Mark 4

Mark 4:1

He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land.

The sea of Galilee, which was really a lake. Mark mentions the sea three times in this verse.

Mark 4:2

And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,

Parables are stories or word pictures with hidden meanings. The parables of Jesus were typically earthly pictures that conceal a heavenly reality. See entry for Matt. 13:3.

Mark 4:3

“Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;

(a) Listen … Behold. Hear and see. Jesus wants us to hear and understand what he is saying (Mark 4:13). He doesn’t want us to be one of those people who see without seeing or hear without hearing (Mark 4:12).

(b) The Sower is anyone who shares the word of the kingdom (Matt. 13:19). Jesus is the Sower (Matt. 13:37), but so is anyone who proclaims the good news. The apostles were sowers (1 Cor. 9:11), as was the person who told you about Jesus. Every believer is a sower because we are all called to share the good news using whatever abilities God has given us in whatever place God has put us. We can sow the word a thousand different ways. Sometimes it will seem as though our sowing is not bearing fruit. The parable of the Sower explains why this happens (some people won’t receive the word) while encouraging us to persevere (a harvest will come).

The context: Jesus had been preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing the sick (Matt. 9:35). But not every town received him (Matt. 11:21–23). He experienced opposition and was run out of at least one synagogue (Luke 4:28–29). When he sent out the twelve to preach the good news of the kingdom, he warned them to expect indifference and persecution (Matt. 10:5–23). Like sowing seed, preaching the gospel is a risky business. The parable teaches us that we will experience both failure and success. Not everyone will receive the word. But as long as the seed is sown, you can be confident of a bountiful harvest.

Matthew called this story the parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:18). It is also known as the parable of the Seed and the Soil. It has been called “the parable of parables” because it is foundational – it’s an “entry-level parable” (Mark 4:13) – and because its message remains as relevant as ever. It is unusual because it is one of just a few parables where Jesus gave a detailed line-by-line explanation (see Mark 4:14–20). Since the parable is about proclaiming and hearing the word of the kingdom, it has two takeaways: those who proclaim the word are encouraged to keep sowing despite whatever failures they may experience, while those who hear the word are encouraged to receive it in their hearts so that it might bear fruit.

(c) To sow is to proclaim the good news of the kingdom.

John the Baptist expected the Messiah would come to harvest (Matt. 3:12), but Jesus came to sow (Matt. 13:37). The harvest will come later (Matt. 13:39).

Mark 4:4

As he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.

(a) He was sowing by scattering or broadcasting the seed. He sowed liberally and indiscriminately. In the same way, we proclaim the good news of the kingdom to all. Because Jesus died for all, the good news is for all. We are to take the gospel to all nations, all cities, and all tribes. All are invited to the kingdom, whether good or bad, Jew or Gentile.

(b) Seed. The seed is the word of the kingdom (Matt. 13:19) or the word of God (Luke 8:11). Since Jesus is the Living Word, the seed represents the life of Christ that creates sons of the kingdom (Matt. 13:38). To sow the seed is to tell people the good news of Jesus Christ.

(c) The road. Some of the scattered seed landed on the trodden-down path beside the field. The road represents the heart of someone who does not understand the word (Matt. 13:19).

(d) Birds. The birds who snatch the seed represent the evil one who snatches away the good word before it can take root in the hard and unbelieving heart (Matt. 13:19).

Mark 4:5

“Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.

Rocky ground. Because a layer of rock lies hidden under a thin layer of soil, the seed has no chance to put down roots.

Mark 4:6

“And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

(a) The sun had risen. The problem is not the sun, which always rises and is essential for life. The problem is the rootless seeds had no access to moisture (Luke 8:6).

(b) No root; see entry for Mark. 4:17.

Mark 4:7

“Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

Thorns represent the worries and worldly concerns that crowd the heart and make the word unfruitful (Mark 4:19).

Mark 4:8

“Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

(a) The good soil represents the good heart that hears the word of God and understands and accepts it (Matt. 13:23, Mark 4:20). It describes those who believe the gospel and are saved (Luke 8:12). It also describes mature believers who hold fast to the word and bear good fruit (Luke 8:15).

(b) Hundredfold. A bountiful, off-the-charts harvest such as Isaac experienced when God blessed him (Gen. 26:12). It is a wonder of nature how seeds grow and produce harvests with little effort on our part (Mark 4:26–28). All this is to the glory of the Creator who made fruit-bearing seed.

