Chapter # 4 Paragraph # 3 Study # 2
March 10, 2020
Moss Bluff, Louisiana
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Thesis:
The methodology of The Kingdom of The God is "sowing" The Word.
Introduction: Last week we considered Jesus' two questions of His disciples to get them to be involved in the "knowing" (ginosko) of
all of His parables by "understanding" (oida)
this parable as the key to getting a grip on "the mystery of The Kingdom of The God".
- I. Jesus' Initial Declaration.
- A. The sower sows The Word.
- 1. Because this parable holds the "key" to the disciples' grasp of the rest of the parables (as Jesus' second question in 4:13 teaches), we have to understand that both the issue of "sowing" and the "results" of that action are a major, and primary, metaphor for The Kingdom of The God.
- 2. Because this parable's overall content is focused upon "an action that yields a divinely intended harvest", we conclude that the "mystery" (there are multiple "mysteries" -- Matthew 3:11 and Luke 8:10) with which Mark/Jesus are primarily concerned is the "methodological mystery" (a concept hinted at in 4:27) of The Kingdom.
- 3. In this "methodological mystery", there are key elements in this parable.
- a. It declares the necessity of a "sower" (a likely parallel to Paul's questions in Romans 10:14-15).
- b. It declares the necessity of a "potent seed" that will be able to produce a "harvest" (a likely parallel to all of the Bible's references to the powerful Word and its attendant "requirement" of "receptivity" [Faith] such as Romans 10:17 as the ultimate conclusion to 10:8-13).
- c. It declares the necessity of a "Good Earth" (as opposed to three other kinds of "soil") so that the seed is properly nourished and watered (a likely parallel to Paul's use of a similar metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8).
- d. As the "key" metaphor of metaphors, we should see the entire "discipleship" concept of Mark 1:16-20 as "seminal" (as its origin in "semen" powerfully suggests; one "cell" which carries the male half of the "two cell reality" of conception unto a "living soul"). As such, we ought to view Jesus' purpose for coming (Mark 1:38) as "methodologically" critical and, as such, the basis of all New Testament teaching regarding the "believer's" "Life-Objective". Note 2 Timothy 4:2.
- B. Mark only refers to the issue of "sowing" in this parable and that of the mustard seed.
- 1. "The Sower" (Present Active Participle Nominative Masculine Singular) is first mentioned in Jesus' "Listen, behold" introduction to this parable in 4:3.
- a. He is identified by his activity: sowing (broadcasting seed). [Note: there is, in Romans 10:18-19, an acknowledgement by Paul that, when men fail to be "sowers", there is an inanimate "sower" that accomplishes the task (Jesus, Himself, established this truth in Luke 19:40), but there is also such an acknowledgement by Paul that the inanimate "sower" is only "effectual" to the point of "inexcusability" and does not do what is necessary to bring about "salvation" (Romans 1:20)].
- b. He is not emphasized; the issue of the parable is not "who" the sower happens to be. The prominent issue is that there is a "sower" (someone whose actions provide seed for the soil). Every member of the Body of Christ is "discipled" toward this end (Titus 2:10).
- 2. The "sowing" is much more prominent.
- a. The action is identified, first, as broadcasting seed upon the earth.
- 1) "He that sows" went forth "to sow" (4:3).
- 2) "...while he was sowing, some indeed fell alongside the road..." (4:4).
- 3) There are other statements about the seed "falling upon" various soils, but no further use of "sower", or "sowing" until 4:14 and the explanation of the parable.
- b. Then the action is related to "proclamation" as "content that is heard" ("...when they hear..."), but this does not come up until Jesus explains the parable (4:14-20).
- 1) The issue of "hearing" begins in 4:3 with Jesus' "Listen, behold" and He repeats this matter in 4:9, at the end of the telling of the parable, with His "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (In other words, "Listen, behold" emphasizes the importance of the information that is to be declared, and "He that has ears..." puts forth the reality that some will "listen" and some will not).
- 2) Then, in the intermediate material wherein Jesus is explaining His use of parables, "hearing" is set forth in terms of the judgment that the "hearing" will be as if they did not "hear" (4:12).
- 3. The "seed" sown is notable for the fact that, though it is the same seed in every case, its progress as "seed-unto-purpose" is determined by the condition of the soil upon which it falls.
- a. The "seed" is presented as "The Word".
- 1) The "word", before this parable, is only mentioned in two places.
- a) In 1:45, "the word" is the leper's proclamation of his cleansing by Jesus.
- b) In 2:2 Mark, without identifying any specific content, simply says that Jesus "was speaking The Word to them" (at this point, we have the prelude to "The sower sows The Word").
- 2) In this parable's explanation, there are seven uses of "word" and always as "The Word".
- 3) Then, as a conclusion, Mark records that Jesus "was speaking The Word to them" (4:33) in the form of parables.
- 4) In all, there are seven references to "The Word" in this parable and one more in reference to parables (4:33).
- 5) There are only twelve further uses of "word" in the remaining content of this Gospel.
- b. The "seed" as "The Word" points decisively to "divine revelation" in the vastness of its reality, both in every aspect of "creation" that "shows" (Romans 1:20) and in every "jot and tittle" that are used in the creation of a verbal revelation to men (Matthew 5:18).
- 1) In Paul's teaching regarding the function of the Body of Christ in this world, it is always "apostles" and "prophets" that exist as the preeminent "functions".
- a) These are the "foundation" of "the household of God" (Ephesians 2:20) as the primary instruments of verbal, divine, revelation.
- b) Even in his extended explanation of the "grace-gifts" in 1 Corinthians, he exalts "prophesying" as the one activity that means the most (14:1) in respect to "methodology-unto-purpose".
- 2) Even Jesus, as introduced in the Gospel of John, is to be primarily known as "The Word of The God".
- 3) The conclusion is this: if a "ministry" is not organized to function in a way that presents "The Word", it is not a "ministry"; rather, it is a delusion of men who think they have a "better" methodology.
