The Parable of the Sower. Mark 4:1-9.
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 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.”
Dear Servants of the Most High,
Parables are a very important style in Jesus’ teaching. interestingly, he said he taught in parables to veil “the secrets of the kingdom” to some while unveiling them to his disciples (Matthew 13:11). Mark continues his narrative of Jesus’ popularity but in this first parable, shows that the interest of some is shallow.
Sower (vv. 1–3). Jesus’ hearers understand about sowing seed because many are farmers. Jesus will explain later that the sower is a teacher or preacher. God has messengers and Christ was the ultimate. Those called to teach and preach and teach today to follow in the footsteps of Jesus himself.
Soils (vv. 4-8). The seed is the same but the soils are different. Whether the sower gets a harvest or not depends, not on the seed, because the seed is all the same, but on the soil. Some soils are unsuitable and seed is wasted on them, while other soil is fertile and will yield the farmer a good harvest. Even this early, Jesus is warning that some do not have the capability to receive the word and yield a harvest.
Summons (v. 9). Jesus calls everyone to attention with the statement that those who are able to should listen. There is a sense in which this is also a summary statement of the parable – that only some have ears to hear. But this also recalls the prophecy of Isaiah, “Keep on hearing, but do not understand” (Isaiah 6:9). Some will hear but it will mean nothing to them. Hearing must result in understanding, otherwise, it is just noise we hear. That is why so many are in church and have never asked Jesus into their lives. Have you?
Your Loving Pastor Chris.