Mission 66 (English podcast)
Mark 4 This Seed Speaks Indeed
(upbeat music) Some people read scripture and think, oh, this is easy. This is simple, but it isn't. And the more we read scripture, the deeper and deeper that we go to things happen. First, we do find out more and more about God, where we've come from, where we're going, and what we're supposed to be doing whilst we're here. But at the same time, the more we realize how little we really understand. This is Mission 66. I brought up Devsy. Mission 66 originates from the ministry of Bible teacher and pastor, Dr. Luis Ciao, and is produced and heard in multiple languages around the world in partnership with Transworld Radio. I want to encourage you to take advantage of a valuable resource. You can enhance your understanding of the gospels by downloading our free study guide. This guide will deepen your experience with God's word, and complement our daily teachings from John Matthews and Esther Sussulu, to access your free study guide of the gospels, simply visit mission66.org. Pick up this valuable resource, and also support the ministry of Mission 66. Your gift helps sustain this program locally and globally. John Matthews is our teacher. His co-host, Esther Sussulu, gets us started today. - We continue today in the Gospel of Mark chapter four, containing Jesus' parable of the sower. A farmer planted seeds on different soils, but each produced different results. Now the Bible says, "As you sow, so shall you reap." But the harvest also depends on the kind of soil that the seed is sown upon. If your life seems hard as a rock and you feel choked by thorns, listen as our teacher John shares one of the most famous parables of Jesus with the theme, "This seed speaks indeed." - Yeah, thank you Esther, and a very warm welcome, Joel, great to have your company again. And we're now studying this Gospel of Mark and Jesus as being presented here by Mark as the servant, as the one who brings the message of hope to the Gentile world or what some would call the pagan world. And as we come here to chapter four, we see Jesus teaching as he often taught through the use of parables. What were parables? Well, they were stories which reflected everyday life, but which had this deep, profound spiritual lesson behind them as well. And he starts with the parable of the sower in chapter four, which has already been presented actually to us in the Gospel of Matthew. A sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seed fell into good soil and produced grain growing up and increasing and yielding 30 fold and 60 fold and 100 fold. So Jesus here is teaching them these parables, pointing out the need for us to be the kind of good soil that receives the seed so that good will be produced. The disciples don't quite understand the point of what Jesus is saying here, but you know what they're like, they are curious. And so they ask about the meaning of the parable, and then Jesus reveals that the seed which was sown represents the word of God. The issue here is not only about how the seed is sown, that is how the word of God is proclaimed, but how human hearts receive this word of God. And Jesus says, and these are the ones along the path where the word is sown, when they hear Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. So this parable here is indicating that one of the dangers is that the person listening to this word may have the wrong kind of soil. What does that mean? Well, Jesus puts it this way, that Satan comes and takes the word away that was sown in the heart of one who didn't pay close attention. Others, he said, are the ones sown on rocky ground, the ones who when they hear the word immediately receive it with joy, but they have no root in themselves. So they endure for a while then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruits, 30 fold and 60 fold and 100 fold. You see here though, you get a sense of how serious this is. God's word has the power to produce a vital, vibrant spiritual life in us. And that causes great transformation in our hearts and lives. God knows what a vibrant, really good life looks like. If that's something you, our listeners desire, then you need to pay attention to the divine word that makes the necessary changes in the human heart and mind. So the effectiveness of this word that is announced and publicly presented depends on our response to it. My dear listener, may I ask a personal question, what sort of soil are you? Are you paying attention to the heavenly word sown in your heart? How will you respond to this words? But let's see, shall we? What else Jesus presents to us as we talk about this seed that speaks indeed? He tells another parable, this time it's the parable of the lamp. Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed and not on a stand for nothing is hidden except to be made manifest nor is anything secret except to come to light if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. And he said to them, pay attention to what you hear with the measure you use, it will be measured to you and still more will be added to you for to the one who has more will be given and from the one who has not even what he has will be taken away. He's saying here, use it or lose it. That's a phrase we're pretty familiar with, isn't it? Use it or lose it. If we do not purposely tend to our own spiritual growth, well, it may well wither and die and leave us with no power, no assurance and no vital connection with God. If Jesus also emphasizes the need here to present this word, this seed, the lights of the word of God needs to be placed where it will shine and be seen by all. It's not meant to be kept hidden as Jesus preaches and proclaims the truth of God. So we also ought to promote the preaching of God's word. Also, you'll notice the passage says that we who have received much light will have to one day give an account to God for how much light we've given out. In other words, whoever has light will be given more light. Whoever does not have it, even what they think they will have will be taken from them. Some people think they've seen the light when they haven't. It's another way of saying it is, there is no way we can stay unaffected by the word of God. This seed speaks indeed. It speaks truth. And now it is our responsibility before God to receive it for ourselves and to help publish and spread abroad what we have heard. And this theme that we're getting used to now in this chapter of the seed, it continues here. Sewing seed is a reality of everyday life for those who are in