Purpose of Parables, Mark 4;10-12

Introduction

This is one of those passages that has caught my attention every time I read through this passage. It’s kind of like one of those Billboards, landscapes, or buildings that you notice every time you pass it. It’s like the Mackinac Bridge. I don’t think I could ever see that structure without a sense of awe and wonder. This passage is like that. It is because it appears that Jesus is saying that He is purposely keeping the truth from the hearers and readers and that is foreign to what we think about Jesus and the gospel. Is that really what Jesus is doing here?

To help us discern this I want us to unfold it in three parts: the context, the scene, the message.

So first

I. The context

There are three parts to this context:

A. The unbelief of the Scribes, 3:22-30

The context actually begins back in chapter 3. Mark highlights the unbelief of the Scribes. Now you have to understand that the scribes were experts in the Law/Torah and in the various religious laws of Judaism. These were not copyists, but lawyers who interpreted Jewish law and made determinations as to what was Biblical in practice and what was sin. They were the ones who studied and knew the Torah inside and out. They would have been the ones who would determine the case of anyone who made claims on being the Messiah. They did so in this case. in they made the legal determination that based on their interpretation and explanation of Torah that Jesus claim to be Messiah was false. They instead determined that Jesus was not Messiah, but that he was demon possessed and that is the explanation of how Jesus was able to cast out demons and do the miracles that He did. They made it clear they did not believe Jesus was the Messiah. They rejected him. This also goes to show you and me, that the study of Scripture is not enough to convince one of who Jesus is. The study of Scripture alone will not bring one to faith in Jesus Christ. As you know it takes the Holy Spirit’s work in a persons heart to understand the Scripture and come to faith in Jesus. Which we will see is the key to unlocking the parables of Jesus.

Jesus calls that sort of unbelief the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit which is unforgivable.

B. The identification of insiders, v.31-35

Now this will become important as we look at verse 10, 11. In this case Jesus close relatives are outside the home where Jesus is teaching and doing miracles and they are not able to enter in to have an audience with him. So someone announces their presence to which Jesus gives His famous answer, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ie. who are truly my relations?” It is not flesh and blood, just a Paul will later say that not all Israel is Israel. True Israel are the children of promise, by faith in Jesus. So it is here as Jesus answers His own question, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

The question is ‘what does Jesus mean by the will of God?’ It is surely to believe in Jesus as the lamb that takes away the sin of the world. He wasn’t talking about acts of mercy or practices, but faith in Jesus. , What are the works of God the will of God? “believe on him whom he hath sent.” So it is clear, those who are insiders are those who Believe in Him by faith.

C. Teaching on the seashore, 4:1-9

They have moved from the house to the seashore where Jesus has such a large gathering that that He gets into a boat and sits off shore a little ways while the rest stay on the beach. There is a small village of Tabgha just south of Capernaum that has a beach and amphitheater type shoreline called the “bay of parables” in which scientists have verified that a human voice can transmit effortlessly to thousands of people on shore..

James Edwards suggests that His doing so may intend a theological point, for according to , “The LORD sits enthroned over the flood.” If Mark intends this allusion, then Jesus is again put in the place of God. Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (p. 126). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

Mark’s awkward wording may nevertheless intend a theological point, for according to , “The LORD sits enthroned over the flood.” If Mark intends this allusion, then Jesus is again put in the place of God.

This would be another point verifying He is God.

Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (p. 126). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

He teaches them the parable of the sower. It is not my purpose here to explain this parable except to say it is a parable that delineates between false and true faith or belief so that it illustrates what we He is going to point out in His message to the disciples who ask him the question in v.10.

So we have the context in which all three parts point to the issue of Belief in Jesus, either His audience and readers to or do not believe in Him.

Now we come to the

II. The scene, v.10

“When He was alone.” Evidently, they have left the shoreline beach, left the boat and Jesus is alone with the disciples and those who are around him. The scene depicts or illustrates the point that he is about to make. For you see there is separation from everyone else. There are those who just come to hear Jesus because they are intrigued, or fascinated with his teaching. But it is going in one ear and out the others. There is no real desire to find out the truth, to investigate further what Jesus is saying.

However, there are those who are ‘around Him with the twelve.’ Now we don’t know how many, but the fact is there are more than twelve there asking the question. They want to know the answer as to what these parables mean. His answer by the way is going to be key to understanding all the parables Jesus will teach in the future, v.13.

It seems that everybody else has gone on their way and only these who really want to know the truth are sticking around to find out.

Just as an aside, this is one of the indications I use to determine whether or not I continue to talk with someone about the gospel. Do they stick around and ask questions or do they leave or change the subject.

In this case, these folks stick around to hear more from Jesus.

So there is the context, do you believe in Jesus? Here is the scene, Do you want to know the truth?

That leads us to the

III. The Message, v.11,12

This should be rather simple for you to understand because we have set the table so to speak.

Jesus answer is this:

There are those who are insiders who are given the secret and those who are outsiders who are not given the secret. And this is based on ,

So let’s unpack this.

A. We know who is who,

Those inside are those who do the will of God. Which we determined meant to believe in Jesus as Messiah by Faith. These are those who have repented of sin and believed in Him. We see this in both the answer to who is his mother and brother as well as the parable of the sower.

The parable of the sower is like the cloud that separated the fleeing Israelites from the pursuing Egyptians, bringing “darkness to the one side and light to the other” (). That which was blindness to Egypt was revelation to Israel. The same event was either a vehicle of light or of darkness, depending on one’s stance with God.” 

Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (p. 138). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

Those outside are those who like the scribes reject through unbelief the claim that Jesus is Messiah. They do not see their sin and therefore do not repent. They do not look at the works of Jesus and teachings of Jesus and see the truth about Jesus. They simply reject Him.

