Mark 4:1-20
Notes
Transcript
Mark 4:1-20
Mark 4:1-20
Last week we discussed some of the ridiculous rules the religious leaders had heaped upon the people to set up their social class system as they knew it now...back then, there could truly be a holier than thou that was measurable.
You could keep these dumb laws, and fast more than others, wear ornate robes and feel above the rest. You could pray and preach against people in the congregation, make examples out of them in teachings...etc. That’s what this elite class aspired to.
So, Jesus would regularly challenge these rulers on their laws and hold them to their own rules, while resetting the original intent of the Law of Moses.
First, he taught, then healed a man on the Sabbath, remember the challenge? He calls this man with an infirmity in his hand out in front of everyone, and asks:
4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.
You could save life, but you couldn’t treat a wound, it’s considered work, right? Woe is the person who needs medical attention on the Sabbath day.
Jesus healed, though, without doing anything...just speaking. Is that work? That would be a stretch.
The Pharisees saw this as a major threat, right? So they discussed how to silence Jesus, right? Not just silence...they needed to destroy the man AND the ministry. This was dangerous to them.
Then we read Jesus went to the shore, and people came from all around, hundreds of miles in all directions. Word had spread fast, and He healed many and cast out demons. First the Word is preached, THEN the Word gets to work. That’s important for us to remember today. It’s not us that does the changing in people’s lives, it’s the Word of the Lord.
Then Jesus spent the whole night in prayer and selected the 12, who He would send out to multiply the work of His ministry.
Finally, leaders from Jerusalem came to see Jesus and ascribed his works to Beelzebub, who is the Lord of the Flies, in other words Satan.
Jesus said all sins will be forgiven, except for those who reject Christ or ascribe the works of the Holy Spirit and of Jesus as anything but the work of God.
Nobody will be in Heaven that doesn’t want to be there. God will allow us to make that choice.
Jesus ends the last chapter emphasizing that the body of Christ is our family. Earthly blood is strong, but the Blood of Christ is stronger. Your earthly family can’t save you, only Jesus can. Most times too, family doesn’t have the guts to confront you in your sin...but a brother or sister in the Word does, and will.
That’s why we emphasize family so greatly here at the church. The world wants to break us apart, let’s make a concerted effort to make our families the ones that are a testimony in the darkness, amen?
Let’s get started today, this chapter is the one that changed my life. We have job to do when the Spirit lays hold of us. I hope it opens your eyes today and draws you closer, as it did me. Let’s begin:
1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
Last week, we talked about the amplification effect that just being a few yards into the Sea of Galilee has on the human voice. It not only gives separation to the speaker, but many more can hear the preacher. AND, it’s picturesque. I’ve been there, it’s majestic to know that Jesus was there at one point. I don’t fan-boy out for people, but my heroes of Scripture, yeah...it’s breathtaking.
Last week we talked about parables too, didn’t we? What is a parable? It’s a simple story that reveals a moral truth. Jesus always taught in parables, making them simple enough to follow, if you’re looking for Him in them. They are hard to understand sometimes...more than that, though, they’re hard to hear.
We tell our kids parables all the time, right? One of them is “There once was an old lady, who lived in a shoe...” That’s a terrible nursery rhyme. All of them are terrible. If your kids apply any nursery rhymes in practice they’re going to jail.
But we use parables, don’t we? Tell our kids stories that teach them the meaning...but it lets them come to the meaning themselves, doesn’t it? Instead of us telling them, don’t do that, do this...they get it. It rewards them for seeing the lesson. Parables are amazing tools. I use them all the time to help you understand what I’m trying to say. It’s the “Oh Yeah” moments the Lord is looking for. That’s where He can work with you.
So what was Jesus teaching this time? The parable that changed my walk, let’s go with it. Pay attention to the order of things here as we go.
3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” 9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
What is this parable called in your Bibles? The NKJV calls it the parable of the soils. Others the parable of the seed and the sower. Soil, seed, and sower. This is a reflection of evangelism. There is an order here, isn’t there? The sower went out to do what? To sow.
