4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
If Jesus was who the narrator of Mark tells us (Jesus the Messiah, the son of God), why didn't people believe him? Wouldn't it be natural to expect that if Jesus was the beloved child of God, who was pleased with him as we are told at his baptism, that his ministry would be a smashing success? How could Jesus who drives out demons be anything other than the most popular man in town? When Jesus preached repentance why would anyone not turn?
These are the questions that Mark seeks to answer not only in this text from chapter 4 of the gospel, but in the entirety of his gospel. Why, if Jesus was who Mark claims he was, was his ministry so spectacularly unsuccessful?
As we approach what is commonly called the parable of the sower, but is likely better called the parable of the soils, we see it with familiar eyes that may blind us to some of the more interesting parts of the story. We typically make this a triumphant story with a remarkable return.
But, most of this parable is about failure--just as is most of the gospel of Mark. Not the failure of the seed (the gospel) which no matter where it is cast has in itself everything that is needed to become a plant. Perhaps the failure is that of the sower who indiscriminately casts the seed everywhere. 75% of the seed fails, wasted on soil that will not support it to maturity. In looking at the parable and Mark's explanation, the majority of the words are about the seed that fails, not the hundred times crop.
But Jesus casts the failure as not that of the extravagant sower, but instead of the field where the seeds are sown. The soil that causes the seed to fail is the focus of the parable. The path, the rocky places, the weeds and the good soil are, the interpretation tells us, the types of responses to Jesus. Mary Ann Tolbert suggests that in the gospel of Mark every person who encounters Jesus is revealed to be one of these four types of soil. The path, those who are hardened and immediately reject Jesus, are the pharisees and the teachers of the law. They almost immediately reject Jesus and begin to plot against Him. The rocky ground is the response of the disciples (maybe it is not a compliment when Simon's name is changed to Rock (Petros)) and the crowds who are initially excited but will repeatedly will misunderstand and fail Jesus. To this point, we have not been introduced to any of the weedy ground types, but soon enough we will meet the rich young man who when challenged by Jesus to give up what he has will be unable to follow because "he was very rich." The fertile soil, the minority, are those who have come in faith to Jesus and are healed.
Many believe that this parable of the soils is the central theme of the gospel. They point to Jesus emphasis that those present "hear" (and see) this story, the explanation and retelling for emphasis, and the closing again with a call to hear. Jesus in explaining to his disciples the story tells them that its intent is not to lead people to belief, but to reveal what faith they have. Those who are inside will understand and those outside will remain confused. Attention is immediately drawn to the previous story where Jesus' family is outside while those who are inside are declared Jesus new Mother and brothers and sisters.
Strangely, immediately after telling the disciples that only those inside can hear and understand, Jesus uses the analogy of a lamp. If a person wants light, they do not hide the lamp he argues. Instead, they make it obvious to everyone. So is this a secret or not? Is Jesus telling stories to bring light or to keep the outsiders in the dark? Perhaps Jesus is saying that his stories bring light that reveals the condition of the listener's heart. The light doesn't change reality, it just shows the one looking what it is.
The passage closes with a warning about the measure to be given. It would be easy given the proceeding parable to determine to be more efficient sowers. Why not just cast the seed where it will grow? Wouldn't it be better to just put the seed on the quarter of the ground that is good soil?
And yet, Jesus continues by saying that we should give in the measure we were given, that is to say, continue to cast the gospel into the wind where it reaches the path, the rocky soil, the weed patch and even in some rare instances the good soil. Because all of us are mixtures of the types of soils our faith in sowing the gospel to all soils means that even though our efforts will often be in vain, the times the gospel finds fertile soil will produce more than enough.
These are the questions that Mark seeks to answer not only in this text from chapter 4 of the gospel, but in the entirety of his gospel. Why, if Jesus was who Mark claims he was, was his ministry so spectacularly unsuccessful?
As we approach what is commonly called the parable of the sower, but is likely better called the parable of the soils, we see it with familiar eyes that may blind us to some of the more interesting parts of the story. We typically make this a triumphant story with a remarkable return.
But, most of this parable is about failure--just as is most of the gospel of Mark. Not the failure of the seed (the gospel) which no matter where it is cast has in itself everything that is needed to become a plant. Perhaps the failure is that of the sower who indiscriminately casts the seed everywhere. 75% of the seed fails, wasted on soil that will not support it to maturity. In looking at the parable and Mark's explanation, the majority of the words are about the seed that fails, not the hundred times crop.
But Jesus casts the failure as not that of the extravagant sower, but instead of the field where the seeds are sown. The soil that causes the seed to fail is the focus of the parable. The path, the rocky places, the weeds and the good soil are, the interpretation tells us, the types of responses to Jesus. Mary Ann Tolbert suggests that in the gospel of Mark every person who encounters Jesus is revealed to be one of these four types of soil. The path, those who are hardened and immediately reject Jesus, are the pharisees and the teachers of the law. They almost immediately reject Jesus and begin to plot against Him. The rocky ground is the response of the disciples (maybe it is not a compliment when Simon's name is changed to Rock (Petros)) and the crowds who are initially excited but will repeatedly will misunderstand and fail Jesus. To this point, we have not been introduced to any of the weedy ground types, but soon enough we will meet the rich young man who when challenged by Jesus to give up what he has will be unable to follow because "he was very rich." The fertile soil, the minority, are those who have come in faith to Jesus and are healed.
Many believe that this parable of the soils is the central theme of the gospel. They point to Jesus emphasis that those present "hear" (and see) this story, the explanation and retelling for emphasis, and the closing again with a call to hear. Jesus in explaining to his disciples the story tells them that its intent is not to lead people to belief, but to reveal what faith they have. Those who are inside will understand and those outside will remain confused. Attention is immediately drawn to the previous story where Jesus' family is outside while those who are inside are declared Jesus new Mother and brothers and sisters.
Strangely, immediately after telling the disciples that only those inside can hear and understand, Jesus uses the analogy of a lamp. If a person wants light, they do not hide the lamp he argues. Instead, they make it obvious to everyone. So is this a secret or not? Is Jesus telling stories to bring light or to keep the outsiders in the dark? Perhaps Jesus is saying that his stories bring light that reveals the condition of the listener's heart. The light doesn't change reality, it just shows the one looking what it is.
The passage closes with a warning about the measure to be given. It would be easy given the proceeding parable to determine to be more efficient sowers. Why not just cast the seed where it will grow? Wouldn't it be better to just put the seed on the quarter of the ground that is good soil?
And yet, Jesus continues by saying that we should give in the measure we were given, that is to say, continue to cast the gospel into the wind where it reaches the path, the rocky soil, the weed patch and even in some rare instances the good soil. Because all of us are mixtures of the types of soils our faith in sowing the gospel to all soils means that even though our efforts will often be in vain, the times the gospel finds fertile soil will produce more than enough.
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