Sermon Nots: Mark 4:1-20
Jon Palmer
Mark 4:1–20 (NASB 2020)
Introduction
Our scripture this morning is Mark 4: 1-20
Here in a little bit we will stand and recite this together. Since it’s so many verses, I thought about just having us recite a section together, but then changed my mind. Actually, Alaina changed my mind. She said, “Well….are you focusing on just some verses” and I said “No…really the whole thing” in which she replied “then we need to recite the whole thing”. So….you can blame Alaina for that….no….that was very wise. Its all good…those chairs are uncomfortable anyway, so an extended time to stand will be good for your backs.
Confession….I did not use the fancy worksheet to prepare this sermon. I am not a professor….I do not have syllabi….in fact I don’t even like that word…I prefer syllabuses. I don’t use big words…if I do say big words….most of the time they are in the wrong context. I’m an engineer…like Jim, conjugating verbs is not my thing. I am not what the world would call a “biblical scholar”. BUT….I was taught, through good discipleship relationships, how to read and study the Bible. So, you will hear very similar things as if I used the fancy worksheet. That’s because the worksheet is there to teach….to help set a good process and standard approach to study. Use it, but use it in your discipleship relationships….and it will become your standard.
The Biblical authors are crafty in their writing. I recently spent a week with my brother in Indiana studying through the book of Acts together along with several other men and women. The Acts study was actually very fitting to our study through Mark as he shows up with Paul and Barnabas in the missionary journeys.
Joedy Owens was our teacher for the week….an undergrad in Archeology and a NT scholar who is a professor at Johnson University in TN…basically the man is Indiana Jones….but the saved version.
He made a statement at the end of the week that stuck with me. We were talking about the scriptures being Holy Spirit inspired and he said this….“What we have are literary geniuses who write narratives separate from one another; years and years apart; that all align with each other. This is Holy Spirit inspired text…it’s all held together and woven so perfectly.”
Mark was crafty….one of the literary geniuses. He wrote this book to a specific audience, in a specific pattern, with specific, interwoven themes and the main character is not him. He doesn’t want us to focus on him…he wants us to focus on Jesus.
Mark’s audience is the Gentiles…some Jesus believers and some not….who have limited understanding of the Israelite content of Jesus’s ministry. Judaism was not their world view. We can get to this conclusion as Mark many times explains in detail some of the Jewish customs….meaning he is explaining it to a people who don’t know.
In our section of Mark this morning, we are hit head on with one of Mark’s theme’s….the insiders and the outsiders. You can go back to one of Mitch’s earlier posts on the website (theologyinthedirt.com) to find the other themes Mark uses, but this morning we are going to focus on this one. (Insiders and Outsiders) There are a couple more used in this text and I will point them out as we go.
To be quite frank, this is a tough reality. No one wants to be an outsider. It’s hard to stomach that some will make it and some will not. I believe this is a stumbling block for some Christians…..most especially cultural Christians. We can’t and we won’t sugar coat something that Jesus wants us know. We don’t get to choose how He designed it and we don’t get to choose to just believe on the stuff that makes us feel warm and fuzzy. What He says is truth and we have to wrestle with it…really it’s a wrestling within ourselves who try to make Jesus into who we want Him to be rather than who He is. The problem isn’t Jesus…its us. God’s Kingdom is both exclusive and inclusive at the same time….it’s a paradox not an oxymoron. I looked up those definitions. If you listened to the latest podcast, you know that I am a moron. It’s exclusive in the fact that only those who believe Jesus through faith are saved and can enter. It’s inclusive in the fact that there is no distinction. Everyone is invited to believe, but few will accept.
This is not the first time Mark uses this theme of insiders/outsiders…..we heard that theme last week when Mitch preached on Jesus’s blood family who were “outside” (Mark 3: 31-35). Jesus reframed our thoughts as to who the insiders truly are.
We also saw the theme in Mark 3:13-14 when Jesus chose the 12.
In our scripture this morning, Mark hits this theme more directly and clearly states the why. This directness and clarity makes a way for readers to interpret things that follow.
Let’s stand and read together.
Parable of the Sower
Let’s walk through and point out some observations in the text….
1 “Again He began to teach by the sea.”
· Big gap here….we went from Jesus inside some building addressing the family of God to now Jesus teaching by the sea. Huge gap. Remember….Mark is choosing the pattern for a specific reason….he is leading his readers to know something specific about Jesus and the Kingdom.
He goes on….
“And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat on the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land.”
· This is scene setting. Who’s there? It just says a very large crowd. We learn later it was a mixed crowd….some followers and some that are not….most likely a mix of Gentiles and Jews.
· I read some commentary that I think provides some interesting, plausible insight as to Jesus being on the boat in the sea and the crowd being on the land. This arrangement was symbolic. The mixed crowd standing on the soil representing what Jesus was teaching them in the parable about the kinds of soil….being a mixed crowd some would respond and follow and others would not.
