Introductory remarks:
Jesus now leaves the house and goes back to the seaside where He again begins to teach, for He had been there before (3:7-9). This chapter may be outlined as follows: The parable of the Sower vv. 1-9; the purpose of the parable vv. 10-12; the parable of the Sower explained vv. 13-20; a light under a bushel vv. 21-25; the parable of the growing seed vv. 26-29; the parable of the mustard seed vv. 30-32; the use of the parable vv. 33-34; the calming of the storm vv. 35-41.
The Parable of the Sower
(Matt. 13:1-9; Luke 8:4-8)
Verse 1, "And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land."
LGT "And again He began to teach by the sea: and a great crowd is gathered together to Him, so that He having entered into the boat, sat in the sea, and all the crowd were on the land by the sea."
Here we have Mark giving us a very graphic picture of Christ sitting in a boat a little of shore, so that He could teach the great crowds that always gathered where He was teaching. Matthew fills in the details that Jesus left Peter's house and retired to the seaside.
Verse 2, "And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine."
LGT "And He taught them with parables, many things, and said to them in His teaching."
Jesus used parables in order to make the people understand His heavenly doctrine; one definition of a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning; another, and a more literal definition is, something along side, that is, a comparison. I will point out again that I will not get carried away with trying to interpret the parables, for if we have a little patience, we will see that the Lord will explain them as He goes, leaving the guesswork for those who love to speculate and spiritualize.
Verses 3-7, "Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: and it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: but when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit."
LGT "Hearken: Behold, went out the sower to sow. And it came to pass as he sowed, one fell by the way, and the birds came and devoured it. And another fell upon the rocky place, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang up, because of not having depth of earth: and when the sun, having risen, it was scorched, and because not having root, it withered away. And another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and gave no fruit."
I will leave the interpretation of these parables for Jesus to interpret, as He will do. The only thing I will mention about these verses is that Christ was sitting in a boat just off shore, in the Sea of Galilee, and He uses an earthly story all the people were aware of, even the children, of a man sowing his field; in this story Christ will bring home to them a spiritual meaning. The first part of the parable Christ presents three conditions negative to seed growth, and in the next verse He presents the positive side.
Pentecost defines a parable:
"A parable is a literary device and is used to teach by means of transference. In order to make it possible to discover truth in an unknown realm, something familiar is transferred from the known realm to the unknown realm. A simple figure of speech in the form of a metaphor may be used: I am the gate (John 10:9). The figure may be a simile such as Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves (Matt. 10:16). The figure may be more complex, consisting of a parable, which is a narrative, and conveys one principal point of parallelism even though there may be other incidental parallelisms. Sometimes there are many intended parallelisms. Our Lord used parables frequently, but employed allegories only on rare occasions (such as in John 10 where He used the whole analogy of the relationship between a shepherd and sheep). While an allegory may or may not be true to life, a parable is always true to life. Transference in an allegory is in ideas, whereas in parables transference is always through a historical reality. In order to interpret any figure, the Bible student must first clearly discern what is true in the antecedent. Having done so, he then may transfer the truth of the antecedent to the truth to be learned in the unknown realm. For instance, before one can learn about Christ from His statement, I am the gate (John 10:9); one must understand the nature, function, and purpose of a gate. What a gate provides in the real realm is what Christ will provide in the spiritual realm. Facts from the known realm must be learned before they can be transferred to gain knowledge in the unknown realm."
Verse 8, "And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred."
LGT "And another fell into the good earth, and yielded fruit, [it kept] growing up and increasing, and bore one thirty, and one sixty, and one a hundred."
The phrase "sprang up and increased" is in the imperfect tense, and has the vivid results of "yielding fruit", and is literally, kept growing up and increasing. In this verse Christ presents three positive results of the seed producing, which fell on the good soil. As I said earlier, I will not go into interpreting this verse, because Christ will soon do this for us.
Verse 9, "And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
LGT "And He said, The one who has ears to be hearing, let him hear."
The truth is designed only for believers.
The Purpose of the Parables
(Matt. 13:10-17: Luke 8:9-10)
Verse 10, "And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable."
LGT "And when He was alone, those around Him, with the twelve, asked Him, as to the parable."
The disciples wait until Christ is alone, and then ask Him why He taught with parables; they obviously didn't want the rest of the crowd to know they didn't understand Him.
Verse 11, "And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables."
LGT "And He said to them, To you the mystery of the Kingdom of God has been given: but to those who are without, all these things are done in parables."
"Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God."
