Daily Bread 2011 - Mark 4
Daily Bread 2011 – Tuesday February 15th, 2011 Mark 4:1-8
Parable of the Sower
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.”
What Does This Mean?
In chapter 4, Mark begins to introduce the parables of Jesus. Jesus says to the disciples, “the secrets of the kingdom have been given to you but to those on the outside everything is said in parables”. In chapter 4, after Jesus tells the crowds a parable, he takes his disciples aside to explain the meaning of it.
Since this was an agricultural society the farming analogy would not have been foreign to them. But yet without the power of the Holy Spirit they would still miss the spiritual significance of the teaching. There is an interesting dynamic here, as one would think that Jesus would want everyone to understand clearly what he is teaching.
This is one of the mysteries that is hard for us to understand. Why do some people understand when they hear the Word of God and others seems to be blinded to its ultimate meaning?
What Does This Mean For Us?
One of my passions is that you would learn to read the Word of God and understand it and bear much fruit showing yourselves to be His disciples. The parable teaches us that though many seeds are sown, only some take root and bear a crop, 30, 60 or some a hundred times over.
Jesus explains to his disciples some of the barriers to the Word (seed) taking root in our lives. Three culprits are: the evil one himself, who snatches away the Word before it can take root in a person’s life. Secondly, we see trials and persecution can destroy someone’s faith if that are not rooted. Finally, we also see that the worries and desires of this life can choke out the seed from producing fruit.
What type of seed are you? Are you the fruit bearing kind? Or, are the worries, trials and persecutions of being Christian threatening to choke out what God wants to do in your life? Pray that you might hear the Word, accept it, and act on it; so that God’s kingdom might be exponentially multiplied through you.
Jesus we know when Your Word takes root in our lives we can bear fruit that leads to more disciples being made. Help us to see the obstacles that threaten us and cling to Your Word as you have given us the secrets of the Kingdom by your grace. Amen.
Parable of the Sower
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.”
What Does This Mean?
In chapter 4, Mark begins to introduce the parables of Jesus. Jesus says to the disciples, “the secrets of the kingdom have been given to you but to those on the outside everything is said in parables”. In chapter 4, after Jesus tells the crowds a parable, he takes his disciples aside to explain the meaning of it.
Since this was an agricultural society the farming analogy would not have been foreign to them. But yet without the power of the Holy Spirit they would still miss the spiritual significance of the teaching. There is an interesting dynamic here, as one would think that Jesus would want everyone to understand clearly what he is teaching.
This is one of the mysteries that is hard for us to understand. Why do some people understand when they hear the Word of God and others seems to be blinded to its ultimate meaning?
What Does This Mean For Us?
One of my passions is that you would learn to read the Word of God and understand it and bear much fruit showing yourselves to be His disciples. The parable teaches us that though many seeds are sown, only some take root and bear a crop, 30, 60 or some a hundred times over.
Jesus explains to his disciples some of the barriers to the Word (seed) taking root in our lives. Three culprits are: the evil one himself, who snatches away the Word before it can take root in a person’s life. Secondly, we see trials and persecution can destroy someone’s faith if that are not rooted. Finally, we also see that the worries and desires of this life can choke out the seed from producing fruit.
What type of seed are you? Are you the fruit bearing kind? Or, are the worries, trials and persecutions of being Christian threatening to choke out what God wants to do in your life? Pray that you might hear the Word, accept it, and act on it; so that God’s kingdom might be exponentially multiplied through you.
Jesus we know when Your Word takes root in our lives we can bear fruit that leads to more disciples being made. Help us to see the obstacles that threaten us and cling to Your Word as you have given us the secrets of the Kingdom by your grace. Amen.
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