Mark 4:26-34 - Two More Parables

Mark chapter four is one of only two places in Mark's Gospel where we get an extended look at the actual content of Jesus' teachings. For the most part, in Mark, we only get snippets. But here and then later in chapter thirteen we get more.

Remember the setting? Jesus is on a boat and the crowds are on the seashore. Jesus is speaking in parables. Two weeks ago we looked at the first parable, that of the Sower and the Soils. Last week Jesus explained to his disciples why he spoke to the crowds in parables. The purpose of the parables was to reveal the secrets of the kingdom to the disciples while at the same time leaving the unbelievers in the dark. The parables, then, are not evangelistic in nature per se, but they are full of gospel nonetheless.

Now Jesus is going to give two more parables, without explanation, and with those two parables Mark will bring this section to an end. Both parables are similies and they describe the nature of the kingdom of God which the coming of Jesus inaugurated. In the sermon linked below we looked at them--the Parable of the Seed Growing and the Parable of the Mustard Seed.

So what are we to make of these parables and why did Mark choose these three, specifically, to record in his gospel? Think about his audience for a minute. Although he undoubtedly knew that his gospel would eventually be read by a wide variety of people, it was originally intended to be read by a fledgling Christian community experiencing persecution at the hands of the greatest empire ever known to the world. If Christ was King and had ushered in a kingdom, then where was it?

You and I need to understand this as well. Where is the kingdom of Christ and why hasn't it overthrown the kingdoms of this world yet? Here we are 2000 years later, where is this kingdom? And the answer is that it came in a person--Jesus Christ. And like a field that is sown or a garden that is planted it is coming gradually. And it is coming through the seed which is the word which is the gospel. It began in Galilee in the hearts of those disciples and it spread to Jerusalem. From there it went into all Judea and Samaria. From there it went into the uttermost parts of the earth. The kingdom is in you and in me and in all who hear the gospel and believe. And the word implanted in our hearts grows and produces fruit until one day the reaper comes and brings in the harvest. The sower was Jesus and so is the reaper and one day he is coming again and that is when we will see the kingdom in its fullness. That is when his work in us will be complete and that is when his work in this world will be complete.

And the surest sign that that day will come and that we will see the King in his glory and the kingdom in its fullness happened early on a Sunday morning about this time of year 2000 years ago, when Jesus came out of that grave. His resurrection is your resurrection is the resurrection of this dead and cursed world.

Take a few moments and listen to the sermon linked below where I expand upon all of these things. I know you will be blessed in the hearing.



Mark 4:26-34 - Two More Parables


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Mark 4 - The Parable of the Sower and the Soils

When I first started working on this sermon I called it the Parable of the Sower. But after reading one commentator on it I changed the name to the Parable of the Soils. Then I did some more reading and decided I had it right the first time. So I went back to the Parable of the Sower. Finally, I just went with both. That way I could cover all my bases. So we have here in Mark 4 the Parable of the Sower and the Soils.

Before we start into it, though, let's evaluate where we are in Mark's Gospel. So far we have been introduced to Jesus by Mark, by John the Baptist, by the voice of the Father, and even by unclean spirits. We have seen that he is no ordinary teacher, that he speaks with authority. He has the audacity to disagree with and even rebuke the religious authorities of his day. He refuses to submit to religious teachings that are derived from tradition and extrapolation rather than from the word of God itself. He makes claims at authority that no mere human would make. He heals, draws huge crowds, and rebukes demons. So far, what we've seen is extraordinary.

But the reaction has been diverse. Some hear his voice and drop everything to follow him. Others crowd around him hoping to get something from him or see something extraordinary. Still others reject him and begin forming a formidable opposition. In fact, the opposition is growing.

If Jesus was and did all these things, then how do we explain the opposition? And if Jesus has come to usher in the kingdom, where is it? And how do we explain the reaction he is getting in light of this coming kingdom? What kind of kingdom is he bringing?

And just as we're beginning to ask these questions, Mark gives us an answer. He pauses his narrative to give us some insight into his teaching. This insight is going to help answer our questions. It also serves the purpose of expanding on another theme that has been emerging as we read--that of insiders and outsiders.

The last words of chapter three are a challenge. Are we on the inside of the house with Jesus, sitting at his feet, listening, believing, committed to be his disciples? Or are we on the outside with misconceptions, wondering if we like this Jesus of Mark or not? Right here Mark gives us a set of parables.

That is what this sermon covers--the first of these parables and the explanation of it that Jesus gives. You will find the audio at the link below. Take a few minutes to click and listen.



Click here: Mark 4:1-9, 13-20 The Parable of the Sower and the Soils



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