Only those initiated unto discipleship, has it been given to understand the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Robertson notes: "The secret is no longer hidden from the initiated. Discipleship means initiation into the secret of God's kingdom and it will come gradually to these men."
"But unto them that are without, all these things are done in Parables:"
The parables were mysterious and unintelligible to the unbeliever of Jesus' day, the same as the Word of God is "Hid from the lost' today. The unbeliever is total handicapped by being a natural man, in that, he is completely lost, and unable to comprehend spiritual reality (1 Cor.2:14).
"Peculiar to Mark, those outside our circle, the uninitiated, the hostile group like the scribes and Pharisees, who were charging Jesus with being in league with Beelzebub. Without the key the parables are hard to understand, for parables veil the truth of the kingdom being stated in terms of another realm. Without a spiritual truth and insight they are unintelligible and are often today perverted. The parables are thus a condemnation on the willfully blind and hostile, while a guide and blessing to the enlightened" (Robertson).
Verse 12, "That seeing they must see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them."
LGT " That seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest haply they should turn again, and it should be forgiven them."
The only way a person can understand is to become an initiate of the Lord Jesus Christ. This verse is not stating that the parable was given in order to keep men in the dark, but that the only way out of the dark is to turn again, and it should be forgiven them; repentance, that is, a change of mind is the only hope available to the lost. If a man tries to comprehend God's Word from a natural viewpoint, he will read and not understand, and he will see and not recognize the truth. Jesus is using the passage in Isaiah 6:9,10 that God gave the prophet in that the more they heard the word, the more they hardened their hearts; one is reminded of the story of Moses before Pharaoh, how that the more Moses spoke for God, the harder Pharaoh's heart became.
McGee notes:
"We sometimes use the expression - I know I say it rather carelessly - that you'll be lost if you do not accept Christ as your Savior. That is not really the truth, friend. The truth is that you are already lost. The point that should be accurately stated is that you will continue to be lost if you do not receive Christ as your Savior. You're not on trial, my friend. If you are a lost person, you are lost. Now it is your reaction and reception to the Word of God that is going to determine whether you will be saved or not."
The Parable of the Sower Explained
(Matt. 13:18-23; Luke 8:11-15)
Verse 13, "And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables?"
LGT "And He said to them, Do you not know this parable? And how will you know all the parables?"
The Lord seems surprised that the initiated disciples don't understand any of the parables. He asks them if they can't explain this simple and most obvious parable, how are they to understand the others.
Verse 14, "The sower soweth the word."
LGT "The sower sows the Word."
The seed that is being sown is the Word of God in the Gospel of the Kingdom, and the Sower is Christ. Christ explains the ways in which the Word of God is received in vv. 15-20; his explanation is far better than any commentator can improve upon, so I will write them out together as He explained them.
Verses 15-20, "And these are they by the way side, where the Word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and have no root in themselves, and so endure for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they, which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, chokes the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred."
LGT "And these are they by the way; where the Word is sown and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the Word, the One that has been sown into them. And these are they which are sown on stony ground, who, when they hear the Word immediately receive it with joy, and have not root in themselves, but are temporary; then having tribulation or persecution on account of the Word, immediately they are offended. And others are sown among the thorns; these are they who hear the Word, and the cares of life, and the deceit of riches, and concerning the desires of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful."
These six verses explain the parable of the seed sown. There is much that a person can receive from an in-depth study of this parable, but I am giving in a brief paragraph of what I believe the disciples understood. "Through this parable Christ did several things. On the one hand He explained the varied responses to His ministry as a Sower of Good seed. He explained the various responses by the state of the preparation of the hearts of His hearers. Some refused to hear; some heard and received the message with joy but did not continue; some heard but the truth was soon forgotten because of the concerns of life, or the desire for material gain. But some seed produced an abundant harvest because the soil had been adequately prepared. Christ not only explained the varying responses to His ministry but also revealed the responses to the ministry of the disciples as He taught these truths concerning the coming age. The response to their ministry would be the same as Israel's response to His" (Pentecost).
A Light Under a Bushel
(Luke 8:16-18)
Verse 21, "And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick?"
LGT "And He said to them, Surely then, the lamp comes that it may be placed under the corn measure, or under the couch? [Is it] not on that account, on the lamp stand it be placed?"
This verse is very confusing in either language; it is how Mark puts this verse in the form of a question; the lamp belongs on the lamp stand and not under the bushel where it would not give sufficient light, or under the couch where it also might catch fire.
Verse 22, "For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad."
LGT "For nothing is hidden, except it should be manifested, nor has taken place a secret thing, but that it should come to light."
