Jesus Explains the Parable of the Four Soils

Bible Study Lesson from Mark 4:1-25

2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching,

3 "Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow;

4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.

5 "Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil.

6 "And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7 "Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

8 "Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold."

9 And He was saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

10 "When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.

 

11 He told them, 'The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables

 

12 so that,

 

'They may be ever seeing but never perceiving,

and ever hearing but never understanding;

otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'

 

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 the 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 the seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, produce a crop -- thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.'

 

21 He said to them, 'Do you bring a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand?

 

22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.

 

23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.'

 

24 'Consider carefully what you hear,' he continued. 'With the measure you use, it will be measured to you -- and even more.

 

25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.'"

Parable of the four soils - Comprehending God's Word

Why the "Farming" Analogy?

One school of thought: These parables were put in terms that farmers of the day could understand. And, although they knew and understood everything Jesus was telling them about sowing seeds, many did not grasp the true meaning of the parables.

Why do some comprehend God's Word and others do not?

Some people are just not ready to receive His Word. With these people, patience is key. Take opportunities to tell them more about God's Word without being overbearing. Don't draw the Bible like a gun. Be gentle. Pray that the Holy Spirit will work in their lives.

Among the Thorns of Life

Verse 19 talks about the security (and worry) we feel when we are living prosperous lives. Remember that wealth and material things are temporary. Only God is everlasting.

Who Is Christ Talking About?

Please study these verses again and again because Jesus is not just talking to just the 1st Christians; He is also talking to us!! Let us open our hearts, listen for what God is saying to us, and be a light to our church, our community, our country and the rest of the earth. "Remember; He is with you always..." 

Love in Christ

- Bob

Mark 3:1-12 - Jesus Heals Again on the Sabbath