Jul 23 2023 The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:1-9

A little Bible-geek moment – there is a time progression in this parable with the seed and the soil.

First seed – Immediately

Second – Hours

Next – Days – Grows until weeds choke out

Good seed: An entire season.

In parallels – as it increases – 30/60/100

Mark 4:10 10 When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God,

Secret – Mystery – Something unknowable is now made knowable in Jesus.

This is a kingdom parable. Many are. The Secret that is being revealed – in Jesus, the Kingdom has arrived. Jesus Himself is revealing the Kingdom of God. In doing so, He has shattered the expectations of those He is talking to about what the kingdom is!

We cannot blame them, because until Jesus shows up, it was a mystery – unknowable.

The next lines are troubling:

Mark 4:11b but for those outside, everything comes in parables;

We talk a lot about the outsider. But Jesus is saying He will treat them differently. But this is not how it actually reads – we’ll get to that.

12 in order that 'they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.'"

This sounds harsh and exclusive – but it is the opposite of what we know Jesus to be – but when something does not seem right – it is a good thing – and something we must dig into – something important to understand in this passage.

The context is where we will understand this.

Not written – Vs. 12 is from Isaiah 6 to understand. It is the same verse – being quoted.

Jesus gives an allegory and compares Israel with a vineyard. The keepers don’t do their job – and God keeps coming and saying – do your job! But they keep not doing their job. God is pronouncing judgment – time is up – I can’t go any longer! It is now time for judgment.

Jesus is having conflict with the religious leaders – in that conflict, they are saying that He is casting out demons because He is in league with Satan.

Mark 3: I tell you the truth, people will be forgiven for all sins, even all the blasphemies they utter. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin"

Wow!

That sounds a lot like this claim in Mark 4 – “so that they may not turn again and be forgiven” – it is all tying together.

These words were directed to the religious leaders and those in that generation who will deny and reject Jesus as the Messiah.

When He talks about them not turning to be forgiven – He is talking about those who will reject Jesus fully and outright and have Him crucified. We look at this verse and say – Oh no! What if I blaspheme the Holy Spirit?! It is not talking about us – but about those who reject Jesus and have Him crucified.

If you want to apply it to our world – (And I don’t know that you can) – but it may be about those who never receive Jesus.

Later, there is a parable about the vineyard tenders rejecting the messengers – so he sends his son – and they think – let’s kill him and then it is ours. And it was after that the religious leaders plotted to kill him because they knew He was talking about them.

13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

This is not an evangelistic strategy – this is about Jesus – He is sown by God – and this is about the response of people to Jesus –

The 4 types – First - those immediately taken by Satan.

This fits in with Mark’s conflict of the light and darkness.

This conflict is also seen in the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. When Jesus preaches the powers of the kingdom, the powers of darkness are there to try to stop the work that the kingdom is going to accomplish in this world.

Kingdom: - what it means and what it doesn’t – it is a cool word so say in the Christian world today – to be kingdom oriented.

Is the kingdom the Church? How do they fit?

Scot McKnight – “Kingdom and the church are not identical, but they are the same” – Kingdom Conspiracy – so they are different things, but they are interconnected – you cannot have one without the other.

You cannot do kingdom work without doing ‘church work’ – and vice versa

People tend to want to separate these two – and that is a problem. There are good reasons for doing that – but people have been wounded and disenfranchised by Church (and church people) – we have all talked to many people who have been hurt by church – but those people still want to follow Jesus and do Kingdom stuff, but not in church.

When we separate Kingdom and Church, it allows us to leave ‘church’ – the institution – and still follow Jesus. There is a problem in that – the kingdom and the church are tied together – not identical, but the same.

Bono – there used to be this big simulcast and they would bring in celebrity speakers. Bono was invited once – there was an interview and it had to do with his work on Aids and Africa. It was incredible and powerful. He said these very words – his experience growing up in church – I love Jesus, but I hated the church! That is the experience of so many.

