Mark 4 Manuscript

Introduction (~5 minutes)

Jesus, teaching by the Sea of Galilee, draws a massive crowd standing on the soil (Greek: soil γῆ) eager to hear Him. He steps into a boat to teach using parables.

Today, we’ll focus on the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1–9), which Jesus Himself calls the key to understanding all parables (Mark 4:13).

It raises a key Question: What does it mean to truly hear God’s Word? The Greek word for “to hear” (akouo) appears 13 times in Mark 4, emphasizing active, ongoing listening.

I. The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1–9) (~10 minutes)

Read Mark 4:1–9 (ESV): “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. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ‘Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 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. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.’ And he said, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’”

The Sower’s Identity

Jesus as the Sower: The sower in the parable is Jesus, a repeated metaphor rooted in Old Testament imagery of God sowing His Word (Jer. 31:27; Ezek. 36:9; Hos. 2:23).

Jesus came to preach (Mark 1:38: “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out”). His mission is to sow the Word of God liberally, without discrimination.

Liberal Sowing, Focus on Success: The sower scatters seed generously, even on unpromising ground. The emphasis isn’t on the seed’s failure but on the miraculous success of the good soil, yielding a harvest of thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold (Isa. 55:10–11). God’s Word always accomplishes His purpose.

The Soils: A Diagnosis of the Heart

Jesus explains the parable in Mark 4:13–20, identifying four types of soil—each representing a heart’s response to the Word:

The Path (Hard Heart): The seed is snatched by Satan before it takes root. Some hear the Word but believe lies about God’s character, like “God won’t accept me” (cf. Gen. 3:1, “Did God really say?”). Satan, the father of lies, exploits their hardness.

Rocky Ground (Shallow Heart): The seed sprouts quickly but withers under pressure due to lack of root. These individuals embrace the Word with initial joy but fall away when faith brings discomfort or persecution. They love the benefits of following Jesus (community, grace) but not the cost (cf. John 6:66).

“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (John 6:66, ESV)

Thorny Ground (Divided Heart): The seed grows but is choked by worldly cares and the love of money. The Pharisees, who knew Scripture but loved prominence, exemplify this soil. Their divided affections blinded them to Jesus, the Word made flesh (Matt. 6:24, “You cannot serve God and money”).

Good Soil (Receptive Heart): The seed produces a miraculous harvest. These hearers receive the Word actively, deeply, and exclusively, bearing fruit that displays God’s grace (Matt. 5:13–16). This soil represents true disciples transformed by the Word.

Teaching Point: The parable exposes the heart’s condition. It’s not about intellectual ability but spiritual receptivity.

As David Garland notes, “The good hearer welcomes the word immediately so that it cannot be snatched away by Satan… deeply so that it is not withered by persecution… exclusively so that other concerns do not strangle it” (Garland, Mark, 164).

II. The Purpose of Parables (Mark 4:10–12) (~10 minutes)

Read Mark 4:10–12 (NRSV): “When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that “they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.”’”

What is the reason for parables? Is Jesus trying to trick anyone? No, the parables expose people’s hearts. To those who don’t understand, they can still hear the words and they can see the word pictures. They can even see the Word made flesh Himself, but they can’t understand because of their hearts.

It’s like an exam. The teacher isn’t trying to trick you in most cases, they are testing you. There are rewards for being ready and there are demerits for not being ready. They are exposing what is already there or not there.

What is being tested is not our IQ, it’s our heart. They don’t have a thick head, they have a hard heart. And consequently, what you love greatly affects the way you think, just as the way you think affects what you love. If you love your pride, and self, and addiction, and bitterness, and lust, and money, and gossip, your thinking will go right along with it. You won’t be able to understand grace, submission, worship, church membership, sanctification, prayer, repentance, etc. And if you love God’s word and love His ways, your thinking begins to change with it. You can take a marvelously complex idea like God’s sovereign election and understand it simply. Why? Because it has happened to you. You have experienced God’s grace and has made a complex theological equation as plain as day to your mind. Like the blind man when He was asked what happened, he said, “I don’t know. I was blind, but now I see.”

Mark (Bridging Contexts)

McCracken contends that the parables were not invented to convey points or to express propositions but to precipitate internal action, forcing the hearer or reader to a crisis or collision that requires movement. In New Testament terms, that crisis is an either/or proposition: either stumbling or changing-and-becoming, either enacting a lie that we want or being transformed. The danger is that we will try to minimize and domesticate the offense, making it barely recognizable and conveniently dodging any bothersome collision with the truth.

Parables: Revelation and Judgment

Why Parables? Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9–10 to explain that parables both reveal and conceal. They are a mercy to the humble, illuminating God’s kingdom, but a judgment to the hard-hearted, exposing their indifference. Parables are like a spiritual exam, not to trick but to test what’s in the heart.

