BG400X_X08048_Exegesis2
Exegesis of Mark 4:1-20
Word Count: 2510 (with scripture)
BG400X
John Shadlow
Master of Arts
Introduction to the Bible
Lecturer: Jacqueline Grey
Southern Cross College
Chester Hill Campus – Distance Education
Date Due: 13th June 2008
Handed in: 13th June 2008
Declaration of Authorship
I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to be best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institution of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement is made in the acknowledgements.
Signed: John Shadlow Date: 13th June 2008
Abstract
The parable of the sower whilst not the first use of imagery by Jesus in the Gospel of Mark is the first example told at length with an interpretation. This parable is a comparison between a simple earthly picture and a singular spiritual truth. The parable details a farmer sowing seed and the resulting harvest and conjures up a similar image of a preacher expounding the Gospel. The resulting harvest in both cases depends on the condition of the ground that is sown or in the case of the preacher the condition of the heart of the hearer.
It may seem strange that the Apostles did not understand the parable and required an explanation which they received in private. They demonstrated that they were ready for an explanation by asking Jesus for it. This is why Jesus exhorted the people to “listen attentively” at both the start and end of the parable.
The parable also demonstrates biblical principles of sowing the word in season and out of season without regard for the harvest. The harvest is God’s responsibility.
In the exegesis of Mark 4:1-20[1] the main theme is the parable of the sower and its interpretation. A parable as in this case can be used of any story with two levels of meaning; literal and figurative. In Hellenistic literature the sower is a usual image for a teacher, sowing for teaching and ground for students. In the Jewish tradition sowing is something God would do. The connections would not have been lost to the original readers.[2] For those who have an ear to hear the story conveys the message of the Kingdom of God. The exegesis will detail the kingdom principles inherent in preaching the Gospel and the responsibility of God for the harvest.
Context
Mark is the traditional author of the second Gospel, a Jew and a native of Jerusalem. His Hebrew name was the Old Testament yōḥānān, ‘Yahweh has shown grace’ shortened in English to the familiar ‘John’. The reason for his adopted Latin name of ‘Marcus’ is uncertain; Marcus is a praenomen, not a family name. It was not uncommon for 1st-century Jews to bear a Greek or Roman name in addition to their Hebrew name, ‘in religion’.[3] Papias, about 140 C.E., expressed the view of the early church about Mark, the shortest of all our Gospels. He wrote: “Mark, being the interpreter of Peter, whatsoever he recorded he wrote with great accuracy, but not however in the order in which it was spoken or done by our Lord.”[4] This ordering of events is probably due to two causes; Firstly, Mark was not a companion of Christ but rather of Peter and retells the events as remembered from conversations with Peter. Secondly, he may have reordered and selected the events to suit his audience. [5] Another early church leader Irenaeus after referring to Mark as having been written ‘when Peter and Paul were preaching the gospel in Rome and founding the church there’, adds that ‘after their departure Mark, Peter’s disciple, has himself delivered to us in writing the substance of Peter’s preaching’. Both Papias and Irenaeus therefore suggest a date shortly after Peter’s death in 65C.E. though later church leaders claim, perhaps tendentiously, that it was written in Peter’s lifetime.[6] Mark would also have to have been written before the destruction of the temple in 70 C.E. otherwise the reading of Mark 13 describing the future destruction of the temple does not make sense.
