Day Three Mark 4:10-25
10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.
11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:
‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing.When they hear what I say, they will not understand.Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’”
13 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? 14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. 16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. 20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
21 Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine. 22 For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. 23 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”
24 Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” – Mark 4:10-25 (NLT)
Discover
1. Who sticks around after Jesus tells the story of the four soils (verse 10)?
2. What do they do that unlocks the secret to the Kingdom?
3. Count the number of times you see the word understand/understanding in this passage.
Respond
Have you ever thought of understanding God’s Word as a gift given to you by God? Jesus had no desire to hide the meaning of His teachings. His truth is a light that’s meant to be brought into the open! The parables only served as a doorway to the meaning behind them and anyone was welcome to walk through it. Spend some time now asking for God to cultivate the soil of your heart so that it might be fertile ground for His Word to take root in your life, giving you more understanding of it, producing more fruit for God’s Kingdom as a result.
For Further Learning: Check out the recent Traders Point message series on this parable.