“And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”” (Isaiah 6:9–10, ESV)

The Isaiah passage could read “So that they may indeed see but not perceive, and may in deed hear but not understand; because the last thing they want to is to turn and have their sins forgiven”

— B. Hollenbach “Lest They Should Turn Again and Be forgiven: Irony”

Judicial Hardening: When people persistently reject God’s truth, He may confirm their unbelief (Rom. 1:24–28; 11:7–8). This isn’t arbitrary; it’s justice after rejection (e.g., Pharaoh in Ex. 8:15, 32). The parables expose the crowd’s indifference, while disciples, by asking questions, show a desire to understand (Mark 4:10).

“And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.” (Mark 4:10, ESV)

· Romans 1:24–28 – “God gave them up…” - Paul uses this language three times. When men suppress truth, God does not violate their will—He lets it run to its natural conclusion.

· Romans 11:7–8 – “The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened… God gave them a spirit of stupor…”

WLC Q.68–69: “God may, according to the unsearchable counsel of His own will, for the punishment of sin… give them up to their own lusts, and deny them His grace.”

Why This is Not Inconsistent with God’s Character

God owes grace to no one.

· If God left all sinners in their blindness, He would still be just.

· The fact that He opens the eyes of anyone is sheer mercy.

· Romans 9:15 – “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy…”

God’s hardening is reactive, not arbitrary.

· He hardens those who persistently resist (cf. Pharaoh, scribes).

· Mark 4 is not the beginning of rejection—it is the judgment that follows rejection.

· God’s judgment reveals His holiness.

· Just as the Word gives life to the humble, it exposes and condemns the proud.

· The same sun that softens wax also hardens clay.

Application and Teaching Emphasis

· If you want to understand Jesus’ teaching, that’s already evidence that you are not being hardened.

· The parables are not puzzles to decode—they are spiritual mirrors. Some will look and walk away. Others will look and be changed.

· True disciples are those who stay close, ask questions, and receive understanding through fellowship with Christ (v.10).

Ferguson: “Parables demand faith. They expose the posture of the heart. Those who stay outside remain blind—not because Jesus was unclear, but because they were unwilling to come inside.”

💬 WLC Q.68–69: God may withhold grace, giving people up to their own blindness—not unjustly, but as righteous judgment.

Outsiders Can Become Insiders: The call to “hear” (akouo) is an invitation. The disciples weren’t inherently special; they responded by seeking Jesus. As B. Hollenbach notes, the crowd’s problem wasn’t a locked door but their indifference (Hollenbach, “Lest They Should Turn Again and Be Forgiven: Irony”).

Opportunity but no faith.

“To hear is to obey” — Narnia, THaHB

Mark for You (The Meaning of the Parable)

The disciples are different. There is a fourth type of heart. The word will win over the things of this world in the hearts of true followers of Christ. The fourth type of hearer hears the word and accepts it. The language changes here to a present tense conveying a continuous process: it could be translated “the ones who are hearing the word, accepting the word, and bearing fruit” (v 20). These three things basically define what a disciple is.

Teaching Point: Parables demand faith. They’re not puzzles to decode but mirrors reflecting the heart’s posture. True disciples stay close to Jesus, ask questions, and receive understanding (Ferguson, cited in notes).

III. The Sower’s Grace: The Central Focus (~10 minutes)

Some call this the “Parable of the Soils” or “Parable of the Seeds,” focusing on the hearers’ responses. While the soils explain why some reject the Word, the parable’s heart is the Sower—Jesus Himself.

The Sower Prepares the Soil: Ezekiel 36:25–27 promises God will give a new heart and spirit, cleansing and softening hard hearts. The Sower doesn’t reject bad soil; He transforms it through His Word (1 Cor. 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth”).

Indiscriminate Sowing: Focusing on the seed might lead us to think some aren’t worthy of God’s Word. Instead, the Sower scatters seed broadly, trusting God to bring growth. Our role is to share the Word faithfully, not to judge the soil.

Application: Reflect on your heart. Are there thorns of worldly cares or hardness resisting God’s Word? Repent and pray for change, trusting the Sower’s grace to transform you. The parable diagnoses our hearts but points to the curative power of Jesus’ grace.

This is why we preach. The soils might be in many differing states of preparedness, but the Sower can make it right. The soils might explain to us what is going on, but they are not the last word. By God’s grace, we all who were not ready or able to bear fruit have been recipients of God’s grace.

Illustration: The Sower’s Word can break hard ground, deepen shallow soil, and clear thorny thickets (e.g., Zacchaeus in Luke 19:8–9).

IV. Related Parables and Teachings in Mark 4 (~15 minutes)

A. The Lamp Under a Basket (Mark 4:21–25)

Read Mark 4:21–25 (ESV): “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.’ And he said to them, ‘Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’”

The Lamp is Jesus: The lamp represents Jesus and His Word, meant to shine openly. Those who hear actively and faithfully receive more understanding, while those who reject it lose even what they have.

The flip side of this command is a warning. The disciples are to use care in how they hear. The measure they use for listening will be like a boomerang and come back upon them. If someone listens well and receives the truth, they will receive even more (v 24–25). If someone listens poorly and rejects or shows no interest in the truth, even the little they have will be taken from them (v 25). The parable of the sower has given an example of this principle: Satan snatches away the seed that is given to those with hard hearts (v 15).

