DOCSLIB.ORG

The Parable of the Soil April 25, 2010 Mark 4:1-20

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Parable of the Soil April 25, 2010 Mark 4:1-20 PAUL TRIPP MINISTRIES, INC. The Parable of the Soil April 25, 2010 Mark 4:1-20 Well it's not enough to be in the room. You can be in the room where the Word of God is taught and not benefit from it at all. You can hear God's Word preached and walk away utterly unchanged. You can even have joy at what you're hearing, and it makes no difference in your life whatsoever. I was a third-year seminary student. I was quite filled with the glory of my Greek language ability. I was exegeting my way through Romans. I thought that my work in Romans was brilliant. Maybe someday it would be a commentary – Romans, by Paul David Tripp. Oh the glory of it! I got to about Romans 8 - I remember it very clearly. I remember it was early in the evening, and I was writing sort of exegetical notes alongside a passage of Romans, and it hit me that I was in the eighth chapter of this glorious exposition of the Gospel, and I had not been touched by it at all. It had been nothing but a theological, exegetical, language exercise. How shocking! And so this very, very familiar passage is very, very important for us all. The Bible says that the Word of God is meant to function like a mirror so that we can look into the Word of God, and we can see ourselves as we actually are. Jesus is in that familiar situation. There is this wide variety of responses to Him. You have the Scribes and Pharisees who are now plotting to destroy Him; they cannot abide His self-declaration; they think He is a blasphemer because He's called himself the Son of God; He's claimed authority over the law of God, and they want Him dead. You have His own family who thinks He's a bit crazy and wants to rescue Him from Himself - He’s delusional; He calls Himself the Son of God. You have the disciples who have shockingly left their livelihood to follow this One who claims to be the Messiah. And then you have the multitude that presses at Jesus, probably not because they want Him to be their Savior, but probably because they've heard that He's a healer, and He says things that other people haven't said. In this situation, the crowd is so pressing Christ along the shores of The Galilee that He actually has to preach from a boat; what a scene. And it's as if Mark positions this parable at this moment in his discussion in the Gospel to speak to this issue. The issue is: Why is there this wide variety of responses to Christ? Why are people who hear the very same Gospel of the Kingdom preached responding in such widely disparate ways? And he records Jesus teaching this parable. You know it as “The Parable of the Sower.” It probably ought to be called, “The Parable of the Soil,” because the soil, in this parable, is really center stage. Unlike most of Mark, where Christ is pushed to center stage, at this moment, what the parable is actually about is the soil, and that issue of how you hear and receive the Word of God, critical issue that it is. And so it really is “The Parable of the Soil.” And what I would like to do is I would like to look with you at verses 13 through 20; you know well; you've heard the story of these four soils, and let me start here with verse 13, And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” A word just about parables. Parables are like extended metaphors. The purpose of a parable is not to find some kind of application for every little piece of the parable; you do that and the parable just becomes sort of irrational. But parables have a central point that Jesus is trying to drive home, and He’s actually saying to the disciples that this is a source parable; this is a foundational parable; this parable really explains to you what's happening and what I'm doing as I teach in parables. And so He begins to interpret the parable for the disciples. Verse 14: The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. Remember the word picture? Seed is broadcast, not like we would sow today; the farmer would have a bag of seed on his hip; he would reach into that; he would throw the seed like this, and so it would be widely broadcast. Some of that seed in Christ’s picture falls on the path and is immediately eaten by birds. And Jesus says, “This is a picture of Satan immediately coming and snatching away the word before it's able to take root.” Now here's what Christ is saying: every time the Word is taught, every time it's proclaimed, what takes place next is spiritual warfare. We ought to be aware of the war for the heart that takes place every time the Word is spoken. We ought to take it with that kind of seriousness. We really do believe in evil. We really do believe in an enemy. We really do believe in Satan who wants to do anything he can to keep you distant from, cold from, separate from, the liberating life-transforming power of God's Word. And that warfare takes