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Mark Chapter Four

 

I. Content of the Chapter

 

The Parable of the Kingdom of God and the Living Example

A.   The parable of sowing the seed (v.1-9);

B.   The reason why the Lord used the parable and the importance of understanding this parable (v.10-13);

C.   The explanation for the parable of sowing the seed (v.14-20);

D.   The parable of the lamp and the measure (v.21-25);

E.   The parable of the seed which grows and yields the full grain (v.26-29);

F.    The parable of the mustard seed (v.30-32);

G.   Without a parable Jesus did not speak to the people (v.33-34);

H.   The living example of calming the wind and the sea (v.35-41);

 

II. Verse by Verse commentary

 

Mark. 4:1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.

YLT: “And again he began to teach by the sea, and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he, having gone into the boat, sat in the sea, and all the multitude was near the sea, on the land,”

Meaning of Words: “teach”: instruct; “gather”: collect, assemble;

Literal Meaning: “sit”, it was a habitual gesture of the Jewish rabbis when they were teaching others (see Matt.13:3).

Spiritual Meaning: “sea” was vast and symbolized the Gentile world (Dan. 7:3, 17). “A great multitude”, they were the people of Israel, who apparently sought the Lord but were hardened in their hearts in fact (see v.14-15; Rom.11:25). Therefore, they stood for the confessing Christians ---- who desired the blessing of the Lord only, but would not keep the Lord’s teachings. “Boat” was in the sea but was separated from the sea, so it symbolized the assembly. “The shore” was the place near to the boat but was not in the boat.

  This verse indicated that the Lord had came out of Israel and turned to the nations because of the Israel’s rejection of the Lord.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Though the Lord is a Jew, He is the Savior of all men (1Tim. 4:10).

2)    There are hundreds of millions men who haven’t been saved in the world (sea) and are living an aimless and self-indulgent life. We should have the burden to help them.

3)    The Lord is in the “boat” ---- the assembly. If we want to seek Him, we have to come to the assembly.

4)    We should not learn from the “great multitudes” who followed or pressed on Him only, but learn from the women who stretched out her hand to touch Him (Mark. 5:24-34), thus drawing grace from the Lord through the hand of faith.

5)    The Lord’s works had both the aspect of “doing” as well as the aspect of “speaking”. What He had done was just to meet the very demand of men and solve their problems. All that He had spoken were messages of life (the majority of this chapter were the matters concerning the seed of life).

6)    The Lord had no formality or ostentation in His work at that time, as what He Himself said that “as you go, preach” (see Matt. 10:7) ---- “and again He began to teach by the sea”. Moreover, He flexibly used local materials in His preaching instead of using the stiff regulations or letters ---- took the matters in the daily life as the materials, such as sowing seeds, lightening lamps and etc.

 

Mark. 4:2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:

YLT: “and he taught them many things in similes, and he said to them in his teaching:”

Meaning of Words: “parables”: illustrations, and samples;

Literal Meaning: “He taught them many things by parables”, “parable” is a way to express profound truth with things everyone is familiar with. If the parables are not opened, men will still linger in their vague ideas. It is not helpful to those who do not truly seek the Lord if they have vague idea concerning the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.

 

Mark. 4:3 "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

YLT: “`Hearken, lo, the sower went forth to sow;”

Literal Meaning: “Listen! Behold”, the Lord called the hearers to pay attention to the teachings in the parables.

Spiritual Meaning: “a sower went out to sow”, “a sower” referred to the Lord Himself. “Seed” was God’s words, especially the words of the kingdom of God (see v.11,14). Seed has life and can grow, showing that the kingdom of heaven is a matter of life. Seed has to grow in the field and the field is men’s heart (See v.15,17).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    We are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by living and abiding word of God (1Pet. 1:23).

2)    There is life in the Lord’s word and the life will grow. However the word of the Lord profits us only if it is mixed with faith in those who heard (See Heb. 4:2).

 

Mark. 4:4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.