Jason Meyer, Mark for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2022), 77.

Application: How are you responding to the light of God’s Word? Active hearing leads to greater revelation; indifference leads to spiritual loss.

B. The Seed Growing (Mark 4:26–29)

Read Mark 4:26–29 (ESV): “And he said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.’”

Hidden Growth: The kingdom grows quietly, under the surface, by God’s power, not human effort. This challenges expectations of a grand, immediate kingdom

Even though it looks as if nothing is happening for a long time (it is hidden and under the surface), the miracle of growth is happening (v 27). The seed has the power to be productive even while we sleep or rise. The earth produces fruit “by itself” (v 28). All the farmer does is harvest it (v 29). (Jason Meyer, Mark for You, 78).

Application: Trust God’s hidden work in your life and others’. Our job is to sow and harvest; God brings the growth.

C. The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30–34)

Read Mark 4:30–34 (ESV): “And he said, ‘With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.’ With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.”

Humble Beginnings, Glorious Outcome: The kingdom starts small and vulnerable but grows into a mighty refuge (Ezek. 17:22–24). Jesus’ humble ministry is the seed of God’s expansive kingdom.

Christ came the first time in such a hidden way. He was born in a manger, not a king’s palace. The first coming was deceptively small in his birth and death. But he rose from the dead. He ascended to the throne of the Majesty on high. He sent the Spirit to continue his work in the world. He will come again on the clouds of heaven with all the angels as the reapers at the final harvest. That second coming will be big and obvious and overpowering.

Jason Meyer, Mark for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2022), 78–79.

Both parables address the deceptive insignificance of the coming of the kingdom before its final manifestation. God’s purposes will be fulfilled in God’s way, and God entrusts the secrets of those purposes only to those who are willing to trust him despite unpromising appearances. Can one believe that the kingdom of God advances through ignominy, through defeat, through crucifixion? Can one believe that Jesus of Nazareth, who was hanged on a tree, is indeed the judge of the living and the dead (see Acts 10:38–43)?

David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 179.

Application: Don’t despise small beginnings (1 Cor. 1:18). God’s work often looks foolish to the world but yields eternal fruit.

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV)

D. Jesus Calms the Storm (Mark 4:35–41)

Read Mark 4:35–41 (ESV): “On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?’ And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’”

Jesus’ Power: This event reveals Jesus as God, calming the storm with divine authority (Ps. 107:23–33). The disciples’ fear shifts from the storm to fear of Jesus (Mark 4:41).

Jesus is God — a retelling of Psalm 107

“Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,” (Psalm 107:23–33, ESV)

Insider vs. Outsider: The disciples, though afraid, are “inside” the boat with Jesus, learning to trust Him. Their desperation reveals their need, opening the door to faith (Garland, Mark, 190).

Hopelessness is the path to hope — Paul Tripp

Sleep and faith:

“I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.” (Psalm 3:5, ESV)

“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:8, ESV)

“Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” (Proverbs 3:23–26, ESV)

“I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.” (Psalm 3:5–6, ESV)

“There is bitter irony that these same disciples will go to sleep on him in his hour of terror in Gethsemane, unmoved by his pleas for them to watch and pray with him” (14:37, 40–41) — David E. Garland, Mark, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996), 191.

We don’t have a confession of faith yet, that is coming later. But the disciples are beginning to put the dots together that Jesus is more than the Messiah.

WE are not always delivered form the storm but we are saved/delivered through the storms.

Jesus has won the battle against the strong man.

Application: Storms—literal or spiritual—expose our need for Jesus. We may not be delivered from every storm, but we are delivered through them by His power (Rom. 8:31–39).

V. Application: The Call to Hear and Trust (~10 minutes)

Examine Your Heart: Which soil are you? Are there lies, shallowness, or worldly cares choking God’s Word? Repent and pray for the Sower to transform your heart.

Trust the Sower: The parable’s hope lies in Jesus’ grace. He sows generously, transforms hearts, and brings growth. Even hopeless soil can become fruitful by His power (Ezek. 36:25–27).

Sow the Word: Share God’s Word indiscriminately, trusting God to work in others’ hearts. Our role is to scatter seed, not to judge the soil.

Rest in God’s Power: Jesus calms storms and grows His kingdom. As Paul Tripp says, “Hopelessness is the path to hope.” Trust Jesus through life’s storms, knowing nothing separates us from His love (Rom. 8:31–39).

Closing Quote (Romans 8:31–39, ESV): “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? … For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Conclusion (~5 minutes)

The Parable of the Sower calls us to hear God’s Word actively, deeply, and exclusively. It diagnoses our hearts but points us to the Sower’s grace, which transforms even the hardest soil. As disciples, let’s stay close to Jesus, ask questions, and trust His power to grow His kingdom in us and through us. Let’s pray for soft hearts and for faith to sow His Word, knowing He brings the harvest.