B. The Mystery/Secret

Also the word ‘mystery’ doesn’t mean something that is not comprehensible accept to those who are clever, but rather the idea is that of a secret that can be known when it is revealed. But it is not hard to understand, It is not a puzzle, but rather privileged information. I tis not something to be deciphered, but revealed and this can only be revealed by God. Think of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Daniel. No amount of deciphering could figure it out, only God could reveal it.

The question is ‘what is this mystery/secret?’

When you think about the unbelief of the Scribes, the faith of those who are in relationship to Jesus, and the parable of the sower in which 3 groups do not produce fruit, thus are not of faith and the one group that does produce faith, you can see more clearly the secret revealed.

“Here again is a great irony, for although Jesus is the fulfillment of the mystery, people do not see it; indeed, according to the Gospel of John, it is precisely because Jesus tells the truth about himself that they do not believe (!). “It is the secret that the kingdom of God has come in the person and words and works of Jesus. That is a secret because God has chosen to reveal himself indirectly and in a veiled way. The incarnate Word is not obvious. Only faith could recognize the Son of God in the lowly figure of Jesus of Nazareth. The secret of the kingdom of God is the secret of the person of Jesus.”

Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (p. 131). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

“God of course knows the mystery (1:11; 9:7). Demons also know it because they belong to the spiritual realm (1:24, 34; 3:11; 5:7; 9:20). The inner circle of v. 10 is made privy to the mystery only by a dispensation of Jesus, not by virtue of human intelligence or merit. The mystery in v. 11 is the point of the parable of the sower—that the providence of God is effective in Jesus to produce a fruitful harvest in the world. It is revealed to them precisely because they are hearers. and speak of the disciples “knowing” the mystery, but Mark is more guarded: the disciples have been given the mystery, but they do not fully understand it (6:52; 8:18!).”

Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (pp. 131–132). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

The mystery of the kingdom is the truth about who Jesus is and that can only come to your heart as God reveals to you who Jesus is.

John 6:44 ESV

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

That leads to

C. the reason or purpose of parables:v.12

The word ‘that’ or ‘so that’ is not referring to purpose. It is the word hina that can mean purpose, but it can also refer to result. If Jesus purpose in parables is so that the hearers will not understand the truth about who He is it would appear that Jesus doesn’t want people to know the gospel. On the other hand, if this is result rather than purpose he is basically saying that the hearers will not understand who He is because of their unbelief.

When we consider the Isaiah passage you see the thought clearer. The citation from , (which occurs 6x in the NT) the context of which is the unbelief of Israel as recorded in ch.5 you see he is saying the people are going into exile due to their rejection of the Lord, v.12,13; they have rejected the Word of the Lord and despised the word, v.24 so they will certainly go into exile. In ch.6 Isaiah is given a vision of God on the throne (Actually the person of Jesus Christ, ) which shows him the exile of Israel is not due to God’s absence but the fact that He is still on the throne and they have rejected Him. So in v.9,10 answering the call to go and tell the people this, the reason they will not hear and see is because God will make their hearts dull to perceiving the truth. They hardened their hearts through unbelief, so then God will give them dullness of hearing, understanding.

This sounds a bit like and God giving the unbeliever over to a reprobate mind.

Remember this comes after the Pharisees willful rejection of and blasphemy of Jesus in the preceding section. Jesus is then announcing their doom in a sideways glance.

By emphasizing sight and hearing he shows they miss the whole of the revelation of the kingdom of God. They not only miss his deeds but also his teaching. They misunderstand both.

Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (p. 131). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

So as R.E Watts states, there is a “judicial blinding effected by Jesus parables . . . concerns those who have steadfastly rejected Yahweh’s delivering activity manifest in Jesus.” France, R. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 197). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.

France, R. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 197). Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.

Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (pp. 131–132). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

Conclusion

So what we see from the context that those who reject Jesus will not recognize who He is. those who do believe will recognize Him and bear fruit, that is do His will. That is further taught by the parable of the sower. It is illustrated by the scene of separation between those who want to know the truth and those who are disinterested hearers. And finally it is confirmed by the teaching from the prophet Isaiah through Israel’s own example of unbelief and exile.

The meaning of the verse then shows that Jesus is saying that they (ie. those who reject Him through unbelief) will not understand the spiritual meaning of the parable and so not repent of their sin and seek forgiveness. They will remain in their hard hearted state.

Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.

Thus, the meaning of the verse then shows that Jesus is saying that they (ie. those who reject Him through unbelief) will not understand the spiritual meaning of the parable (which is to see and understand Him as the Savior) and so not repent of their sin and seek forgiveness. They will remain in their hard hearted state.

The meaning of the verse then shows that Jesus is saying that they (ie. those who reject Him through unbelief) will not understand the spiritual meaning of the parable and so not repent of their sin and seek forgiveness. They will remain in their hard hearted state.

This sounds a bit like and God giving the unbeliever over to a reprobate mind.

The purpose of parables then is to reveal who Jesus is to those whom God chooses to reveal it and to keep it from those who reject Jesus through unbelief.

Remember this comes after the Pharisees willful rejection of and blasphemy of Jesus in the preceding section. Jesus is then announcing their doom in a sideways glance.

Luke 10:22 ESV

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Luke 10:

By emphasizing sight and hearing he shows they miss the whole of the revelation of the kingdom of God. They not only miss his deeds but also his teaching. They misunderstand both.

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In other words, believe in Jesus, have relationship with Him by faith and you will understand the parables. If not you won’t.

Edwards, J. R. (2002). The Gospel according to Mark (p. 134). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.