agricultural society. And Jesus gets people's attention by talking about the things that they know about and can relate to. Everybody knew about planting and reaping. It was a common practice. Now notice that still in chapter four, we find yet another parable that's talking about seeds. Yeah, this seed speaks indeed, doesn't it? Verse 26. And he, Jesus, said the kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day and the seed sprouts and grows. He knows not how. The earth produces by itself first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe at once, he puts in the sickle because the harvest has come. Speaking of seed, notice here at the end of chapter four, Jesus says, this is verse 30. With what can we compare the kingdom of God? Or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed which when sewn on the ground is the smallest of all the seeds on earth yet. When it is sewn, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. You know, with many such parables, he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples, he explained everything. Now, let's just talk about this mustard seed that Jesus is talking about here for a moment. You know, the mustard seed is very, very small. You look at a little tiny seed and you don't think it's going to amount to much. In the same way, the divine word is similar to a seed. Some people look at the Bible at Jesus' words and at the message of the gospel and don't really think it's worth much. Many criticize the Bible, saying it's old-fashioned, it has no relevance anymore. But the divine word itself, the seed itself that comes from God has an inherent potential and will grow, just like a seed has potential to grow into an enormous plant that will beautify the world. And what matters here is how this little seed is received, according to what we read about the soil in the parable of the sower. This seed will grow. We don't have to defend the word of God. We just need to sow it. It'll defend itself. It'll cause faith to grow. It will accomplish God's purposes as it goes forth. By its own power, it finds room inside people's hearts where it will grow quietly, but surely. Here in the book of Mark, Jesus is going to mention many times actually this, I suppose you could call it a sort of secret aspect to his ministry. He purposefully hides certain things. Everything that Jesus does is public, but Jesus also could see mysterious. And people, you know, they didn't really understand what he was saying sometimes and why he was saying what he said. Even his own disciples appeared confused and lost at times. But like a plant grows silently day by day, the seed keeps growing slowly and quietly. In such a way that no one notices the extent of its power or potential, therefore this is how the word of God is spread. It begins very small and it began very small, didn't it, in the days of Jesus, being preached to the disciples. It was announced first to the Jews and then spread to other people all around the Mediterranean Sea. And then it kept growing and spreading throughout the world and has now reached every nation on earth because of its incredible power. And it continues to grow to this very hour. It is important, isn't it? I think that we think more seriously about this. If the word of God has such power, the seed that speaks indeed, if the seed has the power to change and transform our lives, then how will we respond to it? Will we help it grow? Will we water the soil with prayer? Will we allow this seed to grow in us to produce valuable character traits in our lives and to keep on producing good fruit into the future, even to the time of reaping? And what type of soil are we? Are we preparing the ground, cultivating our hearts to receive this seed? Listen attentively, be open to fully receive it. For this seed speaks indeed. (upbeat music) - Thank you for listening to Mission 66 with our teacher John's presentation of the parables in Mark Chapter 4. I'm Esther, and I'm wondering, John, why did Jesus explain the parables only to the inner circle disciples? I mean, wouldn't the wider audience have benefited from the explanations too? - Yeah, you can imagine the mester, can't you thinking? Well, I wouldn't mind a little bit of a wider explanation myself, but just remember that Jesus was presenting his parables to a large group of people from all corners, all shapes and sizes, enemies, as well as friends, and sure there were the disciples, those who loved him, and had by now devoted their lives to following him, and you could describe them as willing learners, but also listening, there were Pharisees who hated him and were only listening to try to catch him making a mistake, and then there were thousands of people in between, some leaning towards Jesus, some leaning against him. So it's a great question. Why doesn't Jesus tell the meaning of this parable or these parables to everybody? Well, he explains that the parables were designed so that the people who really wanted to know truth and wanted to learn from God would understand the parables. But as for the ones who didn't really want truth, the meaning was hidden from them. Like Isaiah said, there is have been closed so that hearing they will not understand. Some had already made up their minds that they were not going to believe in him, no matter what. Their hearts were already hardened, and these were the stony, rocky soil type people who just wouldn't understand the parable. But in that same crowd, there were also people who were really seeking truth and wanted to know God. Some of them desperately wanted to know God, whether they realized it or not, and they would be making this effort to try to understand and know more about it. To them, Jesus explained the details. To those who did not want to listen, really didn't want to listen deep down. Well, Jesus wasted no time explaining himself. You see, the gospel doesn't need to be sold with this special type of discount. We don't have to beg, please people. Oh, please, please listen. No, this is the word of God. And if we want to give ourselves the privilege of listening and paying attention, then, well, let's do it. But we don't need to be begging for people to attention. Jesus certainly didn't do that. And nobody should be forced either to believe the message of salvation if they don't want to listen. Hmm, well, John, you certainly have my attention. But I do need you to please explain more about the seed in these parables. Yeah, well, Esther, Jesus explained what the seed in these parable represents. And the seed is effectively