The truth cannot be hidden; it will ultimately come to light no matter how hard men try and suppress it. All the hidden things in these parables will come to light in due time.
Verse 23, "If any man have ears to hear, let him hear."
LGT "If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."
In verse nine Christ invited men to try and understand the parables; here He summons men to not only understand but also communicate the truth of the parable.
Verse 24, "And he saith unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you; and unto you that hear shall be more given."
LGT "And He said to them, Take heed what you hear: in what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you."
Christ presents a proverbial warning that they should be very selective in whom they listen to; they should be discriminating in what they hear, for they should not only be selective in how they hear, but what they hear; for what they hear can pay spiritual dividends, or visa-versa. Those who are selective in what they hear will receive more knowledge as they learn.
Verse 25, "For he that hath, to him shall be given; and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath."
LGT "For whosoever has, shall be given to him; and the one who has not, even that which he has shall be taken from him."
"The more a man thinks the more he will understand, and the less a man thinks the less his power of understanding will become. Whoso hath attention, knowledge will be given to him, and from him who hath not, the seed of knowledge will be taken. For as diligence causes that seed to grow, negligence destroys it (Euthy)" (The Expositor's Greek Testament).
The Parable of the Growing Seed
Verses 26-29, "And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come."
LGT "And He said, thus is the kingdom of God, as if man should cast the seed upon the earth, and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and be lengthened, how, he knows not. For of itself the earth brings forth fruit, first a blade, then an ear, then, a full corn in the ear. But when the fruit offers itself, immediately he sends the sickle, because the harvest has come."
"This second parable was designed to teach that the fruit depends not on the sower but on the life that is in the seed itself. The illustration was of a man who sowed his field; then, regardless of what the man did, the seed germinated, sprouted, grew, produced grain, and eventually there was a bountiful harvest which he reaped. Because the Eleven (Apostles) would be commissioned to proclaim a message to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:19-20), it would be easy for them to feel that the harvest depended on their efforts. Christ wanted to make it clear that any harvest produced would be the result of sowing the seed and then allowing the life in the seed to manifest itself by growth and fruit at the time of harvest" (J. Dwight Pentecost).
If only this truth could manifest itself in the so-called evangelists today there would be a revival like none other; however, I realize that the revival will come, but it will be among the nation Israel at the end of the Tribulation. The so-called 'organized church' today have the impression that God needs them. What silly thinking! Just as the seed falls into the earth and dies, and then grows to full bloom, and then is harvested; it is all the work of God. The sowing and the harvesting is the privilege of individual Christians, without human effort; the Word of God is given out as a privilege by the Christian who is ready to give an answer, however, the Holy Spirit is the One who gives the increase. Thank God He hides from our view the fruit that is produced. He will someday reveal to us at the Bema Seat of Christ all that He has accomplished through the willing individual Christians, and then reward them, is this Grace or what?
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Matt. 13:31-32; Luke 13:18-19)
Verses 30-32, "And he said, whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: but when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it."
LGT "And He said, How shall we liken the Kingdom of God, or with what parable establish it? As to a grain of mustard, which, when it has been sown upon the earth, smallest of all the seeds which are upon the earth, and when it has been sown, grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs and makes great branches, so that under the shadow of it, the birds of the heaven are able to lodge."
Out of the most insignificant beginning, with eleven apostles, the Kingdom of God began and has grown into a force in the world for good; there are Christians in every nation under heaven, and it will culminate into the Kingdom of Christ, where He will rule for a thousand years. Notice, I didn't use the term Church, because of the confusion put on the word ecklesia, "called out ones" by the organized bodies of denominationalism, who call themselves church. The church has always been the body of Christ, made of individual believers, whose final authority has been the Word of God, and not an organization. McGee notes: "The outward growth of Christendom into great organizations, big churches, large programs, all produced by human energy and not the Holy Spirit."
Verse 33, "And many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it."
LGT "And with many such parables He spoke the Word to them, as they were able to hear."
Mark gives an example of these three parables (the seed, the ear of corn, and the mustard seed) of the many that Christ had spoken from the boat. The parable was designed to make divine doctrine clear; but Christ only gave them what they were able at that time to understand. Church doctrine will not be taught until Paul is chosen by God to teach it to us.
Verse 34, "But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples."
LGT "But without a parable spoke He not unto them, but in private, He explained all things to His disciples."
In the boat Christ used parables to explain the way of salvation, and the coming kingdom to the masses; and then in private He explained to His disciples the mysteries of the Kingdom, that is, the deep things, that is, the spiritual meaning of the parables, they would need for their world-wide commission.