The wayside is the footpath where people walk. Birds of the air...does that sound familiar...of the air. Some fell on stony ground. Think of what that stony ground looked like. We live near the hills, we recognize stony ground. Come see my back yard, you’ll see stony ground. Something carries them everywhere...
Some seed fell amongst the thorns, and they did what weeds do, killed the growing seed. But, some seed fell on good ground, and it delivered a harvest.
He who has an ear to hear, let him hear...Kids, is there a difference between the word hear and listen? Parents know there is.
SLIDE
LISTEN: To give your attention to someone.
HEAR: To be perceive or to understand what is being said.
Example: Tell me if this is familiar. “Are you listening? Did you hear what I said?” Which means to parents: “What did I say? Do you think I meant it?”
Jesus echoes Proverbs:
5 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.
Wisdom and understanding are things you attain. Thru hearing we seek to understand. That’s why we say “OH, I GET IT NOW!” We apply it and we don’t make that mistake again. Now I understand why we don’t flush apple cores down the toilet...
After this time of teaching for Jesus, the Disciples had some time with Jesus, so they asked him a childlike question. Not childish, there’s a difference there too...Childlike, to help them see:
10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’ ”
John Mark is pretty vague about who it was that asked Jesus the question...It could have been Peter...He’s got a tendency to speak his mind before his mouth catches the words, but we don’t know who it was.
Jesus answers gently, and quotes the prophets. I say that, because Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah all 3 said something similar about the parables purpose.
In Matthew, Jesus says there are 3 things Jesus is looking for: Ask, Seek, and Knock. What Jesus ISN’T saying is “I don’t want anyone to know these things. He’s saying instead...These parables are being told so people start asking the right questions, seeking the right answers, and knocking on the door to where Wisdom truly lies.
The prophets were pronouncing judgement on Israel who refused to hear them. Now Jesus is saying: you wicked generation, turn to Me and LIVE. Those of you who want to stay blind will get what you ask for...and they’re going to be unpleasantly surprised.
Again, Jesus gently explains, and we’ll break it down:
13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Let’s identify things here: The sower is who? Whoever delivers the Word of God. It’s Jesus here, but it’s the evangelist or apologist today. The sower prepares to go out and sow the Word. He needs his tools, the seed needs to be ready, and then it’s delivered. Some of the seed falls on the path. Remember when mentioned the birds? Birds of the air, right? Jesus identifies satan here. Is there a name that is used to describe satan in scripture that sounds like that? Prince of the power of the air? Ephesians 2 identifies satan as such.
How is the footpath for the seed? Is it ready to accept the seed? It’s hardened, isn’t it? Dry. Dead. You could describe it as calloused, could you?
The sower represents the Evangelist, the Word is the the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What does the soil represent? The heart of the person receiving the message. The wayside is the atheist or agnostic that hates a God they don’t even believe in. We were all there at one point. Blinded by our sin, and content, admit that, right? We are content staying in our sin. It’s easy, it’s normal, right? God will forgive it. That Grace wasn’t cheap. It cost Jesus everything to purchase us.
It’s a hard step to start breaking up that soil. If you’re in this stage, work on your soil. It’s hard work. Start there.
See, the parable of the soils, in my eyes, focuses on us. This is the parable of the Seed and the Sower to me. Jesus, and the deliverer of the Gospel. But I see it...the condition of the soil belongs to who? Us, doesn’t it? The one who owns the field. Let’s continue.
16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.
How many of you have ever planted a flowerbed? What do you find as you start breaking up the soil? Rocks, right? What do you do with them when you find them? You remove them, right? Why? Because it hinders growth, doesn’t it? Is that easy work? NO WAY! It’s like they grow in there somehow. It never stops...but as you work, you get less and less, don’t you?
Those rocks divert water and nutrients away from the growing seedling, and if there’s no root for them to hold onto, they whither and die.
If we’re in the stony soil stage of our walk, we need to do some work. We can stay here if we want to, but it’s not good for us, and will leave us spiritually hungry all of the time.
18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
What happens when there are weeds surrounding your plant? It will steal the good stuff and it’ll whither. These are your friends you surround yourself with. Your idols. Anything you put before God. It’s hard for us to identify the things that are choking us out. We need someone from the outside to help us see sometimes, don’t we?