Mark 4:9

And he was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

(a) Ears. Jesus is quoting Ezekiel 3:27. See also the entry for Matt. 11:15.

(b) Let him hear. Receive this in your heart.

Mark 4:10

As soon as he was alone, his followers, along with the twelve, began asking him about the parables.

(a) Alone. Jesus delivered the parable to a large crowd (Mark 4:1), but the interpretation was given privately to his followers.

(b) His followers. Not just the twelve but a larger group of followers from whom Jesus may have chosen the seventy (Luke 10:1)

(c) The twelve were Jesus closest disciples. They were variously known as the twelve disciples and the twelve apostles (Matt. 10:1–2). Their names were Simon Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot (Matt. 10:2–4).

(d) About the parables. The disciples regularly asked Jesus to explain his parables and teachings (Matt. 13:36, 15:15, Mark 7:17, Luke 8:9).

Mark 4:11

And he was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables,

(a) To you it has been given because you believe and because you ask with faith. “By faith we understand” (Heb. 11:3). Because we believe, we see. Faith in God empowers us to understand God’s will.

The disciples did not ask Jesus questions in order to trap him. They really wanted to know the meaning of the parable (Luke 8:9). So Jesus explained it to them. When we humbly bring our questions to the Lord, he gives us insight and understanding. He does this because he loves us and because he wants us to grow in grace.

Jesus was not trying to make it hard for some people to enter the kingdom, but people divide themselves by their response to truth. Among those who heard Jesus, there were some, like the disciples, who hungered for more, and there were others, like the religious leaders, who dismissed him as being in cahoots with Beelzebul (Matt. 12:24). Jesus spoke to these mixed audiences in parables and what people heard reflected their hearts. Those who hungered for grace, got grace. The rest heard stories about seeds, sons, and Samaritans.

(b) The mystery of the kingdom refers to insights into God’s kingdom that are revealed to us by his Spirit. They are the answers to questions such as, What is God like? Does he care about us? What is his will? When Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” he was revealing the mysteries of the kingdom.

The mysteries of the kingdom are not secret teachings hidden in scripture. They are kingdom realities that God wants to share with all of us. Mysteries that have been revealed are no longer mysteries. They are revelations.

(c) The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven; see entry for Matt. 3:2.

(d) Those who are outside. The unbelievers outside (see previous verse).

Jesus told the parable of the Sower to the crowds, but only the disciples asked for an explanation (see previous verse). Those who remained outside missed out on the interpretation. They didn’t learn what the parable was really about. At different times in his ministry, Jesus would be inside with the believers (Matt. 12:48–50), while the sceptics and unbelievers remained outside (Matt. 12:46–47, Luke 8:20).

(e) Get everything in parables. Jesus taught using sermons but in the later part of his ministry parables became his favored form of communicating to crowds. The unbelieving crowds were not ready to receive kingdom revelation, so like a sower sowing good seed, Jesus hid the “mysteries of the kingdom” inside memorable stories. “That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight” (Matt. 13:13, MSG).

(f) Parables; see entry for Matt. 13:3.

Mark 4:12

so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN.”

(a) Seeing… hearing. Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah to show how those outside, and by extension the nation of Israel, were insensate when it came to the things of God (Is. 6:9–10). They saw without seeing and heard without hearing and remained in the dark. They did not understand the mysteries of the kingdom because they were hard hearted and slow to believe. John and Paul also quoted this prophecy (John 12:39–40, Acts 28:26–27).

(b) Not perceive… not understand. The unbelieving crowds were not ready to receive kingdom revelation, so Jesus hid the mysteries of the kingdom inside unforgettable stories. They may not be able to perceive and understand now, but they will remember the stories.

(c) Otherwise. If they understood what they were hearing and seeing from Jesus, they would repent.

The wrong way to read this is to think that Jesus deliberately made his parables hard to understand in order to keep people out of the kingdom. This contradicts everything Jesus stood for. Jesus came to save sinners, not shut them out. But we have a responsibility to receive and accept the word of the kingdom (Mark 4:20). If we ignore the word or allow ourselves to become distract by cares and riches, we will see without seeing and hear without hearing.

(d) Return. In the new covenant, repentance is often described as a return or turning to God (see entry for Acts 26:20).

(e) Be forgiven. When we turn to the Lord in repentance, we receive his forgiveness and are forgiven.