place on the turf of your heart in the place even where you are now sitting. That war is taking place even at this moment, and we ought to be very aware of the seriousness of what we’re doing right now. How do you come into this room? What is the mentality of your heart? I mean, it's possible for this to be just another religious habit that you have, and you’re sort of used to coming to the Sunday evening service; or, do you come aware of that war for your heart and seeking the protecting, preventing, delivering grace of Jesus every time you're hit with the Word of God? The Bible would say that Satan comes robed as an angel of light. What would be a better deceit than to have you regularly hear the Word of God and not benefit from it? What a cruel trick! And perhaps I could give you some ways that that can happen. Maybe it happens when you sit there, and you listen theologically, and you listen critically, but you do not listen personally. This is not just a theological exercise. We’re not just rehearsing our outline again. This is not an opportunity for you to stand away from the Word of God and critique the way the preacher handles the theology that you hold dear. Now you should hold that theology dear, and you should be concerned that those who preach, preach the Word of God with clarity and accuracy, but it must not stop there! Because we should stand against any time the Word of God is taught and is held as some kind of distant academic intellectual outline that isn't received by our hearts in ways that the Spirit of God can transform the very nature of who we are. That is a cruel trick of the enemy, and I will say it: there will be brilliant theologians in hell! It scares me. Maybe you are actually sitting there listening for someone else. You’re sort of their personal pew-sitting Holy Spirit, and you're very thankful that they’re in the room because you know that they will particularly benefit from the truths now being proclaimed. Now again, there are balances here; you should love your brothers and sisters. There are times when it’s right to be glad that somebody is there, but not in a way that divorces you from that position of neediness and openness. That, too, is a trick of the enemy. And the whole time you're thinking of brilliant applications into that person's life, and you're missing the power of the Word of God for you. That's Satan’s trick! Or, maybe you're listening for ministry preparation and you think, “Wow! This would be great to share with my Bible study. In fact, while I’m listening, I think I’m going to outline this passage.” Now again, God’s called you to be part of what He's doing; you are actually part of the ministry of Christ’s Church, and you should learn about ministry for teaching, but you must not do that in a way that separates you from the teaching of the Word of God. Listen, all those things are appropriate in some way, but not if, with a humble needy heart, I am not receiving the Word. It’s immediately snatched away before it ever has a chance to take root. Verse 16: And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. This is pretty humbling. Listen, the litmus test for your receptivity of the Word is not spontaneous momentary joy.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Theological Significance of the Isaiah Citation in Mark 4:12
    HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies ISSN: (Online) 2072-8050, (Print) 0259-9422 Page 1 of 7 Original Research The theological significance of the Isaiah citation in Mark 4:12 Author: The well-known passage Mark 4:1–34 is no stranger to New Testament scientific scrutiny, not 1 Peter Nagel to even mention the hotly debated phrases in Mark 4:10–12. To avoid repetition, the aim with Affiliation: this article is to determine the extent of the impact the Isaiah 6:9–10 citation in Mark 4:12 might 1Department of New have had on the interpretation and understanding of Mark 4:1–34 and the Gospel as a whole. Testament Studies, The theory is that the citation in Mark 4:12, especially within Mark 4:1–34, is foundational for University of the Free State, understanding the Markan gospel as a ‘parable’. Moreover, the redactional inclusion of the South Africa concept of ‘the Twelve’ will prove to be a vital contribution in understanding the Markan Corresponding author: gospel as a ‘parable’. Arguing this theory will include evaluating the parable theory in Mark Peter Nagel, 4:10–12, followed by determining the interpretative effect the explicit citation in Mark 4:12 had [email protected] on Mark 4:10–12 and its larger literary context (Mk. 4:1–34). This will be followed by concluding Dates: remarks and suggestions. Received: 09 Nov. 2015 Accepted: 26 Jan. 2016 Published: 30 June 2016 Introduction How to cite this article: Much has been written about the parables, especially those attested in Mark 4:1–34.1 These include Nagel P., 2016, ‘The investigations into the so-called ‘parable theory’ (cf.
