Mark 1:1-8
John the Baptist Prepared The Way For Jesus
Mark 1:9-20
Jesus Begins to Pick His Staff
Mark 1:21-34
Jesus Deals With an Unclean Spirit
Mark 1:29-34
Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law
Mark 1:35-39
Jesus Rises Early to Spend Time With His Father
Mark 1:40-45
Jesus Touched The Leper And Healed Him
Mark 2:1-12
Jesus Heals The Paralyzed Man
Mark 2:13-17
Jesus Chooses Matthew as a Disciple
Mark 2:18-22
Pharisees Think There is Merit in Fasting
Mark 2:23-28
Jesus Plucks Grain on The Sabbath
Mark 3:1-6
Jesus Healing of The Man With The Witherd Hand
Mark 3:7-12
Crowds Come to See Jesus Performing Miracles
Mark 3:13-19
Jesus Delegates Responsibilities to His Disciples
Mark 3:20-30
Jesus Faces Opposition From Both Friend And Foe
Mark 3:31-35
Jesus’ Family Come to Take Him Home
Mark 4:1-9
Jesus Teaches on Sowing Seed in 4 Types of Soil
Mark 4:10-20
Jesus Explained The Parable of The Sower
Mark 4:21-29
Jesus Teaches in Parables
Mark 4:30-41
The Parable of The Mustard Seed
Mark 5:1-10
The Demon Possessed Man at Gerasa
Mark 5:11-20
Two Thousand Hogs Drown
Mark 5:21-34
Hemorrhaging Woman Healed
Mark 5:35-43
Jesus Heals Jairus Daughter
Mark 6:1-6
Jesus Returns to His Home Town of Nazareth
Mark 6:7-13
Jesus Sends His Disciples as Missionaries
Mark 6:14-29
Mark Tells About The Death of John The Baptist
Mark 6:30-44
Feeding of The 5000
Mark 6:45-52
Storm on The Sea of Galilee
Mark 6:53-56
Crowd Wanting to be Healed
Mark 7:1-13
Conflict With The Religious Leaders Over Laws
Mark 7:14-23
Jesus Attacks a System of Rules And Regulations
Jesus Explained The Parable of The Sower
Mark 4:10–20
» View this passage in NIV (Bible Gateway)
Many years ago, Chinese farmers theorized that they could eat their big potatoes and use the small ones for seed. Consequently, they ate the big potatoes and planted the small ones. As a result of this, over the years, nature eventually reduced the size of all the potatoes … More
Jesus explained the parables to those who stayed around after the meeting and really wanted to know the truth. His explanation of the sowing of the seed is compared to giving out the Word of God and the different type of soil is compared to the varying degrees of responses to hearing the Word.
1. The calloused heart (wayside) dominated by Satan and totally unresponsive (v. 15).
2. The shallow heart (stony ground) has no depth of spiritual character (v. 16-17)
3. The stoney heart (among thorns) overwhelmed by allurements (v. 18-19)
4. The fruitful heart (good ground) productive in proportion to one’s yielding to Christ (v. 20).
This is the parable to end despair. It may seem that much of our effort achieves no result; it may seem that much of our labor is wasted. That is how the disciples were feeling, when they saw Jesus banished from the synagogue and regarded with suspicion. In many places his message seemed to have failed, and they were discouraged and down-hearted. But this parable said to them, and says to us, “Patience! Do your work. Sow the seed. Leave the rest to God. The harvest is sure.”
If we are to benefit by the Christian message the parable says that we must do three things:
Just remember that part of the seed never grew at all and part of it never grew to maturity, but at the end of the season there was a good harvest. The message is clear - Do your work - Sow the seed - Leave the rest to God - The harvest is sure.
Application
There have been times in my life when I did not follow the clear direction or was overtaken by things. But as long as I stick to studying and obeying His Word there will be a harvest.
Mark 4:10-20 (English Standard Version)
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