On the cross the Lamb of God bore the sins of the whole world (John 1:29, 2 John 2:2). From God’s side, your forgiveness is a done deal. But you won’t be forgiven unless you receive by faith the grace he has provided (Acts 10:43, 26:18). Only in Christ do we have the forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7, Col. 1:14).

Technically, Mark is misquoting Isaiah’s prophecy which says “return and be healed” (Is. 6:10). (This is how the prophecy is quoted elsewhere in the New Testament (Matt. 13:15, John 12:40, Acts 28:27).) However, being forgiven is the first step to being made whole. You will never be fully healed from sin’s harm until you’ve had a revelation of God’s unconditional forgiveness.

Mark 4:13

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

(a) Do you not understand? “Isn’t it obvious?”

The disciples were keen to learn about the parables (Mark 4:10), but Jesus marveled that they needed help with this one. They were familiar with sowers and seeds. They had proclaimed the word and seen the mixed results. Surely they could connect the dots and discern what Jesus was saying. They certainly understood it later. One of them spoke of being born again of an imperishable seed which is the living and enduring word of God (1 Pet. 1:23).

(b) Understand… understand. To understand is to accept the word (Mark 4:20). It’s receiving the implanted or sown word with humility, and being doers and not merely hearers of the word (Jas. 1:21, 23). It’s choosing to submit to the word of God. When the word is proclaimed, we bend our hearts and minds towards it. We reorient our thinking to align ourselves with what God has said. We let the word take root in our lives knowing that it will release the creative power of God and produce a bountiful harvest.

(c) Parable; see entry for Matt. 13:3.

(d) How will you understand? “If you don’t understand this simple parable, how will you understand any parable?”

The parable of the Sower is a beginner parable. The seed is sown and it either returns a harvest or it doesn’t, and the difference is explained by the soil. No other variables are mentioned. If this is hard to understand, how will they cope with the parable of the Shrewd Manager or the one about the Rich Man and Lazarus?

Some of the parables reveal what Jesus has done or will do for us, but the parable of the Sower is about how we respond to him. Everything in life, our success or failure, our salvation or condemnation, hinges on how we receive the word of the kingdom. That’s the chief lesson of the parable, and if we don’t get it, we won’t get any of them.

Mark 4:14

“The sower sows the word.

(a) The Sower is anyone who shares God’s word. See entry for Mark. 4:3.

(b) Sows. To sow is to proclaim the word or good news of the kingdom.

(c) The word. The “weapons” of the kingdom of heaven are not swords or spears but the creative and life-giving word of God (Luke 8:11) or the word of the kingdom (Matt. 13:19). His kingdom does not increase through political or military force. It advances as people receive Jesus, the word of life, in their hearts and bear his fruit. See entry for Luke 8:11.

Mark 4:15

“These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.

(a) The road. The compacted wayside represents the hard heart that refuses to believe in the goodness of God. The seed of the word does not penetrate. It is rejected and trampled underfoot.

(b) The word is sown. It is tempting to dismiss the hard hearted as beyond redemption. “Some people just cannot be saved.” But Jesus never says, “That one was too hard or too thorny for me.” The same God who sends rain to the righteous and unrighteous scatters seed to all in the hope that all may receive.

(c) Satan is also known as the evil one (Matt. 13:19) or the devil (Luke 8:12). Satan’s agenda is to keep you from coming to God. To this end he propagates three lies: you don’t need help, you can’t get help, and God won’t help. These lies fuel the perception that God is dead or distant; he’s angry and judgmental; he’s capricious and untrustworthy. When someone resists the gospel, perhaps because they have been raised with the devil’s lies, it is as if the devil himself has snatched the word away.

Further reading: “The 9 lies of religion”

Mark 4:16

“In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;

(a) Rocky places are no good for growing crops. Allegorically, the rocky places could represent someone who is trusting in the law that was written on tablets of stone. Because they are trying to make themselves righteous through their rule-keeping, the word of grace is unable to take root in their life.

(b) Receive it with joy. The good news has the power to bring joy to all people (Luke 2:10), even those who live under the law. When Jesus revealed the kingdom to the law-abiding Jews, they sometimes responded with praise to God (Matt. 9:8, 15:31). But unless one turns to God in faith, any joy will be temporary (see next verse).

Mark 4:17

and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.

