Mark 4 So here we are, reading through the Bible in a year together. Our midweek Bible studies will focus on the readings assigned for that day. And, like last week, the study notes will be more general than they were when we studied the Gospels of John and Luke. (Even more so when we are reading 5-6 chapters each day.)
Today’s reading is Mark 4. Before we engage the text for the day, it’s good for us to remember where we are in the Gospel of Mark. Here’s a bullet-point list of what’s happened so far… • We are introduced to John the Baptist, who prepares the way for Jesus. • Jesus appears on the scene, is baptized by John and is commissioned by the Father and the Spirit. • Jesus goes into the wilderness where he triumphs over spiritual (the devil) and physical (wild animals) foes. • Jesus proclaims the imminence of the kingdom. He then goes on to… o Call ordinary men to be his disciples (not the rich, not the religious). o Make people’s minds right through teaching. o Make people’s souls right through exorcism. o Make people’s bodies right through healing. • One last highlight from the first chapter is Jesus’ healing of a leper in response to the leper’s statement: “if you are willing.” • In chapter two, Jesus continues his healing ministry, but adds to it the giving of forgiveness of sins. • Jesus calls a “sinner” to be a disciple. This opens the door to conflict between Jesus and some in the religious establishment. • Jesus’ newfound opponents question him in three areas: o Why does he eat with “sinners”? o Why don’t Jesus’ disciples fast? o Why are Jesus’ disciples doing what is “unlawful” on the Sabbath? • In chapter three, Jesus heals and draws bigger crowds. • Jesus appoints twelve men as “apostles.” We are not told what this means or what they will do. • Meanwhile, Jesus’ opponents accuse Jesus of being in league with Satan when he drives out demons. • Jesus defines who his family are as those who do the will of God. • This brings us to chapter four…
4:1-9 Chapter four is a remarkable chapter. Jesus preaches more in this chapter than he does in any other in Mark’s gospel. Also, for the first time, Jesus uses the genre of the parable in his teaching. Remember, up to this point, we have not been privy to the substance of Jesus’ teachings. What we have heard is Jesus’ response to accusations made by his opponents, the words of demons, the request of a man with leprosy, the words of John the Baptist, and those who tried to get him to speak with his family members. Parables are… interesting. Basically, they take events from either every-day life and exaggerate them in places to make a point. To say that they are “earthly stories with a heavenly meaning” doesn’t help. The best way to understand a parable is to experience it. The first parable Jesus gives is one involving a sower, seed, and the results of the sowing. Some like to point out the extravagantly generous nature of the sower. He tosses seed EVERYWHERE! He tosses it where he knows it will not be fruitful and grow. He tosses it where he knows it will get taken away. He just can’t help but sow! However, I think that this focus misses the main point of the parable. The parable ends with these words: “And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” This, and not the generous sowing nature of the sower, in my opinion, would have stood out as remarkable in the ears of those who heard. What grain produced a hundredfold? None! This is a parable about the growth potential of the kingdom. Jesus will go on to tell us more…
4:10-20 Jesus explains his parable. First, he explains why he is speaking in parables. Now, some people take Jesus’ words here and think that he is saying that he intentionally leaves people in the dark; that he speaks in parables so that people will not be able to come to faith. But look closely at the text: “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables so that they may indeed see but not perceive…” In other words, Jesus speaks in parables so that those who have already rejected him would not benefit from his teaching.
This is done, actually, as an act of mercy. Before Jesus has something to say to anyone about anything, that person must believe that the one they are listening to is the “secret of the kingdom of God,” that is, their savior. In other words, unless one sees Jesus for who he really is, his teaching makes no sense and has no purpose. If I may go off on a short tangent… The Bible asks that its reader enters its world. It says: “read what I say with an open mind. Enter my world and see if things don’t make sense. Don’t compare me to what you already think is true. Read me and ask yourself: could it really be this way?” Back to our text.
Instead of the different types of soil, the main focus of the parable is the yield that the word produces. Again, a hundredfold is a ridiculous return! (Thirty and sixty aren’t too shabby either!) The question is: what does this “fruit” look like? We don’t know what this is from the text… so we won’t guess. Jesus will tell us later on ☺
4:21-25 This parable builds on the last one. The point? The kingdom is meant, by nature, to be shared and grow. Seed produces more seed. A lamp is designed to shine out and give light to all who are around it. Of special note is 4:24-25.
It seems as though Jesus is speaking about how we react to the preaching of the word, the kingdom of God. If we receive it and do not share it (like a light that is put under a basket), then it becomes useless to us and we will not receive it when it is given to us. But if we are liberal in our sharing of the kingdom, then we are open to receiving it when it comes to us. In other words, those who talk about Jesus during the week get more out of worship than those who do not. And those who hide their faith from others and refuse to speak the name of Jesus are not likely to get a whole lot out of being with Jesus on Sunday morning.
4:26-29 Again, the focus is not on the soil, but on the seed and the growth of the seed! The kingdom grows. It’s what it does. And we saw what the kingdom of God looks like in the ministry of Jesus: fixing things spiritually, physically and mentally. Teaching, healing, exorcizing. This kingdom will grow. (Keep in mind, back in chapter three, Jesus appointed twelve to be apostles…)
We also see in this parable an oblique reference to the judgment at the end of the age. After the kingdom has been given sufficient time to grow and produce fruit, that fruit is collected. The one who sowed the seed is also the one who reaps at the harvest.
4:30-34 Another parable about… the growth of the kingdom. Get the point? We also see that the disciples are given special treatment. Jesus teaches them privately and speaks to them in something other than that hard-to-understand parable.
4:35-41 Having taught about the kingdom of God, Jesus goes on to bring the kingdom of God. Here, he calms a storm that was threatening the disciples. We might marvel at Jesus’ response to the fear of the disciples from something we ourselves would be afraid of: a raging storm out on the sea. But the reason for Jesus’ seemingly harsh comment (“Have you still no faith”) comes on the heels of his teaching about the kingdom growing and growing AND after the disciples had witnessed Jesus bringing the kingdom in its different forms. It seems as though he is disappointed that his disciples would not ASSUME that as long as they are with him, he will not allow what is wrong with the world to effect them.
The chapter ends with the disciples asking a question: “who then is this?” The answer to that question will be given in tomorrow’s reading ☺