YLT: “and it came to pass, in the sowing, some fell by the way, and the fowls of the heaven did come and devour it;”

Spiritual Meaning: “way” is the place where men communicate with each other. “Wayside” symbolizes the heart that communicates with and receives worldly things randomly. “The birds” symbolize the wicked one (See v.15), i.e. Satan.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Men’s “hearts” are the battlefield of God and Satan. The reason why men do not receive the Lord is that the devil has blinded the thoughts of the unbelieving (2Cor. 4:4).

2)    The hearts of “wayside” have received various kinds of concepts. Those preconceived ideas weaken the effect of God’s words in their hearts.

3)    If our hearts are busy communicating with thousands of persons and things all the day, there will be no room for the word of God in our hearts. Even if we hear the word of God, it is still in vain.

4)    The hearts of “wayside” are also hearts that are hardened. Since there is no stamping ground for the “word”, the word will be taken.

 

Mark. 4:5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.

YLT: “and other fell upon the rocky ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang forth, because of not having depth of earth,”

Literal Meaning: “stony places” are not lands full of small stones but lands on the rocky ground with a layer of unfertile soil.

Spiritual Meaning: “stony places” are the lands that have not been ploughed, symbolizing the heart of men who live by natural love and whose depth of heart has not been dealt with. Therefore their heart is still as hard as stony hearts (see Ezek. 36:26).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    We should take root downward and bear fruit upward (Is. 37:31). If we want the word of God to take effect in us, we have to let the word of the Lord be rooted and founded in our hearts.

2)    We must let the Lord remove the hardness of our hearts (“stony places”) and then the word of the Lord will be rooted and developed in our hearts.

3)    If one does not deal with any hidden sin or lust of the flesh, it will make his heart hardened as “stones” so that there will be no room for the word of God to grow in his heart.

4)    “They immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.” It is easy to go out for those who do not let the word of God root deeply in them. Many people love to show off for they haven’t deeply touched the Lord.

5)    If Satan can not completely rob the word of life from men (see v.3) to make them totally forget the word, it will make men linger in the “superficial” condition and do not seek deeper after men have received the word.

 

Mark. 4:6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.

YLT: “and the sun having risen, it was scorched, and because of not having root it did wither;”

Meaning of Words: “scorched”: burned;

Literal Meaning: “no root”, or “the root is not complete” so that it is unable to absorb sufficient water.

Spiritual Meaning: “the sun” symbolizes tribulations and persecutions (see v.17).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Only those who do not fear to pay price for the word of God are able to partake in the kingdom of heaven.

2)    Every one who is afraid to take cross has not rooted in depth (“no root”). Every one who stands in the Lord has gone through hardships (“was scorched by the sun”).

3)    “Root” is unseen. “Have no root” means lacking the unseen or hidden part. The difficulty of many believers is that ---- though they have the obvious life, they lack the hidden life.

4)    To those who have root, the scorch of the sun (difficult circumstances) will help them to grow. To those who have no root, when the sun is up they are scorched and they will wither away.

5)    Many people receive the Lord’s word with their emotion. The moment they hear the word of the Lord, they receive it with joy (see v.16) yet without any cautious thinking. Such man is not reliable.

6)    Christians who are swayed by their emotion are easy to be satisfied and also to get hungry. They are easy to be joyful and also to be sad. They are easy to be fervent and also to be indifferent.

7)    We Christians’ life should not be “superficial”. We should not have only the open life before men, but also have the hidden life before God.

8)    The cross does not only separate sinners ---- whoever is saved, or whoever will perish. Besides, it also separates believers ---- whoever is overcomer, or whoever will lose.

 

Mark. 4:7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.

YLT: “and other fell toward the thorns, and the thorns did come up, and choke it, and fruit it gave not;”

Meaning of Words: “choke”: crowd, drown, throng;

Literal Meaning: “the thorns grew up and choked it”, it means that the necessary space for plants to grow is deprived by the thrones so that the plants cannot receive their necessary sunlight and nutriment.

Spiritual Meaning: “thorns”, they were yielded after God cursed the earth because of man’s falling (Gen. 3:17-18), which symbolized things out of natural life, including the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and lust of other things (see v.19).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    If the devil can not tumble a believer with persecution, it will choke him by deceitfulness and delusions, making him maintain his life only without bearing any fruit.

