grain is ripe. Parable of the Mustard Seed (4:30–34))

4:30–32 This parable pictures the growth of the kingdom from a beginning as small as a mustard seed to a tree or bush big enough for the birds to roost in. The kingdom began with a small, persecuted minority. Then it became more popular and was embraced by governments as the state religion. This growth was spectacular but unhealthy, much of it representing people who paid lip service to the King but were not truly converted.

As Vance Havner said:

As long as the church wore scars, they made headway. When they began to wear medals, the cause languished. It was a greater day for the church when Christians were fed to the lions than when they bought season tickets and sat in the grandstand.7

The mustard bush therefore pictures professed Christendom, which has become a roosting place for all kinds of false teachers. It is the outward form of the kingdom as it exists today.

4:33, 34 Verses 33 and 34 introduce us to an important principle in teaching. Jesus taught the people as they were able to hear it. He built upon their previous knowledge, permitting time for them to assimilate one lesson before giving them the next. Conscious of His hearers’ capacity, He did not glut them with more instruction than they could absorb (see also John 16:12; 1 Cor. 3:2; Heb. 5:12). The method of some preachers might make us think Christ had said, “Feed my giraffes” instead of “Feed my sheep”!

Although His general teaching was in parables, He explained them to His disciples in private. He gives light to those who sincerely desire it.

(I. The Gadarene Demoniac Healed (5:1–20))

5:1–5 The country of the Gadarenes was on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. There Jesus met an unusually violent, demon-possessed man, a terror to society. Every effort to restrain him had failed. He lived among the tombs and on the mountains, yelling continually and gashing himself with sharp stones.

5:6–13 When the demoniac saw Jesus, he first acted respectfully, then complained bitterly. “How true and terrible a picture is this—a man bowed in adoration, petition and faith, and yet hating, defiant and fearing; a double personality, longing for liberty and yet clinging to passion” (Scripture Union Notes).

The exact order of events is unclear, but may have been as follows:

1. The demoniac performed an act of reverence to the Lord Jesus (v. 6).

2. Jesus ordered the unclean spirit to come out of him (v. 8).

3. The spirit, speaking through the man, acknowledged who Jesus was, challenged His right to interfere, and begged Jesus with an oath to stop tormenting him (v. 7).

4. Jesus asked the man’s name. It was Legion, signifying he was indwelt by many demons (v. 9). This apparently does not contradict verse 2 where it says he had an unclean spirit (singular).

5. Perhaps it was the spokesman for the demons who begged permission to enter a herd of swine (vv. 10–12).

6. Permission was granted with the result that two thousand pigs raced down the mountainside and drowned in the sea (v. 13).

The Lord has often been criticized for causing the destruction of these pigs. Several points should be noted:

1. He did not cause this destruction; He permitted it. It was Satan’s destructive power that destroyed the pigs.

2. There is no record of the owners finding fault. Perhaps they were Jews for whom the raising of pigs was forbidden.

3. The soul of the man was worth more than all the pigs in the world.

4. If we knew as much as Jesus knew, we would have acted exactly the same way He did.

5:14–17 Those who witnessed the swine’s destruction ran back to the city with the news. A crowd returned to find the ex-demoniac sitting at Jesus’ feet clothed and in his right mind. The people were afraid. Someone has said, “They were afraid when He stilled the tempest on the sea, and now in a human soul.” The witnesses recounted the whole story to the newcomers. It was too much for the populace; they pleaded with Jesus to depart from the region. This and not the destruction of the pigs is the shocking part of the incident. Christ was too costly a guest!

“Countless multitudes still wish Christ far from them for fear His fellowship may occasion some social or financial or personal loss. Seeking to save their possessions, they lose their souls” (Selected).

5:18–20 As Jesus was about to leave by boat, the healed man begged to accompany Him. It was a worthy request, evidencing his new life, but Jesus sent him home as a living witness of God’s great power and mercy. The man obeyed, carrying the good news to Decapolis, an area embracing ten cities.

This is a standing order for all who have experienced the saving grace of God: “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” Evangelism begins at home!

J. Curing the Incurable and Raising the Dead (5:21–43)

5:21–23 Back on the western shore of blue Galilee, the Lord Jesus was soon in the center of a great multitude. A frenzied father came running up to Him. It was Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue. His little daughter was dying. Would Jesus please go and lay His hands on her so that she might be healed?

5:24 The Lord responded and started for the home. A crowd followed, thronging Him. It is interesting that immediately following the statement of the crowd’s thronging Him, we have an account of faith touching Him for healing.

5:25–29 A distracted woman intercepted Jesus on the way to Jairus’ home. Our Lord was neither annoyed nor ruffled by this seeming interruption. How do we react to interruptions?

I think I find most help in trying to look on all interruptions and hindrances to work that one has planned out for oneself as discipline, trials sent by God to help one against getting selfish over one’s work.… It is not waste of time, as one is tempted to think, it is the most important part of the work of the day—the part one can best offer to God. (Choice Gleanings Calendar)

This woman had suffered with chronic bleeding for twelve years. The many physicians she went to had apparently used some drastic forms of treatment, drained her finances, and left her worse rather than better. When hope of recovery was all but gone, someone told her about Jesus. She lost no time in finding Him. Easing her way through the crowd, she touched the border of His garment. Immediately the bleeding stopped and she felt completely well.

5:30 Her plan was to slip away quietly, but the Lord would not let her miss the blessing of publicly acknowledging her Savior. He had been aware of an outflow of divine power when she touched Him; it cost Him something to heal her. So He asked, “Who touched My clothes?” He knew the answer, but asked in order to bring her forward in the crowd.

5:31 His disciples thought the question was silly. Many people were jostling Him continually. Why ask “Who touched Me?” But there is a difference between the touch of physical nearness, and the touch of desperate faith. It is possible to be ever so near Him without trusting Him, but impossible to touch Him by faith without His knowing it and without being healed.

5:32, 33 The woman came forward, fearing and trembling; she fell down before Him and made her first public confession of Jesus.

5:34 Then He spoke words of assurance to her soul. Open confession of Christ is of tremendous importance. Without it there can be little growth in the Christian life. As we take our stand boldly for Him, He floods our souls with full assurance of faith. The words of the Lord Jesus not only confirmed her physical healing, but also no doubt included the great blessing of soul salvation as well.

5:35–38 By this time, messengers had arrived with the news that Jairus’ daughter had died. There was no need to bring the Teacher. The Lord graciously reassured Jairus, then took Peter, James, and John to the house. They were met by the unrestrained weeping characteristic of eastern homes in times of sorrow, some of it done by hired mourners.

5:39–42 When Jesus assured them that the child was not dead but sleeping, their tears turned to scorn. Undaunted, He took the immediate family to the motionless child, and taking her by the hand, said in Aramaic, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately the twelve-year-old girl got up and walked. The relatives were stunned, and doubtless delirious with joy.

5:43 The Lord forbade their publicizing the miracle. He was not interested in the popular acclaim of the masses. He must resolutely press on to the cross.

If the girl had actually died, then this chapter illustrates the power of Jesus over demons, disease, and death. Not all Bible scholars agree that she was dead. Jesus said she was not dead but sleeping. Perhaps she was in a deep coma. He could just as easily have raised her from the dead, but He would not take credit for doing so if she were only unconscious.

We should not overlook the closing words of the chapter: “He … said that something should be given her to eat.” In spiritual ministry, this would be known as “follow-up work.” Souls that have known the throb of new life need to be fed. One way a disciple can manifest his love for the Savior is by feeding His sheep.

Blessings To All.