(a) No firm root. The word “firm” is in italics because it has been added by translators. The original text reads: they have no root. To have no root is to have no connection with Jesus. Jesus is the Righteous Root who sustains and nourishes us (Rom. 11:18).

(b) Affliction or persecution. Trials and tribulations that arise on account of the word are occasions to rejoice for they prove that our God-given faith is more precious than gold (Jas. 1:2, 1 Pet. 1:6–7). So Jesus is not talking about believers.

(c) They fall away. The original word for fall away (skandalizo) means to stumble. It describes someone who is offended by the message of the cross. The religious Jews worshipped God, but they stumbled over God’s Son (1 Cor. 1:23). They preferred law to grace and pursued a righteousness based on their works rather than the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ (Rom. 9:31–33).

Some people see a move of God and they respond with joy. But before the word of grace can take root in their hearts they hear the cold, hard words of the law. “The grace message is unbalanced. You need to obey the commandments.” As the heavy yoke of law is laid upon their shoulders, their joy disappears. They wilt for they have no root. The righteous man is like “a tree firmly planted by streams of water whose leaf does not wither” (Ps. 1:3). But the one who trusts in himself will wither and waste away.

Some use these words of Jesus to frighten Christians. “God uses trials and afflictions to thin the heard. You need to persevere to prove that you are a real Christian.” But the perseverance we all need come not from the flesh but from the Lord. Others say those who fall haven’t received the proper training. “They weren’t grounded in the Bible.” Training is good, but we are not kept secure by our knowledge of scripture. We are upheld by the Root of David (Rev. 5:5).

Mark 4:18

“And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,

(a) Seed. The seed is the word of God or the good news of Jesus; see entry for Luke 8:11.

(b) Thorns are worldly concerns that distract us from Jesus and keep us from being fruitful. These include worries, the love of money, and the fleeting pleasures of life (Mark 4:19, Luke 8:14).

Mark 4:19

but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

(a) Worries. Any area of your heart that is troubled and anxious is operating in unbelief. Anxieties are a normal part of life, but the believer whose mind is fixed on the Lord can find peace in any storm. “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations delight my soul” (Ps. 94:19).

(b) Deceitfulness of riches. Running after worldly wealth will make you miserable and barren. The love of money may even draw you away from the faith (1 Tim. 6:10).

(c) Desires for other things. It is not the other things that are the problem, but the desire or longing for them. Whenever we place temporal concerns ahead of eternal concerns, we render the word impotent.

(d) Choke. The original verb (sumpnigo) can mean to strangle, drown, or throttle. God will not force himself upon us. He speaks a gentle word and lets us decide whether we will receive it or reject it.

(e) Unfruitful. Thorny ground believers are not kicked out of the kingdom, but they never mature or become fruitful (Luke 8:14). Perversely, this leads some to say “You’ve got to produce fruit for the Lord.” The result is dead works and more thorns. Nothing we do can produce lasting fruit; it is the seed that produces fruit. Our part is to abide in the Vine and allow Christ to bear his fruit in our lives (John 15:4).

We were born free and created to choose, but we won’t make good choices if our hearts and minds are choked with cares. We guard the garden of our hearts by letting the word of Christ dwell richly within us and by applying the weedkiller of his grace to any thorns that crop up.

Mark 4:20

“And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

(a) Seed. The seed is the word of God or the good news of Jesus. It is the life-giving message that makes the barren fruitful. See entry for Luke 8:11.

(b) The good soil represents the good and honest heart that humbly receives the word.

(c) Accept it. Comprehend and embrace it.

In Matthew’s account we are to “understand” the word Luke says we are to “hold it fast” (Matt. 13:23, Luke 8:15). James adds that we are to receive the implanted or sown word with humility, and be doers of the word and not merely hearers (Jas. 1:21, 23). When the word is proclaimed, we bend our hearts and minds towards it. We reorient our thinking to align ourselves with what God has said. We let the word take root in our lives knowing that it will release the power of God and produce a bountiful harvest.

(d) Bear fruit. The one who receives and holds fast to the word is blessed and fruitful.

The seed produces the fruit, not us. We are merely the soil in which the seed grows. As long as we keep our hearts free from rocks (law) and thorns (distractions), Christ will bear his fruit in our lives. It may not happen immediately. But as long as the conditions are right, the fruit will grow.