“There is no such thing as an ‘unbiased’ picture of Christ”[7], the nature and themes of the gospel were directly influenced by date and place of writing. During the period 65 – 70 C.E. Rome was under the rule of Nero and the Christian community was facing a crisis. A fire swept through Rome in the summer of 64 C.E., fanned by winds the blaze went unchecked for over a week. Christians were blamed for starting the fire and this led to mass arrests and capital punishment upon admission to membership of a Christian group. Thus the church was introduced to martyrdom. Mark‘s task was “the projection of Christian faith in the context of suffering and martyrdom”,[8] he achieves this by highlighting the similarities between the situation faced by the Roman Christians and that faced by Christ. For example, only in Mark’s account of the wilderness experience (Ch1:13) do we have the example of Jesus with “wild beasts” which must have been of special significance to those facing the wild beasts in the arena. Other examples are; Jesus was falsely accused of being a servant of Satan (3:22-30), Jesus was taken to trial under false charges with false witnesses (14:56-59) and Jesus was betrayed by a friend (14:46-46). In this gospel the Roman Christians discovered that there was nothing Nero could do to them by way of punishment that was not outside the experience of Jesus Christ. This argument is also supported by the urgency in the language used within Mark, the word “immediately” occurs nearly forty times; while in Luke’s Gospel, which is much longer, it is used only seven times, and in John only four times.[9]
As previously discussed Mark was primarily intended for a Roman audience. This may be also inferred from the text itself in that it makes no reference to the Jewish law, and that Mark takes care to interpret common words which a Roman would be likely to misunderstand, such as, “Boanerges” (3:17); “Talitha cumi” (5:41); “Corban” (7:11); “Bartimaeus” (10:46); “Abba” (14:36); “Eloi,” etc. (15:34). Jewish usages are also explained (7:3; 14:3; 14:12; 15:42). Mark also uses certain Latin words not found in any of the other Gospels, as “speculator” (6:27, rendered, “executioner ;”), “xestes” (a corruption of sextarius, rendered “pots,” 7:4, 8), “quadrans” (12:42), “centurion” (15:39, 44, 45). Also, he only twice quotes from the Old Testament (1:2; 15:28). [10]
Synoptic criticism has in the last one hundred and fifty years produced detailed evidence that the authors of Matthew and Luke must have had access to a document that closely resembles the Gospel of Mark.[11] “Out of a total of 662 verses, Mark has 406 in common with Matthew and Luke, 145 with Matthew, 60 with Luke, and at most 51 peculiar to itself.” [12] If Mark is the first of the Gospels then here we have the very first recording of the words and deeds of Jesus in written form. It is therefore appropriate to label Mark as a witness document, it is not intended to be a formal history or a biography but rather a proclamation.[13] If there is a single theme to the Gospel then it is to be found in Mark 1:14 “Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
The unique qualities of Mark compared with the other Gospels are, the absence of the genealogy of Jesus, that Mark also records with preciseness the very words (3:17; 5:41; 7:11, 34; 14:36) as well as the position (9:35) and gestures (3:5, 34; 5:32; 9:36; 10:16) of Jesus. He is also careful to record particulars of person (1:29, 36; 3:6, 22, etc.), number (5:13; 6:7, etc.), place (2:13; 4:1; 7:31, etc.), and time (1:35; 2:1; 4:35, etc.), which the other gospel writers omit.[14]
The passage under examination is one of a group of three parables that occur in Mark 4:1-34. These parables; the sower (4:3-8), the seed growth (4:26-29) and the mustard seed (4:30-32) all reflect on sowing, growth and harvest which illuminate the character of the kingdom of God.[15] ‘The word parable’ is ultimately derived from the Greek παραβολη that literally means ‘putting this side by side’.[16] The term parable may be interpreted broadly and may be used for anything from a proverb to a full blown allegory. It can also be used of any story with two levels of meaning (literal and figurative) and this is what is being examined in the parable of the sower.[17] “Despite its outward innocence, a parable is a teaching tool that divides believers and unbelievers. To the believers, it unveils the mystery of the Kingdom of God; to the unbelievers a parable drops an opaque curtain upon their understanding”.[18] It should be noted that although Jesus has used figurative speech prior to this occasion (Chs 2:17, 19-20, 21, 22; 3:24, 25,27), however, the passage under examination is the first lengthy discourse complete with interpretation.
Exegesis: Mark 4:1-20
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. 2Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:”
This scene of a gathering “multitude” has parallels in previous chapters of Mark where scenes of opposition result in the people still following Jesus. Firstly, the scribes question Jesus’ power to “forgive sins” in Mark 2:1-12, the “all the multitude” came to him by the sea Mark 2:13. Secondly, following a healing on the Sabbath and plotting of Pharisees Mark 3:1-6 Jesus withdrew a “great multitude” followed him Mark 3:6. Thirdly, following a dispute with the rulers over whether Jesus’ power came from Beelzebub Mark 3:22-30 the crowd gathers again by the sea Mark 4:1.[19] The plotting and opposition by the Jewish authorities also provides a reason for Jesus to speak in parables as His time had not yet come to be revealed and declare that He is the Christ.
The word translated as “land” is the same word used for “ground” in the parable (Mark 4:5, 8, 20, 26, 28, 31). The multitude on the “ground” may then be understood in the context of the parable as being the recipients of Jesus sowing the word.[20]
This section of Mark contains only three parables Mark 4:1-34 and yet Jesus taught them “many things”, indicating that Mark has only recorded a fragment of the whole teaching.
3“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7And 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.”
