Read This Week’s Passage: Mark 4:1–20
THE POWER OF THE WORD
“We’ve been robbed!” I can still hear the words echoing through my mind.
We were far from home on our first mission trip to East Africa. I felt my
way through the room in the nighttime darkness with the other
missionaries, and together we assessed our losses. All our equipment was
gone. Although we were tempted to pack up what was left and catch the
next flight home, something urged us not to give up. We traveled to where
I was scheduled to preach, but I couldn’t show my PowerPoint
presentations as my laptop and projector had been stolen. The robbers
had even taken my Bible and sermon notes—hopefully they read them!
How could I effectively present the gospel without these tools? Someone
handed me a pocket Bible and reassured me that David slew Goliath with
a little stone.
It’s when we come to the end of ourselves that God steps in. Equipped
with only that borrowed Bible, but filled with God’s Spirit, I stood up night
after night to proclaim the gospel. By God’s grace, many precious people
turned to Jesus and dedicated themselves to Him through baptism. This
experience showed me that when we simply trust in God’s Word and
depend on Him, He will fulfill His promises. God declares, “So shall My
word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But
it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for
which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11).
In our first lesson, we will study the parable of a farmer who went out to
scatter seed. This story illustrates how different people react to God’s
Word when it reaches them. We will discover the power of His Word, how
it can impact our lives, and how we can become receptive to Jesus’
teachings.
Write out Mark 4:1–20 from the translation of your choice. If you’re
pressed for time, write out verses 1–9. You may also rewrite the passage in
your own words, or outline or mind-map the text.
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Discerning More than a Story
Imagine the scene: Jesus surveying the throng that gathered to hear Him
teach. Priests and peasants, young and old, merchants and craftsmen—all
had come to listen to the popular young Rabbi. As the people pressed in,
Jesus got into a boat and asked His disciples to sail a little way from the
shore so He could better address the multitude.
As Jesus taught, He drew lessons from scenes that were familiar to His
audience. A man scattering seed in his field was a common sight in the
surrounding plains and hills. Everyone knew the importance of the seed
falling on fertile ground so it would sprout and bear fruit. However, not
everyone present was aware that Jesus’ very words were a type of seed
that was even then landing in different soils.
Later that day, the disciples questioned Jesus, seeking to understand the
story He had told:
But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him
about the parable. And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know
the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all
things come in parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them’ ” (Mark 4:10–12).
These words seem strange at first glance, but a closer look reveals that
Jesus is quoting the book of Isaiah. These words, found in Isaiah 6:9, 10,
immediately follow Isaiah’s call to his prophetic ministry. God warned
Isaiah that the people would reject the message He would give him. This
reaction was not God’s desire but instead reflected the sad reality of what
was coming. God wanted to prepare Isaiah for the difficult task before
him. In the same way, Jesus was explaining to the disciples that His words
and teachings won’t always be well received. The multitude heard a
parable, but most would miss its true meaning.
Today, God invites us into His inner circle so His Word can bear fruit in
our lives. When we read a passage of Scripture, we should seek to
understand both the interpretation and the application of the words. Once
we understand the meaning of the text, we should pray for the Holy Spirit
to enable us to live out the principles it contains. By carefully reflecting on
the Word’s meaning, we open our minds to divine influences. In this way,
the seed is not wasted in our hearts. By meditating on Scripture and
seeking divine guidance, the seed of God’s Word can take root and bear
fruit within us. Jesus’ parables will truly transform every person who
receives and cherishes God’s Word.
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Cultivating Your Own “Soil”
Jesus identifies three places where the seed cannot grow and bear fruit
(Mark 4:14–19). The seed that falls along the wayside takes no root at all. It
bounces off the hard ground and is snatched up by the birds without ever
germinating. On the stony ground, the seed sprouts but is unable to
establish roots. It endures for only a short time before the sun scorches
the plant and it withers away. The seed that falls among thorns develops
roots and endures longer, but it, too, is eventually choked out.
The wayside response represents people who hear the message but don’t
listen. They lack focus, comprehend little, and forget quickly. Perhaps you
can relate to this. Have you ever read a chapter in the Bible only to realize
that your thoughts were in a completely different place? We all struggle
with concentrating at times.
The seed on the stony ground lacks roots and only endures until
opposition arises. The book The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
describes a character named Pliable. He meets someone named Christian,
who entices him with descriptions of the glories of the celestial city. They
set off together, but as soon as they encounter the first obstacle at the
Slough of Despond, Pliable abandons Christian, saying, “I have no
problem changing my mind” (The Pilgrim’s Progress, episode 3, “Swamp
of Despondency,” directed by Robert Fernandez, aired August 14, 2021, on
YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0bDA6ns2aQ). People often begin
to resist God’s Word when they realize the cost of obeying and following.
The thorny ground is the saddest picture of all. Just like the thorns and
thistles that slowly strangle a precious plant, so the cares of this world
choke the Word from our hearts. This does not happen overnight. It
happens gradually when we lose our love for God and channel it instead
to the things of this world. Many who develop deep faith in God in their
youth will slowly, nearly imperceptibly, drift away later. This is the
thorny ground experience.
To avoid these pitfalls, we need to cultivate our hearts, making sure we
are good ground. Good soil requires a balanced composition of nutrients.
Many factors contribute to whether a person receives the word or rejects
it. The makeup of our soil determines how much fruit the seed of the
Word will yield in our heart—“some [bear fruit] thirtyfold, some sixty,
and some a hundred” (Mark 4:20). We have no control over certain things
in our environment, such as the place and circumstances of our
upbringing. However, later in life, we can to some degree choose and
create our environment. We choose our friends, interests, and values. We
decide what principles will guide our lives. We have more control over
our own “soil” than we realize. When we place ourselves in an uplifting
environment and make choices that prioritize holistic development, the
seed of God’s Word has a greater potential to bear good fruit.