    [Show full text]
  • Sermon: the Parable of the Sower Kirk Wellum
    Sermon: The Parable of the Sower Kirk Wellum atthew 13 contains eight parables that they are related to Matthew’s overall por- M about the kingdom of heaven, that is, the trait of Jesus. In his Gospel, they come after Jesus’ saving reign of God that has broken into human words regarding the fickle response of the crowd history in Jesus Christ. These parables are divided to John the Baptist (11:1-18), and his subsequent into two sections of four parables each. The first judgment on the unrepentant cities in which most four (the parables of the Sower, the Weeds, the of his miracles were performed (11:19-24). But all Mustard Seed, and the Yeast) are spoken in public is not judgment. At the end of Matthew 11 Jesus to the crowds that were following Jesus. The last speaks about things which are hidden and things four (the parables of the Hidden which are revealed according to the sovereign Kirk Wellum is Principal and Treasure, the Pearl, the Net and the good pleasure of the Father (vv. 25-26), and the Professor of Biblical Studies, Teacher of the Law) are spoken to necessity of divine revelation if anyone is to under- Pastoral and Systematic Theology the disciples when they were alone stand what is going on (v. 27). He then invites the at Toronto Baptist Seminary in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. with Jesus. Taken together they weary and burdened to find rest in him (vv. 28-30). compose the third of five major In Matthew 12 Jesus presents himself as the Prior to this, he served as a church teaching sections in Matthew’s Lord of the Sabbath against the backdrop of bit- planter and pastor from 1982-2006 in various churches in Southern Gospel (cf.
    [Show full text]
  • III. the Parable of the Sower in Mark's Gospel
    III. The Parable of the Sower in Mark’s Gospel 1) The Parable of the Sower (Mk 4:1-9) NRSV 41 Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching, he said to them: 3“Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. 6And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” 9And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” 2) Purpose of Parables (Mk 4:10-12) 410 When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret/mystery (μυστήριον) of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; 12 in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’” [cf.
    [Show full text]
  • Of Soils and Souls: the Parable of the Sower
    Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel Volume 9 Number 3 Article 5 9-1-2008 Of Soils and Souls: The Parable of the Sower Jared M. Halverson [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/re BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Halverson, Jared M. "Of Soils and Souls: The Parable of the Sower." Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel 9, no. 3 (2008). https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/re/vol9/iss3/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Of Soils and Souls: The Parable of the Sower Jared M. Halverson Jared M. Halverson ([email protected]) is a Church Educational System coordinator in Nashville, Tennessee. There are certain stories which are not so much the heritage of the scholar and the material of the theologian as the possession of every man; and such are the parables of Jesus. Even in an age when men know less and less of the Bible, and care less for it, it remains true that the stories Jesus told are the best known stories in the world.1 Among the parables of Jesus, in some respects the parable of the sower ranks first. Chronologically, wrote Elder James E. Talmage, the sower comes “first in the order of delivery,” and literarily, he added, it deserves “first place among productions of its class.”2 The primacy of this parable, however, goes beyond chronology and composition.
    [Show full text]
  • In Parable of the Sower
    Revism de Eswdios Norteamericanos. 11. ºJO (2004), pp. 111 . 124 THE DAY OF DOOM AND THE MEMORY OF SLAVERY: OCTAVIA E. BUTLER'S PROPHETIC VISION IN PARABLE OF THE SOWER CARME MANUEL Universitat de Valencia Divine justice offended is and satisfaction claimeth: God"s wrathful ire kindled like tire, against them fi ercely flameth. MTCHAEL WIGGLESWORTH, The Day oj Doom ?arable of the Sower (1993) is Octavia Butler's apocalyptic vision of America and American society in the first two decades of the twenty-first century. Thc novel is written as a personal joumal and each entry is introduced with excerpts from a spiritual book that the protagonist, Lauren Oya Olamina, published after the joumal's events took place. The narrative is a passionate attack on the social ills of overindustrialization and fierce competitiveness which have reduced a once prosperous country into a fractured society govemed by outright violence and aggressiveness. It is a book about a historical dilemma which presents the image of a society laid waste, of human beings deprived of their humanity, and shows how the one-way joumey of progress and mechanization has resulted in the demise of nature and even human life. America is presented as a dystopia with «landscapes in which the hard edge of cruelty, violence, and domination is described in stark detail» (Allison 472). In this sense this is a novel which «addresses the issues of survival and adaptation, in which resistance, defeat, and compromise are the vital elements» (Allison 4 72). The America of Parabl e of the Sower is «barely a nation at 112 Carme Manuel ali anymore.»1 Tt is rathcr a society of fear, class strife and extreme poverty, a country which has endured serious economic and social upheaval s: cholera is spreading in sorne souchern states, others are being smashed by cornadoes, a blizzard is freezing che northern midwest, and eastern states are suffering from a measles epidemic.