2)    We can not love the world and God’s word together in our heart. The double-minded believers are unable to be perfected unto maturity.

3)    The heart of “thorns” has never been dealt with. On one hand it is not favorable for the growth of God’s words. On the other, it may easily hurt others.

4)    Thorns are able to grow without men’s sowing. Men need not to be taught to covet, or be anxious, or commit sins ---- all these are inborn.

5)    What really matters is whether men have enough room for the working of God’s word in their hearts. Some are free outwardly but are choked in their hearts. Some are restrained outwardly but are broad inwardly.

6)    Satan often mixes something that is neither life nor of Christ into the life of Christ in order to prevent Christ’s life in us from growing freely or from gaining necessary status.

 

Mark. 4:8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

YLT: “and other fell to the good ground, and was giving fruit, coming up and increasing, and it bare, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one an hundred.'”

Meaning of Words: “increase”: grow, enlarge; “produce”: bear, bring (forth), rushing;

Literal Meaning: “but others fell on good ground and yielded a crop”, “good ground”, it means that such ground has few (or even not) the previous three states (v.4-7). Good ground enables God’s word to root deeply in men’s hearts and there is enough room for God’s word to increase and bear fruit.

  “Some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty”, even though men have right heart, there are still differences in their capacity (see 1Cor.15:41). However, one men’s part, we have responsibilities that we should take. The more “self” has been dealt with, the more natural part will be decreased and the more folds of fruit will we bear.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Three kinds of ground among the previous four ones are not good and only the last one is good ground that is able to bear full fruit by the Lord. The way to attain fullness is straitened ---- the gate is always narrow and they are few who find it (Matt. 7:13-14).

2)    What is primary in the kingdom of heaven is man’s heart. It is impossible to reach fullness if one’s heart is wrong. Therefore we should keep our hearts more than anything that is guarded (Prov. 4:23). 

3)    One’s heart belongs to the man himself. To be what kind of man is totally depended on what kind of man he desires to be, even God cannot force him.

4)    The Lord values not only whether we have life but also whether we have borne fruit and the condition of our bearing fruit.

5)    God purges and deals with us by the cross ---- this is the condition for us to bring forth more fruit (John. 15:2).

 

Mark. 4:9 And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

YLT: “And he said to them, `He who is having ears to hear -- let him hear.'”

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The Lord’s word is open to all, however the carnal Christians can not understand the Lord’s word and only the spiritual Christians can hear (see 1Cor. 2:13-14).

2)    The kingdom of heaven originates from the word of God and the beginning of all the works of God also starts from His word (Gen. 1:3, Heb. 1:1-3). Since God has treated us with grace to give us the spiritual ears, we should listen carefully (Matt. 11:15, Rev. 2:7 and etc).

 

Mark. 4:10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.

YLT: “And when he was alone, those about him, with the twelve, did ask him of the simile,”

Meaning of Words: “around”: near, circumstance, about;

Literal Meaning: “disciples” refer to the group of men who are trained by the Lord to enter into the kingdom of heaven and to be His people.

“Asked Him about the parable”, there are two functions of “the parable”:

1.        To those who do not seek the Lord with their hearts, it is a punishment for them ---- seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand (see v.13-14).

2.        To those who seek the Lord with their hearts, it is encouragement for them to remember easily, listen carefully and ask at all moments (see v.36, 51).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    There are many hearers of the word (v.1), but few ones that really understand the word. It is vain that hearing one may hear and but not perceive.

2)    If one desires to understand the word, one shall privately come to the Lord and have close fellowship with the Lord and obtain explanation from Him when “He is alone”.

3)    If believers want to perceive the mystery of the kingdom of heaven, they shall not only “hear” the Lord’s word “by the sea (v.1)”, but also go into the house with the Lord (see Matt. 13:36) and “ask” Him.

4)    In order to enjoy the Lord’s word, believers shall not only “hear” the Lord’s word, but also “ask” the Lord about His word ---- seek the word and learn the word.

