1Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, 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. 8And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11And he said to them,“To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12so that
“they may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.”
Jesus Revealed and Concealed with Parables
I used to think Jesus taught in parables because it was a great way to make big truths clear to small minds. But it turns out he had another purpose: to conceal the secret of the kingdom from “those outside.” Quoting Isaiah 6, he explains to his disciples that some of his hearers are not meant to perceive, understand, turn or be forgiven.
The context of the Isaiah 6 quote has to do with people who have rejected God’s word for generations. Isaiah was being sent to those same people to preach a message they would never accept in order to seal their judgment. Jesus was accomplishing the same thing with his parables.
Hearing God’s word is dangerous. It either softens you, or hardens you. Perhaps this explains why some church folks become worse people, rather than better, as they sit under weekly preaching for decades. If they continually ignore it, they will grow harder and further from God.
The good news for us is that Jesus explains this parable in the verses that follow. This means that there is still a chance for each of us, even if we have heard a great deal more than we’ve embraced over the years. So let’s look at verses 13-20, but be careful how you hear.
13And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15And 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. 16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17And 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. 18And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
The Four Types of Hearers
Path People
14The sower sows the word. 15And 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.
Path people are so hardened that the word does not penetrate their hearts or minds at all. It bounces along their surface like seeds on asphalt. And Satan snatches it away like a bird.
Rock People
16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17And 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.
Rock people receive the word eagerly and even show the first signs of growth. But they allow the word to penetrate just beneath the surface. They are shallow. As soon as the heat of pressure and persecution rises, their response to the word is scorched.
Thorn People
18And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
Thorn people are so wrapped up in the world that the word cannot grow in them. Worldly anxieties, greed and passion for everything other than God choke the word. They have no time or bandwidth to process the word into their lives.
Good Soil People
20But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Good soil people accept the word, welcoming it all the way into their hearts and lives. They are not hardened, shallow or wrapped up in the things of the world. Satan can’t snatch the word from them. Suffering can’t scorch it. Stuff can’t choke it. It settles into their hearts and grows an abundantly fruitful harvest.
Discussion Starters
- Take some time to catch up with one another.
- Read Isaiah 5-6 (I know, it’s a lot. Break it up among those in the group). Then read, Mark 4:10-12. Based on these two passages, why does Jesus teach in parables that he only explains to a few?
- Read Mark 4:13-20. Brainstorm together as many observations about each type of hearer as you can.
- Why type of hearer to you most identify with? Why?
- How can we ensure that we are good soil? Are there any other Scripture passages that can help us here?
- Pray together.
Sorry for the audio problems this week! The sound get’s quiet sometimes, but you can still hear the entire message below:
The story has more to do with the seed than the soil
Thank you for your comment Duncan. You raise a good point.