But we don’t throw the one out. We learn how both complement one another and need one another.

There is no kingdom without a king – Jesus.

There is no kingdom without people – The Church.

You don’t have one without the other. To remove church is to remove kingdom.

It is okay to do church in a different way. It is also okay to leave a brick-and-mortar church – but it is not okay to leave a regular meeting of God’s people to worship God, pray, have communion….

We must be involved in that to be involved in God’s Kingdom work.

Just as Jesus is engaged in this – we are to engage as well. There are fights of justice that God wants us engaged in. There is the battle against poverty. There are fights for life, fights against human trafficking – but as in this – they must be connected to Jesus. Being engaged in these battles – how is that causing people to respond to Jesus.

Does the way we engage in conflicts with evil encourage people to respond favorably to Jesus? Does it create good seed to fall on? Is what I am doing encouraging people? The way I talk – encourage people to respond positively to Jesus.

Col. 4:5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities.

A lot of times, we just don’t think. We might be at the grocery store – and we just don’t think – am I conducting with wisdom for the opportunity? Even getting coffee at Starbucks – that is an opportunity, albeit high-priced.

We need to see everything al opportunity to sow and create soil that is responsive to the gospel.

Col 4:5b Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

What would it look like to be always full of grace? Paul doesn’t give us any other option.

There is no option in our dealings with outsiders to NOT be full of grace!

1 Cor. 10: 32 Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God; (In Paul’s world, that means everyone!)

There are certain people you are allowed to offend, right? No. But I believe we think there are…

(1Co 10:32 NAU) just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved.

Our lives and ministry must be done in such a way as to encourage a fruitful response to Jesus.

The question comes up – doesn’t the Bible say that the gospel is offensive? Yes, but – it is very clear – the only offense of the gospel in the New Testament is ALWAYS ONLY the crucifixion – the cross – the only way to be offensive – to say that Jesus died on the cross.

We might think – what is so offensive about that? We wear crosses or have one tattooed on our bodies (I don’t) – but it is cool – but in the context – it was offensive.

The only room for offense is to talk about Jesus dying on the cross.

Mark 4: 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17 But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

This can be scary – because we think, Oh my! Does this mean I can believe and then, no longer? Remember, these are kingdom parables. This does not speak to eternal security. But at the same time, we have all seen someone come to Christ and be ready to go – and yet, two months later…

It is a misunderstanding of the gospel – which comes as a miscommunication of the gospel.

When they thought of the kingdom – they were thinking of a reign – to kick out the oppressors and to reign – to kick off the shackles of the oppressor – and you will receive it with joy. But that is not what He is talking about.

One way we do this – we talk about the gospel as a ticket to heaven and an escape from hell. Is that true? Sure! But it is a whole lot more than that – and if that is all we emphasize, we have not shared the gospel. It is really about a change or transfer of citizenship – identity- and loyalty. That is what a person does who comes to Jesus – and that comes with great cost and He doesn’t hide that. We make promises that the Bible never promises.

It promises eternal life. It does not promise you will live your best life now, or to resolve all your relationship issues…

Mark 4:18 18 And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing

These are the things of the world that prevent people from putting faith in Jesus.

20 And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold."

Here is this progression – we can get depressed – I’m only 30%... this is not a grading scale! This is about the kingdom – not about YOU!

Only 1 in 4 is good! God is not a good student – only 25%! That is not even an F!

What if a field goal kicker made 1 in 4?
What He is saying t- the fruit of the good soil produces so much that in the end, no matter what – God wins!

So that seed, falling on that 1 in four – 1 becomes 30, 60, or 100.

The kingdom does not need extraordinary events or people to produce exponential growth!

It does not need PERFECT sowers… it just needs to the word to fall on good soil, and then nothing can stop it.

Lord, help us to know the power of the word – of the gospel – and to do our simple job of representing You well and being faithful to You.