2 “And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,”
· Mark first introduced Jesus teaching in parables in Mark 3:23; but there was no explanation as to why. It just says He spoke to them in parables….leaving the reader wondering why.
3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;”
· When Jesus emphasizes what He is about to say with an exclamation intro, we get the picture that He is about to drop something extremely important….we better tune our ear.
He goes on to speak the parable….
4 “as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
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.
6 And when the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
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 hundred times as much.”
· In verses 4-8, He describes to them the parable.
· I love how Jesus uses agriculture references in a lot of His parables. What He is saying would be understood by everyone there….they all relied on their ability to grow crops for food…..and I would imagine they all had encounter what He was saying when it came to sowing crops.
· Even though everyone would understand His reference, only some would understand the deeper meaning.
9 “And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.””
· Who has ears to hear?
o John 10:27 Jesus said “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me”
o Those that follow Jesus, the insiders, have ears to hear. Jesus used this saying in the other gospels as well and He used it, speaking through John, 7 times in the letters to the churches in Revelation.
10 “As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve disciples, began asking Him about the parables.”
· He is no longer on the boat teaching. He is now amongst those who believe. Evidently the others have left. Here’s the theme again….The insiders in close proximity to Jesus and the outsiders are gone.
· Another Mark theme here….discipleship. This is first time Mark mentions the 12 after Jesus chooses them back in Mark 3:14.
11 “And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but for those who are outside, everything comes in parables,”
· Here Jesus tells them directly who are the insiders and outsiders.
o “to you” referring to the insiders
o “those who are outside” He states plainly.
· What is the mystery of the kingdom of God?
o God’s plan for the world; His rule and reign over all creation revealed to those who have faith…all within His timing….and how He will accomplish it through life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.
o “Faith” is another theme of Mark’s that shows up here.
o Colossians 1:27 describes this mystery as “Christ in you, the hope of glory”
· He is now disclosing the mysteries to His followers, while He keeps the eyes of those who do not believe veiled.
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 it would be forgiven them.”
· Here He explains the why….the purpose clause…”so that”
· Jesus quotes Isaiah 6: 9-10….keep on hearing and not understanding…”the outsider”
o Notice Jesus chooses to quote the prophet when He is around His followers….not with the mixed crowd.
o Isaiah uses this pattern throughout his prophecy about Israel.
o In Isaiah 30, he states “children who will not hear the instruction of the Lord”. In which presents Israel as a rebellious people refusing to listen to the voice of God.
o There is also future hope in Isaiah’s message. In 29:18 and 35:5, Isaiah states that “in that day” the deaf will hear and the eyes of the blind will see.
· What about this statement? “otherwise they might return and it would be forgiven them”
o Doesn’t Jesus want them to be forgiven?
§ Yes! It is the will of God that not one will perish, although….
§ He wants the humble who seek Him first; not the ones with hard hearts that just want head knowledge to be used to puff out their own chests.
13 “And He *said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?”
· Interesting…..He says this to the “insiders”. Even though they are on the inside, they still have to learn. The point here is their proximity to Jesus. They are with Him and seeking Him.
· Therefore, He goes on to teach them….
· I think this is a little preamble to what Jesus knew was coming….the Holy Spirit that will live in them and give them understanding.
Now, in this next section of verses, Jesus explains the parable in a very clear way. For the sake of observation of the text, I will point out a few things…
14 The sower sows the word.
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.
· He wants them to understand that Satan is still active…..be on the alert.
16 “And in a similar way these are the ones sown with seed on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy;
17 and yet they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately they fall away.”
· Confirmation that believing and following Jesus comes with a price
· “when affliction or persecution comes”…..not “if”, but “when”….it’s a definitive.
· Acts 14: 22…..Paul and Barnabas to the churches “It is through many tribulations that we must enter the Kingdom of God”. Paul says this pretty soon after he was stoned by the Jews for preaching the gospel. I would say that he understands this truth first hand.
18 “And others are the ones sown with seed among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word,
19 but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
· There’s the list. Jesus lists together things that bring common outcomes. False comfort and temporary security through materialism.
· It’s no wonder why James harps on this throughout his book. James knows those things bring destruction, which lead to unfruitfulness.
20 “And those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much.”
· A good tree can not produce bad fruit and a bad tree can not produce good fruit.
· What fruit? Galatians 5:22-23 love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
· Its lives demonstrating visible evidence of a transformed heart
We know that Mark wants us to focus on Jesus, so we have to ask…..What does Mark want to show us about Jesus and His Kingdom?
We ask ourselves 3 questions….
1. What does this say about God?
2. What does this say about man?
3. And then in application, What are we to do with it?
What does this say about God?