9And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The first word “Listen!” Gk. ακουετε is in the imperative mode, present tense and has the urgency of “Be listening”.[21] The parable also ends as it begins with a call to be attentive and form a considered opinion on what has been said.
This parable must be read through an understanding of the agricultural practices of the day and not through the eyes of someone familiar with modern farming techniques. The practice of the day was to first sow and then plough which is the opposite of what occurs in modern Western agriculture. Seen in this context the farmer is not being wasteful in scattering his seed as, for example, the seed which initially lands on a stone may end up in good ground once ploughed and vice versa.[22] The parable contrasts the many obstacles facing the farmer and discouraging beginning with the triumphal harvest at the end. The fruitful harvest is not one of over abundance but rather a normal blessing to those who are righteous. Genesis 26:12 “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold, and the LORD blessed him”[23] The constant theme of seed and ground indicate that the harvest is dependent on the ground that receives the seed. The seed reveals the nature of the ground.
10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11And 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, 12so 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.’”
The twelve approach Jesus for an explanation of the parable and indicate how far they have to go on their faith journey. The “mystery” is not that of a secret society but rather “the secret counsels of God which are hidden from the ungodly but when revealed to the godly are understood by them.”[24] The example of the Apostles demonstrates that being an ‘insider’ does not imply that one knows everything, they are inside only in that they have knowledge that will save their lives.
Mark 4:12 is a quote from Isaiah 6:9f and does not infer that those “outside” are excluded from belief but rather they are excluded from further instruction while unbelief continues. The Kingdom has come initially in the presence of Jesus and can only be discerned by faith, that is, by the grace of God. “Jesus presence therefore means disclosure and veiling; it releases both grace and judgement.”[25] In Isaiah’s time the people could not understand his message until after the destruction of Jerusalem and the same hold true for the time of Jesus where His message would not fully be comprehended until after His death. Just as “outsiders” may become ‘insiders’ otherwise there would be no need to tell them to also “listen”, at the conclusion of the Gospel one betrays Jesus and another denies Him[26]
13And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15And 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. 16These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17and 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. 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. 20But 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.”
Jesus probably expected more from the disciples when he asked “How then will you understand all the parables? This parable is not first in the series of three because of position but because the interpretation provides a key to the understanding of the parables of growth that follow.[27]
Jesus’ explains the parable and makes the point that growth is directly related to the quality of an individual’s response. He builds a scale of spiritual growth: no-growth, shallow growth, stunted growth and full growth. The no-growth people listen but do not hear, their hearts are hardened like the ground on which the seed falls. The shallow growth people have potential for growth, they have heard the Gospel but they do not receive it. The stunted growth people have a divided mind and cannot produce fruit. The full growth people not only hear but also receive with a whole heart and produce fruit[28]
Application
The sower cannot control the harvest. The preacher of the Gospel is never in control of it. The preacher like the farmer will plan where, when and how much to sow and yet the reaction to their efforts cannot be predicted with any certainty. In this passage even Jesus is reflecting on the unpredictability of the response to His message.[29] Indeed the work of the Gospel is collaborative as Paul argues in 1Cor 3:5-9.
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
The sower does not prejudge the ground. The preacher like the sower will cast their seed with abandon and they do not decide in advance whether the ground has potential or not. The message is not tested and adjusted based on response but rather there are no concerns for what kinds of people will respond and there is no fear of sowing outside the boundaries.[30]
The sower is called to be faithful not successful. Just as a sower must sow each year to yield a crop and so preachers are called to”Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season.” (1Tim2:4). In any case it is difficult if not impossible to measure success. For example, who is more successful the one with a congregation of 10000 or the one who led Billy Graham to Christ?
Sowing is universal. All Christians are sower with seed to sow Mark concludes his Gospel with a commission Mark 16:15 “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”. Our responsibility is to sow; the harvest is up to God.[31]
Crop growth varies. Just as the seed growth depends on the ground condition so people respond differently to the Gospel. We can imagine the audience to whom Jesus told this parable. We would have the Pharisees being the seed on the hard beaten path of their tradition. The sensation seeking people of the stony ground with faith no deeper than the miracles they witness. The wealthy and powerful ones unable to free themselves from the weeds of their riches. Lastly, the genuinely receptive hearts earnestly seeking God.[32]
Conclusion
In conclusion, Mark 4:1-20 has presented us with a view of the nature of the Kingdom of God. Those with “ears to hear” see Jesus, the sower scattering His seed (the word of God) on their fertile ground. To others Jesus is telling a simple story and the meaning is beyond them.
For us today preaching the word of God there are principles of sowing and reaping but above all the harvest (Glory) belongs to God.
