Mark 4

I have been attempting to write simple clear ideas that come to me as I read through Mark one chapter everyday, but I hit chapter 4 and it's came to big for a simple status update, so I hope this thought is still manageable although much larger.

I believe the premise of Mark chapter 4 is one of evangelism and how we are to approach it from a Kingdom perspective. Jesus starts us with an initial idea that is the thesis for the rest of His discussion.

Mark 4:3-9
“Listen! A farmer went out to sow. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. Others fell on stony ground, where they did not have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once because the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they did not have any roots, they dried up. Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes came up and choked them out, and they did not produce anything. But others fell on good soil and produced a crop. They grew up, increased in size, and produced 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown.” He added, “Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!”

We often think that when we share the Gospel, we are to convert those on the spot. That somehow salvation comes at the moment we share and we have the responsibility in the result. This is not so in the case of how Jesus begins are journey in sharing His message.

This first idea shows us as farmers simply throwing seed. Our responsibility is in the throwing and not the growing! I believe Jesus is showing us here that as we throw seed or share the Gospel, two factors are at work that are out of our control.

1. The condition of the soil or heart of the person
2. The condition of the circumstances that person lives out

His first lesson for us is:

"Share this message with many knowing that it will not produce fruit in every circumstance. We are not the Holy Spirit and cannot till ground....only throw seed."

The second thing He speaks to His disciples is that they have received the "secret of the Kingdom".

Mark 4:11-12
He told them, “The secret about the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside, everything comes in parables so that
‘they may see clearly but not perceive,
and they may hear clearly but not understand,
otherwise they might turn around and be forgiven. ’”

What is the secret of the Kingdom? I believe it is the Holy Spirit speaking to an individual the truth of Jesus is! In these men, the Holy Spirit tilled the ground of their heart and prepared the way for them to receive this truth and therefore unlocked the potential to see the words of Jesus in their fullest through a kingdom lens. Without the revelation of Jesus as Son of God and Savior, His words seem to be only wise stories instead of Kingdom power.

His Second Lesson for us is:

"To see the Kingdom, you must recognize the King!"

Next, He seems to rebuke His disciples, but I believe in fact that He is stressing the absolute importance of this Thesis statement to the rest of what is about to share. We must realize that God is God and we are simply His work and workers.

Mark 4:13-20
Then he told them, “You don’t understand this parable, so how can you understand any of the parables? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear it, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others are like the seeds sown on the stony ground. When they hear the word, at once they joyfully accept it, but since they don’t have any roots, they last for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall away. Still others are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the people who hear the word, but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of wealth, and the desires for other things come in and choke the word so that it can’t produce a crop. Others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops—30, 60, or 100 times what was sown.”

The third lesson for us is:

"It's the word that works in someone and not us."

Next, He begins to speak of how we are to live our lives within this work.

Mark 4:21-25
Then Jesus told them, “A lamp isn’t brought indoors to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? It’s to be put on a lamp stand, isn’t it? Nothing is hidden except for the purpose of having it revealed, and nothing is secret except for the purpose of having it come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen!
He went on to say to them, “Pay attention to what you’re hearing! You will be evaluated by the same standard with which you do your evaluating, and still more will be given to you, because whoever has something, will have more given to him. But whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away.”

He is saying to us that this secret or in dwelling of the Holy Spirit isn't something to be hidden, but we must live in the light to share the light. Along with this message, He gives us a warning that the world we share this light with will judge us by the same light. Although they do not understand, they will recognize the standard. As we live by Gods standard, He will reveal an even higher standard of living for Him!

The fourth lesson for us is:

"Live in the light and those around you will be attracted to the light in you that is the living God!"

As if He is beating a dead horse (sorry for that image lol), He continues to hit on the same subject. "You are a worker, but God is at work."

Mark 4:26-29
He was also saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. He sleeps and gets up night and day while the seeds sprout and grow, although he doesn’t know how. The ground produces grain by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, he immediately starts cutting with his sickle because the harvest time has come.”

This is a fundamental error I believe in our tent style, mega-phone approach to sharing the Gospel. Jesus is saying here to His disciples that conversion isn't a one moment event, but a process over time and many conversations and ultimately only comes to harvest when the Lord decides and not us. Like the farmer, we have no control over the process, only a responsibility to the work given us. We demand those we meet to come to Jesus instead of being sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is doing and asking of us in the moment.

After this He adds a supportive statement to the previous I believe.

Mark 4:30-32
He was also saying, “How can we show what the kingdom of God is like, or what parable can we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. Although it is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, when it is planted it comes up and becomes larger than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that the birds in the sky can nest in its shade.”

The fifth lesson for us is:

"Be sensitive for where the Holy Spirit has someone. Not where you want them to be. Before your very eyes God will grow something amazing!"

The final thought is one of compassion on the part of Jesus and where we should come from when sharing the Gospel.

Mark 4:33-34
With many other parables like these, Jesus kept speaking his message to them according to their ability to understand. He did not tell them anything without using a parable, though he explained everything to his disciples in private.

We must recognize where people are at and speak to them from that place. We must put aside "Christian lingo" and speak in terms of their culture and understanding. At the moment of transformation through Jesus, He will draw them into the inner circle of His chosen and begin to speak deeper things. That is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit and not us. We must declare the simple Gospel message in a way that we do not get in the way of God.

The final lesson for is:

"Do not speak to seem intelligent or enlightened. Allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten those you speaking to."

Hope is was understandable and simple. It was a lot to process :-)


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