    [Show full text]
  • THE PARABLE of the SOWER and the SEED UNLOCKING the MYSTERIES of the KINGDOM SERIES Dr
    HROCK CHURCH THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED UNLOCKING THE MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM SERIES Dr. Ché Ahn September 1, 2019 INTRO: There are 40 parables in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. There are no parables in the Gospel of John. A parable is a story that reveals a spiritual truth about God’s Kingdom. You don’t want to build a whole theological truth based on a parable, but parables are stories that bring insight and help to illustrate biblical truths. I want to begin in the Gospel of Matthew, since we just finished a series on the Sermon on the Mount. In fact, there are five major discourses in the Gospel of Matthew: Matthew 5-7, Matthew 10, Matthew 13, Matthew 18 and Matthew 23- 25. I think it is significant that Matthew places the parables at the heart, in the middle of his gospel. The Parable of the Sower is a parable where Jesus immediately gives the explanation of the parable, and He does this point by point. There is one Sower, God. Jesus said, “The seed is the Word of the Kingdom.” Specifically, the seed is the Gospel of the Kingdom. The title of the series, “Unlocking the Mysteries of the Kingdom,” comes from the following verses: Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
    [Show full text]
  • Luke 8:1-15 July 20, 2008 the Parable of the Sower I Know That's
    Luke 8:1-15 July 20, 2008 The Parable of the Sower I know that’s what Norton thought when he greeted Yvonne each week at church. By the time I became pastor of that church, Norton and Yvonne had both been members there at least 25 years. Norton, at 75, had been an usher all this time. Yvonne, at about the same age, had attended the 11:00 service most every Sunday. Norton came to me, a few weeks after I became his pastor to tell me his problem. “Yvonne has not spoken to me in years,” he said. “I don’t know how I made her mad at me, but for almost 20 years she turns away in church when she sees me. This isn’t the way church is supposed to be. Can you find out what is wrong?” I talked to Yvonne about it. “No, it’s private between Norton and me. I won’t talk about it.” When I returned to Norton I told him, “I don’t know what it is, Norton. But just keep being nice. Just keep planting seeds. One day she’ll greet you and it’ll all be ok.” With every sowing of seed there is a little death. The seed leaves the hand of the sower and is buried in the earth. From this little death comes the only hope of life. Out of her trust and hope, blessed by God, new life springs from out of the sower’s persistence and hope. We’re talking about the parables this summer in sermons because they are the heart of the teaching of Jesus, and sometimes they’re forgotten when we think of him.
    [Show full text]
  • Children and Worship
    SUNDAY MORNINGS, MEETS DURING THE 10:45 AM WORSHIP CHILDREN AND WORSHIP KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 2ND GRADERS September 8 Orientation to the Worship Center September 15 The Light September 22 Parable of the Good Shepherd September 29 The Good Shepherd and the Lost Sheep October 6 Exodus October 13 The Ten Best Ways to Live October 20 An Ark and a Tent for God October 27 The Promised Land November 3 The Temple: A House for God November 10 Exile and Return November 17 How the Church Tells Time November 24 The Prophets Show the Way to Bethlehem December 1 Advent I Mary and Joseph Show the Way to Bethlehem December 8 Advent II The Shepherds Show the Way to Bethlehem December 15 Advent III The Magi Show the Way to Bethlehem December 22 Advent IV Meeting the Christ Child December 29 No Children’s Programming – kids stay in worship this Sunday January 5 The Boy Jesus in the Temple January 12 Jesus is Baptized January 19 Jesus in the Wilderness January 26 Parable of The Mustard Seed February 2 Parable of The Leaven February 9 Parable of The Great Pearl February 16 Parable of The Sower February 23 Parable of The Good Samaritan March 1 Lent I The Lenten Puzzle March 8 Lent II Jesus and the Children March 15 Lent III Jesus and Bartimaeus March 22 Lent IV Jesus and Zacchaeus March 29 Lent V Jesus is King April 5 Palm Sunday Jesus’ Last Passover April 12 Easter Jesus is Risen: Appearance to Mary Magdelene April 19 The Road to Emmaus April 26 The Good Shepherd and the Wolf May 3 The Good Shepherd and the Lord’s Supper May 10 The Good Shepherd and the Lord’s
    [Show full text]
  • Harmony of the Gospels #1 by Aude Mckee Pre-Existence and Conception of Jesus Study Texts: Matthew 1; Luke 1; Luke 3:23-38; John 1:1-14 QUESTIONS: 1