Bibliography
Carson, D.A., New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, Rev. Ed. of: The New
Bible Commentary. 3rd Ed. / Edited by D. Guthrie, J.A. Motyer. 1970.,
4th ed., Leicester, England, Downers Grove, Ill., USA: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
Cole, A., Mark: An Introduction and Commentary, London: Tyndale Press, 1973.
Easton, M.G., Easton’s Bible Dictionary, Oak Harbor,
WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996, c1897.
English, D., The Message of Mark: The Mystery of Faith, The Bible speaks today
;Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill., U.S.A.: Inter-Varsity Press, 1992.
Elwell, Walter A. and Comfort, Philip Wesley, Tyndale Bible Dictionary, Tyndale
Reference Library; Wheaton.Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001.
Garland, David E., The NIV Application Commentary – Mark, Grand Rapids, MI;
Zondervan, 1996.
Heil, John Paul, “Reader Response and the Narrative Context of the Parables
About the Growing Of the Seed”, Catholic Biblical Quarterly; Apr92 Vol 54 Issue 2.
Henry, M., Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and
Unabridged in One Volume, Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996, c1991.
Lane, W.L., The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New
Testament, Grand Rapids, MI: Erdmann, 1988.
McKenna, David L., Mastering the New Testament – Mark, Dallas, TX;
Word Inc, 1982.
Richards, Larry and Richards, Lawrence, O. The Teacher's Commentary,
Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1987.
Robertson, A.T., Word Pictures in the New Testament, Vol.V c1932,
Vol.VI c1933 by Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention.
Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, 1997.
Walvoord, J.F., Zuck, R.B. and Dallas Theological Seminary,
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures,
Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-c1985.
Wiersbe, W.W., The Bible Exposition Commentary, An Exposition of the New
Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. ,Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989.
Wood, D.R.W. and Marshall, I. Howard , New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed.
Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1996.
Wuest, K.S., Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English Reader
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997, c1984.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Nashville: Thomas Nelson: 1982.
----
[1] Unless otherwise stated all scriptures are quoted from The New King James Version. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982).
[2] David E. Garland., The NIV Application Commentary – Mark, Grand Rapids, MI; Zondervan, 1996. 162
[3] D. R. W. Wood and I. Howard Marshall, New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 731.
[4] Larry Richards and Lawrence O. Richards, The Teacher's Commentary, Includes Index. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1987), 600.
[5] D. R. W. Wood and I. Howard Marshall,728.
[6] Larry Richards and Lawrence O. Richards, 600.
[7] A. Cole,, Mark: An Introduction and Commentary, London: Tyndale Press, 1973, 21.
[8] W.L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament,
Grand Rapids, MI: Erdmann, 1988, 15.
[9] M.G. Easton, Easton's Bible Dictionary.
[10] M.G. Easton, Easton's Bible Dictionary.
[11] W.L. Lane, 1.
[12] M.G. Easton, Easton's Bible Dictionary – ‘Mark’
[13] W.L. Lane, 1.
[14] M.G. Easton, Easton's Bible Dictionary
[15] W.L. Lane, 149.
[16] D.R.W. Wood, and H.I. Marshall, New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill.:
InterVarsity Press, 1996, 867.
[17] W.A.Elwell and P.W. Comfort, Tyndale Bible Dictionary, Tyndale reference Library; Wheaton.Ill: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001. 988.
[18] David L. McKenna, Mastering the New Testament – Mark, Dallas, TX; Word Inc, 1982. 92.
[19] J.P. Heil, “Reader Response and the Narrative Context of the Parables about the Growing
Of the Seed”, Catholic Biblical Quarterly; Apr92 Vol 54 Issue 2. 271.
[20]David E. Garland., 152.
[21] K.S. Wuest., Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English Reader
Grand Rapids: Erdmann, 1997, c1984. Mk3:33-4:20.
[22] W.L. Lane. 153.
[23] D.E. Garland. 154.
[24] K.S. Wuest. Mk 3:33-4:20.
[25] W.L. Lane. 159.
[26] D.E. Garland. 160.
[27] W.L. Lane. 160.
[28] D.L. McKenna. 94.
[29] D. English., The Message of Mark: The Mystery of Faith, The Bible speaks today ;Leicester, England; Downers Grove,
Ill., U.S.A.: Inter-Varsity Press, 1992. 92.
[30] D.E. Garland. 168.
[31] D.L. McKenna. 90.
[32] D.L. McKenna. 90.