· God knows that not everyone will choose Him. Not everyone is good soil.
o There are insiders and there are outsiders
§ This is a hard truth, but it’s what Jesus said.
o He leaves the outsiders in the state of confusion with a hardened heart
o BUT…..He draws the insiders close….softening their hearts; those who seek Him and follow Him…be His disciples; and He openly shares with them the mysteries of the Kingdom.
· God clearly defines the pitfalls. He doesn’t leave us guessing.
· God uses man to expand His Kingdom. He wants us to hear, accept, and obey….obedience will produce fruit.
What does this say about man?
1. Men and women have a choice. Draw near to Him and He will lovingly reveal all things. Or….choose to flee and suffer the state of confusion.
2. We are in a battle. Satan is still active. Ephesians 6: 12… “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places”
3. We have tendencies to flee when we face afflictions or persecutions…or fall in the holes of the worries of the world, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things. Seeking false security in the things of this world rather than the sure security of God.
o Be on the alert. Examine yourselves daily.
4. We can bear fruit…some a little and some a lot. What fruit?
o Galatians 5: 22-23….we listed those out earlier
o Living with Kingdom values
o Lives demonstrating visible evidence of a transformed heart
Application:
What are we to do with it?
1. Be a praying church.
o Proximity to Jesus is important to Mark and it’s important to us. No better way to be in close proximity to Jesus on this side of the dirt than in an intimate conversation with Him. Ask Him to teach you….ask Him to reveal to you the mysteries of the Kingdom and He will gladly and openly share that with you as you seek Him. Ask Him to prepare the soil….the souls that don’t know Him or reject Him, which leads to #2.
2. Cast the seed freely and often. What is the seed? The Word….The Gospel.
o Those who hear the word and accept it, bear fruit. Fruit has seed. If you know Him, you know His Word. You have the seed. Cast it freely.
o Do not genetically modify the seed.
§ If you know anything about today’s agriculture, you know that man genetically alters crop seeds. They do that to reap a greater harvest.
§ God’s Word…His seed….does not need to be altered.
§ Let it say what it says and let the Holy Spirit do His work.
o Constantly and consistently invite the outsiders to become an insider
§ Side note…..Maintain a good reputation with outsiders….you are a representative of Jesus (1 Timothy 3:7; 1 Peter 2:12; Colossians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:12)
o Do not worry about the soil. God will take care of the soil and the growth. His word does not fall void.
o Soil can be cultivated….it may not land on the hearer the first time. You might not see the fruit…..someone else may reap what you have labored for. Read John 4: 34-38…Jesus addresses this with the disciples.
o Don’t think of yourself greater than your brother or sister if the Lord graces you to see the fruit. 1 Corinthians 3: 6-7 Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then, (purpose clause) neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.”
3. Be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. Be wise. Don’t lose the mission field with carelessness. Discern the Holy Spirit. He is always there with you. Tune your ears and eyes to Him and He will show you the way and give you words to speak. You will learn to discern the peace that He gives in the moment….knowing, that sometimes, it will be peace, even when you know without a doubt, what you are about to say, will cost you.
o If you find yourself in mixed audiences, follow the way of Jesus. Parables are ok for mixed audiences or outsiders.
o If you are in a mixed crowd and want to have a little fun, throw out an obscure nugget from the Word and watch their faces. If they know, you often times see it on their facial reactions. It’s a good way to discern insiders and outsiders. Make note of both, so you know how to engage going forward.
o And of course pay attention to fruit. We will know the insiders and outsiders by their fruit or lack thereof.
4. Be doers of the Word and not mere hearers
o Matthew 7:24 – “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and DOES them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”
o We learned last week that Jesus identifies those doing God’s will is his true family (Mark 3:31–35)
If you are one here this morning who has not accepted Jesus through faith….today is the day of salvation. Choose Him today! Choose Him, who, from the beginning, set in motion His plan to save His people through the person and work of Jesus. God sent Him in the miracle of the virgin birth to live a sinless and perfect life here on earth; to bear through Him our sin and shame; to die on a cross in our place; to be buried and resurrected from the dead on the 3rd day; and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father to rule and reign over all things in heaven and on earth. He didn’t leave us alone. After His ascension, He kept one of His many promises….sending us the Holy Spirit to live in us…to open our eyes and ears; giving us all wisdom and understanding to do the mission that He called us all to do….go and make disciples of all the nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Believe in Him today through faith. Seek and you will find. He invites the outsiders to become insiders through seeking Him. Come close to Him today.
Let’s pray and let’s worship.
Lord…thank you for the time this morning to reflect on Your Word together in fellowship. Give us wisdom and understanding. Give us eyes to see, ears to hear….Holy Spirit, give us words to speak. Draw us close to you and teach us. Send us out from here to the outsiders, to invite them in through sharing the good news of Your Kingdom.
We pray as you have taught us….
Our Father, who is in Heaven. Hallowed be your name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily break. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever. In Jesus name…..