Jesus Taught with Parables

Lesson 16

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER Mark 4:1-20 Key Verse: 4:20

“Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

 The main point of this parable is our attitude toward the word of God.

1. Read verses 1-2. Describe Jesus’ classroom after having called the twelve disciples in the previous chapter. Which teaching method did he begin to use? Why? (9-12, 33-34) With what kind of attitude should we study the words of God? (24-25)

1Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. 2He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: <9-12> 9Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." 10When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that, " 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'" <33-34> 33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything. <24-25> 24"Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."

 In the previous chapter, oppositions arose. The religious leaders said that Jesus was possessed by demons and his family members thought that he was out of mind. But Jesus did not stop teaching the word of God. He kept teaching again and again, day by day. There were so large crowd gathered around Jesus by the lake that he taught them from a boat.  From this passage, Jesus began to use parables in his teaching. A parable is a simple story which has deep meaning.  Parables are used for two purposes: a. to reveal the truth clearly, b. to hide the truth from those on the outside. It is very clear to those who understand it. The large crowd heard the pearl-like parable from Jesus. Nobody could understand it. But the Twelve and some people asked Jesus about the parable when he was alone. They had learning mind. So Jesus explained everything to them. They had good heart soil.  In order to understand the deep hidden meaning, we have to consider the word of God very carefully.

2. Read verses 3-8. What are the four different kinds of soil? What does soil represent? The seed? (14) How important is to understand this parable? (13) Why?

3"Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants Lesson 16

were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." <13> Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? <14>The farmer sows the word.

 The farmer represents Jesus himself. The four different soils are path-like soil, rocky soil, thorny soil, and good soil. In those days farmers used a “broadcast” method of sowing. Likewise, the word of God is spread to everyone.  Soil represents our hearts. Seed must be planted in our hearts, not brain.  The seed represents the word of God. The word of God is the seed of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is in the word of God. Where there is the word of God, there is the kingdom of God.  This is the very basic parable. This parable has a key to interpret all other parables. Unless we understand it, we cannot understand any parable.  It reveals the secret of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is hidden. Unless God reveals it to us, we can never see it. Through this parable, Jesus clearly reveals the secret of the kingdom of God.

3. Read verses 14-15. What happened to the seed that fell on the path? What happens to the word that is sown on a path-like heart? What kind of heart soil is the path? What makes a heart become hard like a path?

14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

 The seed is not planted at all. Then bird, Satan takes it. Planting a seed is a spiritual battle against Satan. All the unplanted words of God will be taken out of our heart by Satan. When the word of God is planted in this soil, nothing happens. Therefore we must deeply hide the word of God in our heart.  A heart hardened by sins, common sense, humanism and doubts. For example, unrepentant people never accept that adultery is sin. Humanistic people cannot accept that Jesus is the only way to the kingdom of God. People with common sense cannot accept that we can be joyful, thankful and prayerful all the time. Such heart can become good soil. Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

4. Read verses 16-17. What happens to seed that falls on rocky places? Why do these plants sprout quickly and wither quickly? What kind of heart does the rocky soil represent? To what is the hot sun compared? What is the real reason for no fruit? How can the rocky soil turn to good soil? (Ezekiel 36:26)

16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Lesson 16

 They hear the word and at once receive it with joy. Their response is very quick and good. So they look like good disciple material. But it does not last long. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly give up or run away.  They are very impulsive and emotional. They live based on their feelings, not on the word of God.  Hot sun is compared to hardships or persecutions. After we make a decision, Satan always tempts and persecutes us. We must take a deep root in the word of God.  Their major problem is no root problem. They do not make commitment. They live like wanderers. They never bear fruit.

5. Read verses 18-19. What happened to the seed that fell among thorns? What are the thorns that choke the growing seed of the word? What could be done to make the unfruitful soils/heart-soils fruitful? What does God do to us when we do not produce fruit? (Matthew 3:10, Mark 11:12-14, Matthew 25:29-30)

18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 12The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

 They hear the word and take deep root. They make commitment. However, they cannot grow well and produce fruit.  The worries of this life; future security and health. The deceitfulness of wealth; desires for wealth. The desires for other things; desires for fame, self-glory, pleasure. These things choke the word. We lose all our strength and cannot focus on the word of God.  We must have faith in God and seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.

6. Read verse 20. What happens to the seed planted in the good soil? How large can the crop be? What makes the word sown on good heart soil fruitful? What does it mean to “hear” and “accept” the word? What kind of fruit does Jesus mean?

20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

 It produces a crop.  Thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.  Good attitude toward the word of God; they hear the word of God and accept it.  “Hear” means to listen carefully. “Accept” means to take in and put it into practice. They hear the word of God with awesome respect and obey it without compromise. For example, when God gave to Abraham a word of promise, he obeyed it and held on to the promise to the end. Lesson 16

* Which word of God is deeply planted in your heart and produces a crop, multiplying a hundred times?