Mar 4:11-12 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Mark 4:11-12: 4:11-12 Jesus’ real followers were permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God —namely, that the Kingdom of God had come (1:14-15 ) and that Christ, the Son of God, was in their midst (1:1 ). For outsiders, it all seemed like riddles. • Jesus’ reply to the disciples’ question suggests that the parables were intended to prevent outsiders from understanding them, so that they would be unable to repent and be forgiven. The quotation from Isa 6:9-10 (Greek version) suggests that it was an intentional judgment on the hearers. Jesus’ teaching in parables, and the resultant unbelief of outsiders, fulfilled what the Scriptures had predicted. The sensitive nature of Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God (a theme that would have made Roman authorities very uneasy) made teaching in parables useful in defusing this issue.

a4:11-12►

b1:14-15►

dIsa 6:9-10►

‏ Mark 4:11-12

Summary for Mark 4:11-12: 4:11-12 ^a Jesus’ real followers were permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God—namely, that the Kingdom of God had come (1:14-15 ^b) and that Christ, the Son of God, was in their midst (1:1 ^c). For outsiders, it all seemed like riddles.

• Jesus’ reply to the disciples’ question suggests that the parables were intended to prevent outsiders from understanding them, so that they would be unable to repent and be forgiven. The quotation from Isa 6:9-10 ^d (Greek version) suggests that it was an intentional judgment on the hearers. Jesus’ teaching in parables, and the resultant unbelief of outsiders, fulfilled what the Scriptures had predicted. The sensitive nature of Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God (a theme that would have made Roman authorities very uneasy) made teaching in parables useful in defusing this issue.