Mark 4 Kingdom Parables

perspicuity of scripture

When you drink from the parables you drink from a deep well. For parables are deep wells and we have to reached the. So let’s hold our breath and good in together a little ways.

We are going to look at 11 to 12 different comparisons Jesus makes about the kingdom of God today in Mark 4.

This sermon might not make sense at the end but that is kind of the point. Stay with me and you will see what I mean.

Parables

The word parable means comparison or juxtaposition.

Jesus even claims that this is what He is doing. look at verse 30.

The word compare ὁμοιόω is only used once is Mark in verse 30 of this passage. It is a synonym of the word Parable

The Soils

it is a kingdom that will be opposed.

Satan cannot be God but he likes to counterfeit God.

He has an counterfeit imperfect trinity.

Flesh, World, and Himself.

It is a kingdom that is working in you.

The Lamp

The kingdom of God exposes reality to people.

It is a visible kingdom.

Better Translation: Does the lamp come in order to be but under a basket?

Jesus has come to give light… The coming of God’s kingdom is enlighten people.

Although the kingdom is a mystery to both unbelievers and even to believers it is something that has been revealed and is visible (Verse 21)

it is a mystery verse 11 and verse 27 and verse 33 to 34. Especially verse 22 here. The kingdom will reveal what is hidden.

verse 24 the measure… btw the basket that is spoken of in verse 21 to hide the light is a bushel measuring basket. The play on words is that if you hide the light with a measuring basket that same basket will be put on top of you to measure against you.

It is a kingdom of haves and have nots. Verse 25

Growing Seed

Only told in Mark…No where else in the Bible.

it is a growing kingdom.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 4:26

could be rendered: “The kingdom of God is as follows:

It is a mysterious kingdom

Winston Churchill on Russia

The sower plays a minimal role as the seed grows by itself without his effort. the success of the Kingdom does not depend solely upon human effort or understanding. Its growth is mysterious, miraculous, and Divine.

It happens while you are a asleep. Take a nap. Mount Everest joke.

God wants us to serve Him but He wants us to let Him do the heavy lifting…or worse try to upward manage Him.

We don’t really know what God does with our service or efforts. Story of Spurgon’s conversion.

It is a Kingdom that will bring a future judgement.

Mark (3) The Parable of the Seed Growing Spontaneously (4:26–29)

The end emphasis and perhaps primary focus of the parable is the assurance of the harvest.

Mark (3) The Parable of the Seed Growing Spontaneously (4:26–29)

The harvest almost certainly represents the judgment at the end of the age. Even so the concern is not the condemnation of the wicked (cf. Joel 3:13) but the manifestation of the righteous. Jesus by telling the story—and Mark by recording it—encouraged disciples who were experiencing rejection of their message and frustration at their lack of understanding of God’s mysterious purposes that God’s kingdom would surely come.

This was ment to be an encouragement to the first readers of Mark who were facing persecution and opposition to Jesus’s message.

Time Laps Video

The Bible give us a time laps of history and the growth of God’s Kingdom.

It is an apocalyptic parable which we think of as scary but the early Christians found comfort in apocalyptic literature.

Faith not fear… Instead of worrying about the end of the world they rejoiced in the return of the Lord. instead of anticipating that things would get worse they looked for Jesus to bring with Him peace and the subjection of wickedness.

Mustard Seed

It is a kingdom that will start small and grow into a place of shelter.

Mark (4) The Parable of the Mustard Seed (4:30–32)

The mustard seed was not the smallest seed in Palestine, but it was one of the smaller and was proverbial for smallness. (As usual the Bible does not give a technical or scientific description but a popular one. In doing so the Bible is guilty of no error whatsoever.)

The Bible Knowledge Commentary (4:30–32)

It took 725-760 mustard seeds to weigh a gram. The mustard shrub is an annual plant which, growing from seed, becomes the largest of all garden plants (“large, fast-growing annual shrubs”) in Palestine, reaching a height of 10–12 feet in a few weeks.

Started small… think of Peters prospective. Even he had essentially left Jesus at the beginning. That is how small the kingdom of God was on this earth. One of its first great leaders was denying it’s founder.

Here is how you know the Bible is inspired. These parables have aged well in the sense that they have come true. Marks first hearer would have never dreamed how much the kingdom could have grown. They were much closer to the seed and did not realize how large the bush could actually get.

It is a kingdom that you can belong to.

Peter found a home under its shade.

It will be a successful kingdom.

In Mark 4 the parables are all agricultural parables. There is no parable of the Leaven, or of the pearl, or hidden treasure, or the net, or new and old treasure and the householder. They all have to do with growing and seeds. With the exception of the light statements which are not serious parables.

Verses 33 and 34 Conclusion.

How God’s kingdom works can be hard to understand but Jesus makes it a reality to His followers.

Jesus explained everything but as we will see later they disciples had great difficulty understanding.

The mystery is that Understanding Jesus’ parables is not for everybody, Some people never do understand them. The reality is that Kingdom of God can be for anybody. If you understand Jesus parables you realize you can be a part of His awesome kingdom.

Jesus is not looking for a few good men, He is looking for a few good hearers.

I don’t understand everything in Jesus’ parables but I have heard enough to know that I belong in His kingdom.

And if you have ears to hear you will too.