    Harmony of the Gospels #1 by Aude McKee Pre-existence and Conception of Jesus Study texts: Matthew 1; Luke 1; Luke 3:23-38; John 1:1-14 QUESTIONS: 1. What does the word “pre-existence” mean? (cf. Col. 1:17; John 17:5; Phil. 2:6) 2. To whom does the word “Word” refer? (cf. Rev. 19:13) 3. Who was sent to bear witness to the Light? 4. In John 1:12, who was given “power to become sons of God”? 5. Look up the word “incarnation” if you do not know its meaning. Which verse in John 1 teaches the idea of incarnation? 6. Compare the genealogies of Matthew and Luke and tell how the arrangement differs. 7. How many generations from Abraham to David? From David to Babylon? From Babylon to Christ? 8. From Luke’s record and determine how many generations from Adam to Noah? How many from Noah to Abraham? 9. Altogether there are how many generations from Adam to Christ? 10. What Old Testament passage states that Jesus would be born of a virgin? 11. What verses in Matthew 1 show that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was born? 12. Did Mary remain a virgin after Jesus’ birth? If yes, prove it: 13. The name “Jesus” is a transliteration of the Hebrew word “Joshua”, which means “Jehovah is the savior.” What reason was given for calling Mary’s son “Jesus”? 14. What does the Hebrew word “Emmanuel” mean? 15. Many was espoused to Joseph. What does this mean? 16. What was Matthew’s occupation? 17.
    [Show full text]
  • Godspell: the Parable of the Sower” Matthew 13:1-9
    Rev. Dr. Roula Alkhouri January 5, 2020 “Godspell: The Parable of the Sower” Matthew 13:1-9 Many of you watched the football game last Sunday between the Bills and the Jets. One interesting commentary I heard from someone who went to the game was about the Jets’ kicker who missed the field goal twice. The comments went something like this, “How could the person who trains to be a kicker miss the goal twice? This is what they train for and work on all the time and they get a lot of money for this. How is this even possible? How could they keep their job?” Even though I am not a football fan, I understand the frustration. I am sure in practice and without the pressure of the crowds, this young man has a much better average of accuracy than one third of the time. But with nerves and the pressure of having to get the ball in, his average went down. I see in this example a metaphor for our lives of faith. When things are calm and we are not under pressure, we know our potential for good and can align our actions with it. But when the pressures of life, our emotional hurts, and our fears dominate our thinking, we start missing the point and we lose our way. How often do we miss the big goal that is in front of us and is supposedly easy to see? In the story of the Magi, we know that they missed the point by going to Herod first to seek the newborn king.
    [Show full text]
  • The Four Soils January 10, 2016 Matthew 13:1-23
    The Four Soils January 10, 2016 Matthew 13:1-23 The seed is the Word of God. 1) Hard soil (wayside) And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Matthew 13:4 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. Matthew 13:19 Hardened in sin No root No opportunity for the Word to soak in These may be inside and outside of the Church For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 ___________________________________________________________________ 2) Stony soil Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. Matthew 13:5-6 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Matthew 13:20-21 New and pleasing No roots Treated like a new “fad” Falls away during tough times Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks.
    [Show full text]
  • The Gospel of Mark
    The Gospel of Mark A Living Word Independent Bible Study The Gospel of Mark Part 9 Mar k 4:1-20 A Living Word Independent Bible Study Mark 4:1 ( NIV) “Again Jesus began to teach by the lake” This is now the third time, as in 2:13 and 3:7-12. Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The “crowd that gathered around him was so large” Even stronger language in this reference to the crowds crowd that gathered implies a growing following. around him was so large that he got into a “got into a boat and sat in it” boat and sat in it out on Teachers would always sit, and students would typically the lake, while all the stand. people were along the We see this again in Matthew’s Gospel, at the Sermon on shore at the water’s the Mount: edge. Matthew 5:1 – “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down.” (NIV) The boat serves as a vantage point from which to teach a large crowd, like a “podium” “taught them many things” About the Kingdom of God, of course. “by parables” Mark 4:2 ( NIV) Multiple parables about the Kingdom follow, in 4:3-32. “Parable” is from Greek “para-ballo”, meaning “to throw He taught them many alongside”. things by parables, and Parables have a parallel meaning “thrown alongside” the in his teaching said: first meaning. This could be allegory, metaphor, or even riddle. “Listen!” Jesus introduces the parable of the sower with a command to pay attention! The word implies that what follows is something more than an easily understood story.
    [Show full text]