 

Mark. 4:11 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,

YLT: “and he said to them, `To you it hath been given to know the secret of the reign of God, but to those who are without, in similes are all the things done;”

Meaning of Words: “mystery”: secret, hidden thing; “outside”: forth, outward;

Literal Meaning: “the kingdom of God” is called “the kingdom of heaven” in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt.13:11), and is called “the kingdom of God” in both the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke. In a broadly sense, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are a pair of synonyms. And in a narrow sense, the kingdom of heaven is a part of the kingdom of God, that is to say, the latter one includes the former one. The kingdom of God started from the past eternity to the eternity in the future. And the kingdom of heaven was counted from the beginning of the age of grace to the end of the kingdom of a thousand years.

  The mystery of God only reveals to those who desire to live in. Since others have neither part nor lot in the kingdom of God, there is no need for them to know.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    All spiritual and heavenly things are mysteries, e.g. the Lord’s presence, guidance, and words. Only believers know them, and all the unbelievers do not know them.

2)    Only those who really desire to live in the kingdom of heaven can understand the mystery of the kingdom of heaven, for it is unprofitable for those who do not really desire to live in the kingdom of heaven to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven.

3)    Only those who have life experience in the Lord are able to understand the Lord’s word, for the Lord’s word is about the things of the kingdom of God. If a man wants to understand things concerning the kingdom of “men”, he needs the mature life of man. Likewise, if a believer desires to understand things relating to the kingdom of “God”, he has to seek and gain the grown life of God (1Cor. 2:14).

 

Mark. 4:12 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."'

YLT: “that seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand, lest they may turn, and the sins may be forgiven them.'”

Meaning of Words: “perceive”: seem know, understand; “understand”: consider, be wise; “lest”: if ever; “turn”: come again, convert;

Literal Meaning: “so that "Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand”, for natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, and he cannot know (1Cor.2:14).

  Such unbelievers’ eyes are blind, ears are deaf, and hearts are dull towards spiritual things ---- this is because their thoughts have been blinded by the god of this world (2Cor. 4:4).

  “Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them."'” ---- God does not fear men repent and turn to Him, but men turn from one good thing to another better and more spiritual thing and yet lay God aside.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Without vision, one can neither know spiritual things nor hear the Lord’s voice through their natural comprehension only.

2)    Spiritual things seem to be nothing to those who do not seek the Lord with their hearts. It is of no effect even if they have heard.

3)    Men’s merits, advantages, self-righteousness and self-complacency may sometimes prevent men from receiving the grace of God.

 

Mark. 4:13 And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

YLT: “And he saith to them, `Have ye not known this simile? and how shall ye know all the similes?”

Meaning of Words: “understand (the first one)”: see, know; “understand (the second one)”: perceive;

Literal Meaning: the real content of the kingdom of God originates from sowing seeds. Therefore, the parable of sowing seeds is rather important for men to know the mystery of God.

  “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” ---- It means that if men do not understand this parable of sowing seeds, he will never know any other parable.

  Note that the first “understand” refers to men’s inward subjective understanding, and the second “understand” is the outward objective knowledge.

 

Mark. 4:14 The sower sows the word.

YLT: “He who is sowing doth sow the word;”

Meaning of Words: “word”: utterance, speech;

 

Mark. 4:15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

YLT: “and these are they by the way where the word is sown: and whenever they may hear, immediately cometh the Adversary, and he taketh away the word that hath been sown in their hearts.”

Meaning of Words: “take away”: remove, carry;

Literal Meaning: if our hearts are willing to receive too many worldly persons and things (see the notes in verse 4), we cannot keep God’s word in our hearts to ponder (Luke.2:19) so that we can not understand the word. And then it is easy for the devil to snatch away the word that we have heard.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    “The heart of the wayside” is the heart of evil communications (1Cor. 15:33). It desires everything and loves everything. Such heart is so mixed and disordered that God’s word is unable to be kept in them.

2)    “The heart of the wayside” does not desire to receive God’s word at all. Though such man has heard, he has not taken it precious. Once the wicked one slightly provokes, he will disregard the Lord’s word.