In another parable Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil and then goes to bed. While the farmer sleeps, the seed sprouts and grows (Mark 4:26–27). The man doesn’t know how it happens, it just does. It’s the same with us. As we abide or rest in Christ, we bear his fruit without any labor on our part. All this is to the glory of God who makes things grow (1 Cor. 3:7).

(e) Hundredfold. The word of God is potent.

When the same word that spoke the universe into existence takes root in an undivided heart it will bring forth “much fruit” (John 15:5). Those who trust in God’s word can have a confident expectation of an abundant harvest.

Mark 4:23

“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Ears to hear. “You need to hear and receive this.” See entry for Matt. 11:15.

Mark 4:25

“For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

Whoever has. See entry for Matt. 13:12.

Mark 4:26

And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;

(a) The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven; see entry for Matt. 3:2.

(b) Seed. The parable of the growing seed is the only parable that is unique to Mark.

Mark 4:30

And he said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?

(a) The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven; see entry for Matt. 3:2.

(b) Parable. The parable of the Mustard Seed is a word picture or similitude rather than a story. Jesus is making a simple comparison (Luke 13:18).

Mark 4:31

“It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil,

(a) Mustard seed. The parable of the Mustard Seed answers the question, “If this is the kingdom of heaven, why is it so small?” See entry for Matt. 13:31.

(b) Sown. The seed is hidden in the ground in the same way the leaven is hidden in the dough (Matt. 13:33). It can’t be seen, but that doesn’t mean it’s not working. The Jews wanted to know when the kingdom would come (Luke 17:20). Jesus replied, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand. It’s already here, in seed form.”

(c) Soil. Matthew and Luke have the man sowing the seed in his field and his garden respectively (Matt. 13:31; Luke 13:19).

(d) Smaller. A mustard seed is tiny, about a millimetre in diameter and it weighs about a milligram. See entry for Matt. 13:32.

Mark 4:32

yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.”

(a) Garden plant. The original word (lachanon) can mean herb or vegetable. In the accounts by Matthew and Luke, the little seed grows into a tree (Matt. 13:32, Luke 13:19). See entry for Matt. 13:32.

(b) Large branches are consistent with a tree rather than a mere vegetable.

(c) The birds of the air; see entry for Matt. 13:32.

Mark 4:33

With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it;

(a) Parables; see entry for Matt. 13:3.

(b) Able to hear it. Jesus told stories about farmers and laborers that ordinary people could relate to. “They were able to hear” means “they were relatable.” They weren’t mystical prophecies about four-headed beasts or heavenly visions of wheels within wheels.

Mark 4:34

and he did not speak to them without a parable; but he was explaining everything privately to his own disciples.

(a) Without a parable. Jesus taught using sermons but in the later part of his ministry parables became his favored form of communicating to crowds.

(b) Parables; see entry for Matt. 13:3.

(c) Explaining everything. Jesus regularly explained his parables to his disciples (Mark 4:34), but only three of those explanations made it into scripture. Detailed explanations are provided for the parables of the Sower, the Wheat and Weeds, and the Net (Matt. 13:18:–23, 36–43, 49–50).

Mark 4:35

On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.”

The other side. Jesus and the disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee from north to south. Their trip began in Capernaum and ended in the region of Gadara, on the southeastern shore. (Matt 8:5, 18, 28).

Mark 4:37

And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up.

A fierce gale. On the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee are mountains up to 2000 feet high. The air on top of these mountains is often cool and dry, while the air on the lake shore is warm and moist. When the wind blows from the east, the collision of the different air masses can lead to violent storms such as the one experienced by the disciples.

Mark 4:39

And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

Rebuked. Jesus rebuked the wind and the word used (epitimao) is the same Greek word for when Jesus rebuked the devil (Matt. 17:18) and various demons (e.g., Mark 1:25). This has led some to conclude that the storm was demonic in nature. However, the Bible never says this and we risk glorifying the devil by attributing to him powers he may not have.

In the poetry of the prophets, it is the Lord who is ultimately credited with the wonders of nature (e.g., Jer. 10:13, 51:16). Just as it is wrong to blame the devil, it is equally misguided to think that all the storms that come our way were sent by God to test us. The story rather illustrates the power we have in Christ to face the storms of life, wherever they come from.

Mark 4:40

And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

No faith. Faith is a positive response to God’s word. Jesus had said they were going to the other side (Mark 4:35), but the disciples did not believe him. They placed more confidence in their own assessment of the circumstances. See entry for Faith.

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