Just like removing the rocks, eventually you get to a good plot of soil. The weeds seem to keep coming, though, don’t they? The wind blows them in...that prince of the power of the air, right? Just become a distraction to him. Put the news in front of him first thing, instead of his prayer time and time in the Word. One degree change doesn’t do much in the short term, but if you take off from Los Angeles flying to Rome, Italy, one degree off puts you in Tunisia Africa instead. That’s 300 miles off course, by 1 degree.
The enemy only wants to supplant one step at a time. Tend your soil. If you’ve got friends that need to go, GET THEM OUT. They’re killing you slowly. Go and heal, THEN, if the Lord brings them back to you, stand tall and be the fish that swims upstream with them. Lead them with your changes, and let Christ lead you in that.
20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
Finally, the good soil, it produces fruit. It’s hard work to get in the good soil.
My story here is simple, I was taking an evangelism course, learning how to share my faith, and they read this parable to us and started talking about the soil I tend in my heart. I identified the rocky soil in my life at that time. I’d catch fire, then die down.
So I confronted myself...what are my rocks? And I started getting angry, and I had to walk out of the class. I remember it like it was yesterday...I sat in the hallway and stewed...I shouldn’t have to give that up.
I shouldn’t have to clean up what I look at on my phone or my computer. I can just keep asking for forgiveness, Jesus is faithful and just to forgive me.
I was overwhelmed with what I didn’t want to give up. It mounted, and mounted, my sin covered me, I felt black, cold, empty. I could see clearly, finally, how I looked to Jesus.
I cried and cried...Lord, I can’t give this up. It’s too hard. I’m not strong enough. I’m not ready or able to fight this. I want the good soil so terribly bad, I got angry, then sorrowful, then angry again, then back to sorrow.
I knew what I had to give up, and how hard a fight it was going to be...but I choose Jesus, and said I will tend my soil. I will till my heart. I will rend the stones and tear out the weeds. For the seed to grow, I must work out my faith with fear and trembling.
Some of you may be there right now. I didn’t do it alone. I had brothers and sisters by my side. My wife, she’s amazing, we got hacked this week. Anger set in, but as we were looking at what was done, instead of getting more angry and attacking each other, we said thank you Lord for showing us our weaknesses, and rallied around each other to solidify our defenses.
We’ve got nothing to hide, but there is information that is dangerous in the wild. I was the breach. I was the vulnerability and the weak link. We fight as a team, we till each other’s hearts, we see a rock in the soil, we remove it. We find a weed, we point it out and protect. This is how a healthy family works, together.
We all can help each other. Don’t hold people at arm’s length. Bring a brother or sister in, be trusting, and be trustworthy. Those brothers and sisters were born for adversity. Not to be your adversary, but to fight alongside you with our adversary.
Your soil is your responsibility, but what really does the work? What will grow in the harshest environments? The seed can. We see it in the hills here all over, a solid rock, and a tree growing out of it, sometimes splitting it in two. Never underestimate the power of the seed you sow to those around you. Be faithful to preach the Word. It will not return void to the Lord. You’ll probably never hear of the adventure that seed went on in this world. Someday, though, you will, and the Lord will reward you for your efforts.
We’ll complete this chapter next week. The Lord is calling you to kill the sin that so easily ensnares you. It really does...doomscrolling puts our guard down. Then it happens to you, and you’re hooked again. The enemy will never stop coming after us, but we must remember, if we find a weed, we must remove it. If we locate rocks, they need to be moved.
It feels like too much for you to bear. It is. Be OK with not being able to handle the impossible. I know someone who can handle the impossible. Lay that junk down at the feet of Jesus and let Him take it from you. If He doesn’t take it, it’s your battle to win. It’s your testimony to gain. It’s an equipping of the Lord that only He knows the outcome.
The walk we all have ahead seems dreadful, but if we are in Him, we have a hope that the journey will be worth it and a light will shine, long after ours has been removed from this earth. Let your life be a legacy of Christ revealed.
Worship team, pray
NORMA