 

Mark. 4:16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

YLT: “`And these are they, in like manner, who on the rocky ground are sown: who, whenever they may hear the word, immediately with joy do receive it,”

Meaning of Words: “receive”: take, attain;

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Natural man is rather superficial and is thrall to passions. As long as something takes his fancy, he will immediately “receive it with joy”. His reaction towards the Lord’s word is quick but cannot endure long.

2)    Those who act impetuously only love to hear good word but do not like to pay any price for the word. They are hearers of the word, but not doers.

3)    “The hearts of stony places” are easily to be touched by the Lord’s word in Spiritual Revival Gatherings. However they are both easily to be fervent and to be apathetic.

 

Mark. 4:17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.

YLT: “and have not root in themselves, but are temporary; afterward tribulation or persecution having come because of the word, immediately they are stumbled.”

Meaning of Words: “for a time”: temporary; “tribulation”: trouble, sufferings; “stumble”: trip up, offend;

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Through many tribulations, we must enter into the kingdom of God (Acts. 14:22).

2)    To those who root deeply in the Lord, tribulations will help them to grow up and become spiritually mature. However those who are superficial without root will collapse at the first blow. 

3)    “The hearts of stony places” want to gain heavenly blessings but fear worldly hardships. Even though they want to gain heavenly things, they are afraid of losing earthly things and consequently they hang in the air like Judah (Matt. 27:5).

4)    “The heart of stony places” may be called “half heart” ---- on one hand, such men receive with gladness (see v.16), and on the other, they are unwilling to pay any price for tribulations ---- they only want to “gain” instead of “giving”. That’s why they must have neither part nor lot in the kingdom of God.

5)    “When tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake”, it indicates that tribulations will be raised after one has received the word of God. It is hard to avoid being offended for any one who believes the faith for the sake of peace and material benefits.

6)    “Immediately receive it with gladness” (v.16), “immediately they stumble”, “immediate” reaction may not be good ---- fast believing, fast stumbling. One shall carefully study and search when hearing God’s word (see Acts17:11; 1The.5:20-21).

 

Mark. 4:18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,

YLT: “`And these are they who toward the thorns are sown: these are they who are hearing the word,”

 

Mark. 4:19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

YLT: “and the anxieties of this age, and the deceitfulness of the riches, and the desires concerning the other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.”;

Meaning of Words: “cares”: solicitude, concerns; “deceitfulness”: delusion; “desires”: lusts, longing;

Literal Meaning: concerning those whose hearts are full of various cares, deceitfulness and lusts, though God’s word grows in their hearts, their fleshly lusts are always against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17, 1Pet. 2:11) and there is no enough room and position (“choke”) for the word, so they become “unfruitful”. “Unfruitful” means that the effect of God’s word cannot be fully manifested (see Heb. 4:12), i.e. it cannot bear fruit of life (see Matt. 7:16-20).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    When the lust comes, there will bring about the consequences as follows: (a) it produces various cares and deceitfulness; (b) it obstructs the word of God from yielding effects in men (choke); (c) it makes life immature (unfruitful).

2)    What the Lord cares is not whether you have received the life of God, but whether the life you have received from God has borne fruit. Though there are blades in the cornfield, if it does not bear fruit, the owner of the cornfield will gain nothing.

3)    What most hinders the bearing fruit of God’s life is cares and deceitfulness in men’s hearts, for they make us not abide in the Lord and be out of line with the Lord’s words. And of course, we are unable to bear fruit (see John. 15:4-8).

4)    The Lord does not say committing sins makes us bear no fruit, but cares make us bear no fruit. Though money is not sin, it can encumber Christians and make us not grow well.

5)    A man cannot spin and reel at the same time. If a man wants the Lord’s word bear fruit, he shall take his full heart towards the word ---- we believers should love God and God’s word with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our understanding (Matt.22:37).

 

Mark. 4:20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

YLT: “`And these are they who on the good ground have been sown: who do hear the word, and receive, and do bear fruit, one thirty-fold, and one sixty, and one an hundred.'”

Literal Meaning: “bears fruit”, it means that one does the word that he has heard and understood (Matt.7:24; James.1:22-25), i.e. let the word of God be manifested in us.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The seeds are the same but the fruit is different. The effect of the Lord’s word differs from a hundredfold, sixty and thirty is the same, for the degree that men receive the Lord’s words is different. The more one’s heart is open to God, the more easily the Lord’s word will take effect.