The Calming of a Storm
(Matt. 8:23-27; Luke 8:22-25)
Verse 35, "And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side."
LGT "And He says to them on that day, evening being come, Let us go over unto the other side."
The Lord commands His disciples take Him to the other side of the lake in order for Him to find some peace and quiet after His long discourse with the masses. Christ, being human, needed rest, as did His disciples.
Verse 36, "And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships."
LGT "And having dismissed the crowd, they take Him with [them] as He was in the ship, and other boats were with Him."
Only Mark adds this detail about the others joining them following from other boats. Jesus was unable to find peace and quiet even on the lake. "They took Him without making any preparation for the voyage; without providing any food or raiment. He was sitting in a boat, instructing the people. In the same boat, probably ill fitted to encounter a storm on the lake, they sailed. This would render their danger more imminent and the miracle more striking. The other boats belonging probably to the people, who, seeing Him sail, resolved to follow Him" (Barnes).
Verse 37, "And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full."
LGT "And comes a violent storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already filled."
"On the sea of Galilee the wind has a singular force and suddenness; and this is no doubt because that sea is so deep in the world that the sun rarefies the air in it enormously, and the wind, speeding swiftly above a long and level plateau, gathers much force as it sweeps through flat deserts, until suddenly it meets this huge gap in the way, and it tumbles down irresistibly" (Marvin Vincent).
Verse 38, "And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?"
LGT "And He was on the stern, upon the cushion sleeping: and they aroused Him, and say to Him, Teacher, is it no concern to You that we perish?"
Jesus' disciples awake Him with this stern rebuke! Are You not concerned that we are perishing? There is this vicious storm and You're back here on the stern sleeping.
Verse 39, "And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."
LGT "And having been aroused, He rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, Be silent, be muzzled. And the wind fell and there was a great calm."
Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the sea Silence, be quiet; and immediately the wind and the sea obey His voice; how could anything but calm result, seeing how Christ is their Co-Creator?
Barnes notes:
"There is something exceedingly authoritative and majestic in this command of our Lord. Standing amid the howling tempest, on the heaving sea, and in the darkness of night, by his own power He stills the waves and bids the storm subside. None but the God of the storms and the billows could awe by word the troubled elements, and send a universal peace and stillness among the winds and waves. He must, therefore, be divine."
Shepherd writes:
"Jesus was still Master even if He were asleep. But they had not yet come to understand that He was the Lord of nature. He stood forth now in the midst of the howling storm, calm and unruffled in His majesty. Not one tremor of alarm or one token of confusion. Silence, He said, addressing the winds as human beings. Be muzzled, He commanded the turbulent dashing waves as if they were animals. Instantly the winds hushed into peace and the waves subsided placidly. It was a miracle! Always after the storm the swell remains for a time after the wind has died down; but the lake in this case became calm at once."
Verse 40, "And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?"
LGT "And He said to them, Why are you fearful? Have you not yet faith?"
Jesus rebukes His disciples because they had Him with them, and they still have not yet accepted Him as Lord; Lord not only of men, but of the entire universe; they might have accepted Him as their King, that is, Messiah, but they have not yet accepted Him as their God. It won't be until after His resurrection that they will finally accept Him as their Savior.
Verse 41, "And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?"
LGT "And they feared [with] great fear, and said to one another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"
This chapter is concluded with the disciples questioning to one another about the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. By all the evidence Jesus has presented His disciples, they still question each other as to what manner of Man is this. The emotions of the men thinking they were perishing and now safe in the arms of their Lord, must certainly be taken into account as to their great fear.
"No wonder that they feared if this One could command the wind and the waves at will as well as demons and drive out all diseases and speak such mysteries in parables. They were growing in their apprehension and comprehension of Jesus Christ. They had much yet to learn. There is much yet for us today to learn or seek to grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. This incident opened the eyes and minds of the disciples to the majesty of Jesus" (A.T. Robertson).
Paul writes, That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. The disciples learned first hand from the Lord, by walking daily with Him for three years; we learn by walking daily with Him through His Holy Word.
McGee adds:
"Do you know what made them fear? It was not so much the fact that He quieted the storm, but that it responded immediately. It just leveled out; there was a sudden calm. This miracle was so great that it made these men afraid.
What a wonderful lesson we learn here. He puts us into the storms of life in order that we might grow closer to Him and that we might know Him better."
Jesus, Savior, pilot me
Over life's tempestuous sea:
Unknown waves before me roll,
Hiding rocks and treach'rous shoal;
Chart and compass come from Thee
Jesus, Savior, pilot me!
Edward Hooper
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