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What relationship do the following verses have with Mark 4:1–20?
• Matthew 13:1–23
• 1 Peter 1:23–25
• Isaiah 55:10, 11
• Ecclesiastes 11:1, 2
• 2 Timothy 4:1–5
• John 6:63, 64
• Luke 24:25–27
What other verses/promises come to mind in connection with the primary
passage?
inVite
Becoming a Sower
Jesus tells us that the words He speaks to us are “spirit and life” (John
6:63). In the parable of the sower, Jesus shows us how His words are like
seed. We have already discovered the importance of good soil for the seed
to sprout and grow. Along with preparing good soil, we need to believe
the seed is good. The seeds in the parable are the Jesus’ words, but in a
broader sense, the totality of the Scriptures are God’s words, testifying of
Jesus.
The apostle Paul reflected on how the believers in Thessalonica reacted to
the Word of God when it was preached to them: “For this reason we also
thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God
which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as
it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who
believe” (1 Thess. 2:13). Paul could see fruit in the believers’ lives. The
good seed had fallen into good soil. Paul had gone to Thessalonica during
his second missionary journey after visiting Philippi, where he and Silas
had been beaten and imprisoned. What an encouragement, then, to
afterward come to Thessalonica and see people receiving the gospel! You
would think things couldn’t get better than Thessalonica, but the next
place Paul and Silas visited surpassed even that experience: “Then the
brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When
they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more
fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word
with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether
these things were so” (Acts 17:10, 11). The believers in Berea not only
received the word but also examined it for themselves. We are all called
to search Scripture personally instead of only depending on teachers.
When we do so, we will come face to face with Jesus, who is at the center
of the entire scriptural narrative.
Jesus Himself invites us to go and spread His words. Now we become the
sowers equipped with good seed: the Word of God. In the book of Acts, we
read about Philip, who preached the Word. Notice the focus of his
preaching: “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere
preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and
preached Christ to them” (Acts 8:4, 5). Preaching the Word was preaching
Christ! It’s an incredible privilege to share the words of Christ with
people. God could use angels, but He wants us to experience the joy of
seeing people respond to the gospel.
inSight
A Knowledge of God
“The knowledge of God is as high as heaven and as broad as the universe.
There is nothing so ennobling and invigorating as a study of the great
themes which concern our eternal life. Let the youth seek to grasp these
God-given truths, and their minds will expand and grow strong in the
effort. It will bring every student who is a doer of the word into a broader
field of thought, and secure for him a wealth of knowledge that is
imperishable.
“The education to be secured by searching the Scriptures is an
experimental knowledge of the plan of salvation. Such an education will
restore the image of God in the soul. It will strengthen and fortify the
mind against temptation, and fit the learner to become a co-worker with
Christ in His mission of mercy to the world. It will make him a member of
the heavenly family; and prepare him to share the inheritance of the
saints in light....
“But the teacher of sacred truth can impart only that which he himself
knows by experience. ‘The sower sowed his seed.’ Christ taught the truth
because He was the truth. His own thought, His character, His life-
experience, were embodied in His teaching. So with His servants: those
who would teach the word are to make it their own by a personal
experience. They must know what it is to have Christ made unto them
wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. In
presenting the word of God to others, they are not to make it a suppose-so
or a may-be. They should declare with the apostle Peter, ‘We have not
followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the
power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of His
majesty.’ 2 Peter 1:16.” (Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons [1900], 42,
43.)
“A knowledge of the truth depends not so much upon strength of intellect
as upon pureness of purpose, the simplicity of an earnest, dependent
faith. To those who in humility of heart seek for divine guidance, angels of
God draw near. The Holy Spirit is given to open to them the rich treasures
of the truth.
“The good-ground hearers, having heard the word, keep it. Satan with all
his agencies of evil is not able to catch it away.
“Merely to hear or to read the word is not enough. He who desires to be
profited by the Scriptures must meditate upon the truth that has been
presented to him. By earnest attention and prayerful thought he must
learn the meaning of the words of truth, and drink deep of the spirit of
the holy oracles.
“God bids us fill the mind with great thoughts, pure thoughts. He desires us to meditate
upon His love and mercy, to study His wonderful work in the great plan of redemption.
Then clearer and still clearer will be our perception of truth, higher, holier, our desire
for purity of heart and clearness of thought. The soul dwelling in the pure atmosphere of
holy thought will be transformed by communion with God through the study of the
Scriptures.” (Ibid., 59, 60.)
inQuire
• What do you perceive as the central message in Jesus’ parable of
the sower?
• What strategies have you seen Satan use most effectively in choking
out God’s Word? How can we combat those strategies?
• How can a desire for Christ and His gospel replace a desire for
other things that choke out the Word?
• How have you experienced the “cares of this world” and the
“deceitfulness of riches” competing against God’s Word (Mark
4:19)?
• How can we make sure we are “good-ground” hearers, so that the
seed (God’s Word) can bring spiritual growth into our lives?
• Is there anything we can do to help our friends become “good-
ground” hearers?
• Jesus tells us that the seed sown on good ground produces fruit,
“some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred” (Mark 4:20).
What makes the difference, the seed or the soil? What does this
teach us?
• How can we become successful sowers of the gospel seed?
• How can trials and challenges make us stronger followers of Jesus?
