Mar 4:3 | KingComments | STEP | In the previous chapter, the testimony of the Holy Spirit was rejected, as was the Son of Man personally. As a result, the Lord no longer acknowledges the old relationships. Instead, He forms new relationships ( ). Subsequently, a description of His ministry follows in this chapter. 1. In the form of parables the course and results of His service are shown ( ). 2. We also see that the responsibility of the disciples in view of their participation in this work is discussed ( ). 3. We also see the rest of those who, as they work, trust in God ( ). 4. Finally, at the end of this chapter, we see the circumstances of the disciples during their ministry ( ). The storm in which they find themselves points to the storms that will come to test their faith, while the Lord seems to pay no attention to them. This chapter shows again how the Lord continues His ordinary work of teaching. Many are attracted thereby. Because He is by the sea and there is a danger that the crowd will drive Him into it, He gets into a bout in the sea. As He sits down there, He speaks to the crowd standing on the land. By sitting down in a ship, He separates Himself from the people who, as we have seen in the previous section, have rejected Him in their religious leaders, where they attribute His work to the devil ( ). He starts again with His ordinary work, teaching, but He gives this teaching in a different form. In connection with the development that has just taken place in His relationship with the Jews, He will make use of parables. He explains the reason for this in . With the call “listen!” ( ) He urges the whole crowd to listen carefully to what He is going to say. Although He speaks to the crowd, it is the condition of each individual person that matters. Each individual person is a kind of ground into which the seed falls. He presents to them a sower who goes out to sow. That sower is He Himself. He goes out, He has gone out from the Father ( ). That He now presents Himself as the Sower means that it is no longer a matter of seeking fruit in His vineyard Israel – and He had come for that purpose – but that, by sowing, He is now going to produce that fruit it Himself. The seed that is sown falls on different types of soil. The first kind is beside the road, the hardened road. The seed that ends up there becomes a prey of birds, because the soil is so hard that it cannot take root. The second kind where part of the seed ends up, is rocky soil. There is a little bit of ground there, which makes it look as if this seed does produce something. But because of the rocky soil, the seed hasn’t been able to get deep roots. So when the sun rises, it scorches. Another part ends up between the thorns. There is soil and it can take root, but it can’t grow because of the thorns that choke it, so there won’t be any fruit from this seed either. The fourth type of soil is the good soil. The seeds that fall in it grow, increase, and yield fruit. The fruit is represented in different measures. There is seed that bears thirtyfold fruit, there is seed that bears sixtyfold fruit, and there is seed that bears a hundredfold fruit. In Matthew 13 the order is the other way around ( ). There it is about the history of the kingdom of heaven as it has been entrusted to the responsibility of man. Everything that is entrusted to man’s responsibility begins well, but then decay makes its entrance and a process of weakening begins. Thus the church starts well on the day of Pentecost and the first days thereafter, but more and more worldly influences cause that first strength and freshness to gradually diminish. Here in the Gospel according to Mark it is about the work of the perfect Servant. Then the result increases further and further to the perfect measure. What the Lord says to the multitude at the beginning, “listens”, or “hear”, He says at the end of the parable to the few who are eager for Divine instruction. We must first listen, or hear, in order to bring forth fruit.

‏ Mark 4:3

Introduction

In the previous chapter, the testimony of the Holy Spirit was rejected, as was the Son of Man personally. As a result, the Lord no longer acknowledges the old relationships. Instead, He forms new relationships (Mk 3:35). Subsequently, a description of His ministry follows in this chapter.

1. In the form of parables the course and results of His service are shown (Mk 4:1-20).

2. We also see that the responsibility of the disciples in view of their participation in this work is discussed (Mk 4:21-25).

3. We also see the rest of those who, as they work, trust in God (Mk 4:26-29).

4. Finally, at the end of this chapter, we see the circumstances of the disciples during their ministry (Mk 4:35-41). The storm in which they find themselves points to the storms that will come to test their faith, while the Lord seems to pay no attention to them.

Parable of the Sower

This chapter shows again how the Lord continues His ordinary work of teaching. Many are attracted thereby. Because He is by the sea and there is a danger that the crowd will drive Him into it, He gets into a bout in the sea. As He sits down there, He speaks to the crowd standing on the land. By sitting down in a ship, He separates Himself from the people who, as we have seen in the previous section, have rejected Him in their religious leaders, where they attribute His work to the devil (Mk 3:22).

He starts again with His ordinary work, teaching, but He gives this teaching in a different form. In connection with the development that has just taken place in His relationship with the Jews, He will make use of parables. He explains the reason for this in Mk 4:10-12.

With the call “listen!” (Mk 4:3) He urges the whole crowd to listen carefully to what He is going to say. Although He speaks to the crowd, it is the condition of each individual person that matters. Each individual person is a kind of ground into which the seed falls. He presents to them a sower who goes out to sow. That sower is He Himself. He goes out, He has gone out from the Father (Jn 13:3). That He now presents Himself as the Sower means that it is no longer a matter of seeking fruit in His vineyard Israel – and He had come for that purpose – but that, by sowing, He is now going to produce that fruit it Himself.

The seed that is sown falls on different types of soil. The first kind is beside the road, the hardened road. The seed that ends up there becomes a prey of birds, because the soil is so hard that it cannot take root. The second kind where part of the seed ends up, is rocky soil. There is a little bit of ground there, which makes it look as if this seed does produce something. But because of the rocky soil, the seed hasn’t been able to get deep roots. So when the sun rises, it scorches. Another part ends up between the thorns. There is soil and it can take root, but it can’t grow because of the thorns that choke it, so there won’t be any fruit from this seed either.

The fourth type of soil is the good soil. The seeds that fall in it grow, increase, and yield fruit. The fruit is represented in different measures. There is seed that bears thirtyfold fruit, there is seed that bears sixtyfold fruit, and there is seed that bears a hundredfold fruit.

In Matthew 13 the order is the other way around (Mt 13:23). There it is about the history of the kingdom of heaven as it has been entrusted to the responsibility of man. Everything that is entrusted to man’s responsibility begins well, but then decay makes its entrance and a process of weakening begins. Thus the church starts well on the day of Pentecost and the first days thereafter, but more and more worldly influences cause that first strength and freshness to gradually diminish.

Here in the Gospel according to Mark it is about the work of the perfect Servant. Then the result increases further and further to the perfect measure.

What the Lord says to the multitude at the beginning, “listens”, or “hear”, He says at the end of the parable to the few who are eager for Divine instruction. We must first listen, or hear, in order to bring forth fruit.