Jesus the Man of Stories.
 

Mark 4:1-25

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:
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 birdsof 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!”
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.’ ”
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. 
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. 
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. 
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.”
21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 
22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 
25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Jesus got into a boat and began to speak. Jesus often used a boat on the water, it was a great carrier of sound.

 

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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:

The Bible uses many different ways to get a message across to the reader.
Types, symbols, images, similes, examples, parables, motif, figure, metaphors and analogy.

One of these ways used by Jesus was the use of Parables.
A Parable is an extended simile.
It is a story that shows that something is like something else but put in story form that could actually happen.
This is Jesus way of extending a simile by using an example of something that really happens in real life.

Why did Jesus speak in Parables?
 

Jesus used parables as a test to see if people really understood what He was saying.
If you got the message, you would understand the parable.
 

The Parable of the Sower.

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.”

This parable could be better described as the Parable of the Soil.
The reason being, that the seed never changes. It is the same seed that is scattered, it is the ground that changes. The wayside, Stony Ground, Thorny ground and Good ground.
The same seed, just different soil.

9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The only ground that received the seed was the good soil.

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, 

There is a proverb that says:
 

There are none so blind as those who will not see.
The meaning is that understanding cannot be forced on someone who chooses to be ignorant. 

Synonym: there are none so deaf as those who will not hear.
 

There are those that hear but are deaf to the truth and there are those that have eyes and yet still do not see.
The scripture tells us that 2 Cor 4:4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.

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.’ ”

It is God who opens the eye and opens the ear of His choosing.

13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

Jesus then goes on to explain the meaning of the parable.

14 The sower sows the word. 

The seed is the word of God. The gospel of truth.
The preacher, the evangelist, the believer, scatters the word.

Some of the word falls on infertile soil, (stony hearts). The word is stolen immediately by Satan and his lies.

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. 

Others receive the word gladly but there is not enough soil for the word to take root. It lasts only a short time, until trial and tribulation kills it off.

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.

The same happens when the word falls amongst thistles, (These are the ones that care more for the things of this world, riches and pleasures) The word is overcome and does not bear fruit. 

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. 

The last one is the good soil, that which God has prepared. Those that have ears to hear and eyes to see.
The seed of the word takes root and bears the fruit of faith.

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.”

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

But how will they hear if there is no preacher? For the seed to go out, there must be a sower.
Christians have the word, (seed). Christians have the light and it must be made available.

21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 

We must not hide our light under a bushel.

Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

If you have the truth of God, you have a solemn responsibility to spread that truth in whatever way God gives you opportunity. God didn’t light your lamp so that it would remain hidden.

22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 
23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 
 

The moment we hear the word and believe it. The moment we see the light, we have been given the responsibility to share it with others.
Christians should also be careful to put themselves under the ministry of good teachers, those that teach the whole counsel of God’s Word. This is why it is important to find a good fellowship, sound in the word of God.
 

25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

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God will bless those that are genuine in studying the scriptures. He will bless those who are fervent in prayer. To those are generous with the gospel and the talents that God has given. Shepherds need to be faithful to the flock.
Teachers, faithful to the truth. Evangelists, faithful to the true gospel and all believers, faithful to Christ.

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