the word of God. And a seed is planted and grows. What does it grow into here? Well, a huge tree. It is the message of the good news of the gospel. So this word, like a seed, will grow until the kingdom of God has reached the point that God wants it to reach. And it'll eventually establish complete sovereignty over earth and humanity. Now, this kingdom doesn't match up to many people's expectations because it doesn't appeal to their material and political minds. But to those who love the Lord, who desire to love the Lord, the seeds of faith grow in the hearts of individuals and individuals will make up the kingdom of God, which Jesus Himself came to earth to establish. Does this have anything to do with what Jesus called the secret of the kingdom in verse 11? What secret is this that's been given to us? Yeah, well, Esther, the kingdom of God does have a deep mystery to it. And we don't know everything. And in some ways, we know very little. And Jesus even said that there were some things that He couldn't tell the disciples because they were just not ready to hear it yet. It's not something that we can understand, you know, then down to every detail all in one sitting. And that's why the kingdom is presented here for something to be revealed bit by bit. It takes a baby 18 years, as we know, to grow to adulthood and it takes a seed years to grow into a tree. Now, Jesus starts to reveal this to His disciples in verse 11. On the one hand, Jesus was clearly proclaiming the power of God publicly. He heals the sick. He cast out demons. He preaches the word of God freely to the crowds on the mountains and in the boats by the sea. So that's all very public. But then on the other hand, the details of His mission as the Messiah, the Savior, are being revealed to the disciples little by little. They believed Him on different levels. And they believed more and more as they walked alongside with Him. And this just shows us the creative side of divine action. And also teaches us a lesson about how not to be intellectually proud and think that we know everything that there is to know. You know, some people read scripture and think, this, that is easy. This is simple, but it isn't. And the more we read scripture, the more that we go deeper and deeper, two things will happen. First, we do find out more and more about God, where we've come from, where we're going, and what we're supposed to be doing while we're here on earth. But at the same time, the more we realize how little we really understand. - Wow, you know, that feels like a sailor moment right there. It truly is a powerful word, John. But I have to tell you, I am curious about something that is mentioned in verse 24. It says, "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you." What does this mean? Is it another one of those secrets? - Yeah, you know Esther, it could refer to judging others, that when we judge another person, the same standard will then be applied to judge us. But I think here, the passage is talking about the light of truth that we receive. I'll say that again. The light of truth that we receive, it's our responsibility before God, that when his word is preached or comes to us in written form, we receive it and are accountable for what we then do with it. When we seek to understand and draw close to God, we'll be given more light of understanding. But remember, from those of us who've been given more, more will then be expected. - So the parable of the mustard seed said that it will grow and become a great tree with such big branches that the birds will perch in its shade. That's a beautiful analogy. But what do these birds represent? - And parables usually have one main point. And the main point here is not the birds, but that the small seed produces something large, vibrant and beneficial. Now the mustard tree found in Palestine, well, it can reach about three or four meters high. And that's certainly easily big enough to afford purchase for all sorts of birds. And that from a tiny little seed as well. So the lesson here is that faith that starts very small can grow into something very large, prominent and full of impact. And in the same way, the kingdom of God grows and expands just like that, all from tiny seeds of faith. And I don't think there's any specific meaning behind these birds other than perhaps maybe at some good and strong picture language. - Well, thanks for giving us some understanding on this, John. I really think that today was a great study. There's a lot for us to think about. Real quick though, chapter four ends with Jesus calming the storm. And we've already seen this account in our study of Matthew. Maybe you can incorporate into our summarization of what we've learned today. - Yeah, absolutely Esther. You know, as we heard about in our series in Matthew, the disciples there, they were, they were caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee. And they were in real danger of sinking. And Jesus was there sleeping in the stern. When they cried out, "Help." Jesus got up, he rebuked the wind and the waves, and the storm immediately stopped, and the sea grew calm. And the disciples now were terrified saying to each other, "Who is this in the midst of the boat with us, even the wind and the waves obey him?" Our theme today then was this seed speaks indeed. The same voice that commanded the winds and the waves also spoke the truth in this parable of the seeds. The seed only grows in good soil. And the secrets of the kingdom of heaven are only revealed to people with good soil, the ones who are willing to listen and obey. See, even the forces of nature listen to Jesus and obey. What about us? [music] Well, friend, that's what we have for today. I'm Esther, and on behalf of our teacher, John, thank you for your company, and I hope to have you here with us next time as we continue on another sensational study on Mission 66. Has God used today's program in your life? Then you'll want to receive the free study guide of the gospels that we've prepared. You can get it right away by downloading it at mission66.org. Review what you've heard on our series in the gospels and have the guide handy for the next program. Visit mission66.org and download your free study guide of the gospels. At mission66.org, you can also leave a comment or make a donation to help this listener-supported ministry. Thank you for helping Mission 66 continue here and around the world. Pick up your study guide of the gospels at mission66.org. Mission 66 is a Ministry of Transworld Radio. I'm Rob Daphsey. [BLANK_AUDIO]