1 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.”
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.”
Read Mark 4:1-9, 13-20 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
In one of His most famous parables, Jesus teaches the crowd about different types of hearts and different ways people can accept Jesus’ message by comparing it to various types of soil that a plant could grow in. In this parable, Jesus describes four types of soil, and in many ways, these four types of soil represent the different ways we can apply Jesus’ message, and these four types of soil can also represent the different ways other people can apply God’s message when it is shared with them.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include this parable, and there is very little difference in how each gospel describes Jesus’ words. Looking at Mark’s gospel, we learn about soil that is on a path, soil that is rocky, soil that is thorny, and soil that is good for growth. Left on our own, we might come up with all sorts of ideas for what these types of soil represent, but Jesus shares the meaning with the disciples, and these four gospel writers all include Jesus’ explanation: “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. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 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. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 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. 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.” (v. 15-20)
Mark describes Jesus’ explanation that there will be people who hear the gospel message, but who fall away. If these people immediately dismiss it, they are like the seed that landed on the path – Satan quickly causes them to dismiss it. The gospel message looks stupid to this group of people, so why should they even try it out.
If those who hear the gospel message receive it with joy, some might be pulled away because of pressure from the world. These people are like the seed that fell among the rocks, because the seed wasn’t able to grow with strong roots. Because following Jesus’ teachings can be difficult and counter cultural, this group of people determines that the cost of following is too high and they give up from external pressures to conform.
There are also people who hear the gospel message, and who let it take root and grow, but their own minds cause them to doubt, stumble, and struggle. These people are like the seed that fell among thorns, and the thorns choke the gospel out of them. Because Christians also face internal pressure as we grow our faith and trust in God, this group of people gives up because their minds, hearts, and desires are focused on other things and these other things do not line up with placing God first.
But there are those who successfully navigate the challenges of Satan, the culture of the world, and the pressure of the mind, and these people are like the seed that landed on good soil. Each seed that landed on good soil produced a great harvest, but each seed was still not equal.
This parable prompts me to be aware of the challenges and pressure that will come my way when hearing the gospel message and it helps me understand what others may experience when their faith is challenged. This parable pushes me to be more resolved in my commitment to God, because it shares that this is the only way to mature and be a spiritual success.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
Subscribe to this blog and never miss an insight.