Jean-François Millet. The Sower. c. 1865
Welcome to a study of the Gospel according to Mark, a cooperative effort of Mary Barmore and Alice C. Linsley. Read
Mary's testimony here and read about
Alice's research here.
The study begins with a brief Introduction to Mark chapter 4. This is followed by 10 questions. The answers may be found by scrolling to the bottom of the post.
Prepare by reading Mark 4.
Let's begin with prayer.
Blessed Lord, who hast caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning; Grant that we may hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
INTRODUCTION
In Mark chapter 4 Jesus uses parables to describe the Kingdom of God. He privately explains the meaning of the parables to his disciples. His parables refer to activities that were familiar to his listeners. On the surface, they are about ordinary daily life, but some people recognized that He was speaking of deeper spiritual truths.
From a boat on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus taught a large crowd. He used the example of a farmer who scatters seed. The seed falls of 4 types of soil with different results. Some falls on the well-trodden path. Some falls on rocky ground, begins to grow, but then withers. Some falls among the thorns and brambles and is choked, and some falls on good soil and bears much fruit.
Jesus also spoke of how light exposes all things, using the example of an oil lamp. The Parable of the Oil Lamp speaks of how a hearer of Jesus' words might respond. Some will grow spiritually by internalizing Jesus' words. Others will have taken away from them what little they may have received. The Parable of the Oil Lamp is an extension of the Parable of the Sower.
Jesus described the Kingdom of God as something that continually grows, often imperceptibly. He used the example of the mustard seed which produces a shrub yet expands into a large tree with many branches in which the birds make their nests.
After teaching the crowd, an exhausted Jesus crossed in a boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. He slept in the stern on a cushion and did not wake until the stormy wind and the waves caused his fearful disciples to wake him. Jesus calmed the storm and chastised the disciples for their lack of faith.
Questions
1. Why did Jesus speak in parables?
2. How would you describe a heart that is receptive to Jesus' words?
3. Why did the seed on the hard wayside never take root?
4. The various growing conditions describe the human heart. What conditions of the heart produce the most fruit?
5. Light makes it possible to see what is in the dark place. What is the source of the light that exposes spiritual darkness?
6. What factors cause a person who hears the Gospel to never come to spiritual maturity?
7. What do the birds in the Parable of the Mustard Seed represent?
8. Although Jesus slept in the boat, his disciples were alarmed by the strength of the storm. What does their fear tell us about that particular storm?
9. What did Jesus do to calm the storm?
10. How did the disciples react when Jesus calmed the storm?
Answers
1. The parables were about activities that people did and observed daily. Everyone could relate to the parables, although some people would not consider the deeper meaning about the Kingdom of God. His message was "concealed" for those who would not take it to heart.
2. A heart that is receptive to Jesus' words is one that seeks forgiveness, healing, guidance, truth and eternal life.
3. The path was well traveled, which means that the soil was hard packed so that seed could not penetrate the ground. Because of the hardness, the seed was snatched by Satan, the supernatural enemy of the Kingdom of God.
4. The best growing conditions include soft fertile soil, free of rocks and thorns. Both John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed the necessity of repentance because repentance prepares the heart by clearing away the rocks and thorns and softening the ground. As a seed planted in good soil produces an abundance of fruit, repentant people will find their faithfulness rewarded by seeing other lives transformed.
5. The light that exposes spiritual darkness is the Light of Christ, also known as the "Light of the World" because the name Jesus or Y-shu (Yeshua) refers to the uncreated light of Genesis 1:1. According to the early Hebrew, the first act of the Creator at the beginning was šw (Shu), meaning light. This is not the light of day. It is the eternal, uncreated light associated with the High
God's son Y-shu, as proclaimed in John's Prologue.
6. Jesus indicates that some who hear His word never produce spiritual fruit or reach spiritual maturity because they are focused instead on the cares of this world and materialism. Others fall away because of persecution. Some are complacent about the Gospel and complacency leads to
decadence, and decadence leads to corruption. The Apostle Paul understood the
danger of spiritual drift. He urged the Christians in Rome to "Let love be
genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good" (Rom. 12:9).
7. The birds represent the people who find shelter in the Kingdom of God. This image is found in Ezekiel 17:22–23 where a majestic tree provides a nesting place for "birds of every kind".
8. At least 4 of Jesus' disciples, Peter, Andrew, James, and John, were veteran fisherman who had been fishing on the Sea of Galilee most of their lives. They were accustomed to changing weather conditions. This storm was so strong that their boat was filling with water, and it caused them to fear for their lives.
9. Jesus simply spoke and the storm ceased. The
early Hebrew (Abraham's ancestors) believed that the
Son of God (HR) had authority over wind and waves. This is highlighted in Mark 4 and in the story of Jesus walking on the stormy waves in John 6:16-21. In John's account, as soon as Jesus entered the boat, it reached the shore. (In the ancient world wind towers were built for people to determine the direction of the winds. These were called "horologions", after HR, the Son of God who controlled the winds. The
Horologion of Andronikos Cyrrhestes is the world's oldest known meteorological station and wind tower.
10. Before Jesus calmed the storm the disciples were terrified. After He stopped the storm with a simple command, their panic turned into reverent awe. They were astonished and asked, "Who can he be, that even the wind and the waves obey him?" (Mk. 4:41)