2)    A man can completely decide what kind of land he will be and nobody can force him. Whether one bears fruit and how much one bears fruit totally depend on him. One has only himself to blame, and can never blame that God has not given His grace.

3)    The spiritual life can only bear fruit through spiritual revelation and vision. In other words, we have to grow up fully first and have our senses exercised for distinguishing both good and evil (Heb. 5:14) and then bear fruit of righteousness (Pill. 1:10-11). 

 

Mark. 4:21 Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?

YLT: “And he said to them, `Doth the lamp come that under the measure it may be put, or under the couch -- not that it may be put on the lamp-stand?”

Literal Meaning: “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?”, here, it means the lamplight should not be hidden.

  “Be set on a lampstand”, it indicates that the lamp should be set on a clear position to illuminate the surrounding places.

Spiritual Meaning: “be put under a basket”, “basket” is a kind of measure made by wood and used to measure grain, so it symbolizes the cares of life. “Bed” symbolizes the coziness of life. That the lamp is put under a basket shows that believers are obsessed by the cares of life (being busy making a living). “Under a bed”, it means being occupied by the enjoyment of life (seek the coziness of life) so that the light is overshadowed.

“Set on a lampstand”, “lampstand”, the proper utensil to put lamp, symbolizes the life of bearing witness of the Lord.

The writer of the Gospel of Mark inserted the paragraph from verse 21 to verse 25 between the two parables of sowing the seeds, indicating that the Lord’s word is light ---- once we have received it, we shall not hide it.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The spiritual light in us may often be eclipsed by both the enjoyment of life ---- “basket” and the fleshly coziness ---- “bed”. Therefore, we shall usually live in the church ---- “on a lampstand”, we will have light.

2)    The enlightenment that we have received from the Lord’s word may be covered under the basket or bed so that we can not shine because of our life cares and enjoyment.

3)    Our life attitude ---- whether we live for the Lord or ourselves (see Rom.14:7-8) ---- has decisive influence on whether the light will be manifested or hidden.

4)    If we want to shine for the Lord in order to shine men around us, we have to overcome the cares of life (Matt. 6:24-34).

5)    The lamp shines, for the oil is lighted up. “Oil” refers to the indwelling Holy Spirit. If we want to shine, we have to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).

6)    Everything that can prevent the Lord shining from us is the “basket and bed”. Everything besides the Lord, even the best thing, may turn to be the “basket and bed” that hide the light.

7)    The light of Christians not only changes the outside way of men, but also affects their inner heart.

8)    If we want to see whether a man is spiritual or not, we have not to see how he acts in the gathering, but see how he acts in his family life.

 

Mark. 4:22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.

YLT: “for there is not anything hid that may not be manifested, nor was anything kept hid but that it may come to light.”

Meaning of Words: “keep secret”: hide, cover; “reveal”: appear, manifest; “come to light”: appear, bring to light (which enjoys the same etymon with the word “reveal”);

Literal Meaning: there are several kinds of explanations for this verse: (1) the mystery of the kingdom of God is temporarily hidden and covered to common people, but will be revealed finally. (2) The word that we have received from the Lord is the light of life (see v.21; John 6:63; 8:12) that can neither “hide nor “cover”. (3) If Christians are unwilling to preach the word of the kingdom of God, God will raise others to preach it. (4) The sin of Christians’ hiding the true light cannot be covered before God in the future.

 

Mark. 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."

 

YLT: “If any hath ears to hear -- let him hear.'”

Literal Meaning: “ear” is an important organ of receiving the word of God’s kingdom. We should first “hear” the word of God and then it will produce its effect in our “heart”.

 

Mark. 4:24 Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.

YLT: “And he said to them, `Take heed what ye hear; in what measure ye measure, it shall be measured to you; and to you who hear it shall be added;”

Meaning of Words: “take heed”: look at, be care of; “measure”: allot by rule, estimate;

Literal Meaning: “With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you”, “measure” is a kind of container used to measure food. Here, it is applied to refer to the attitude, motivation and manner toward men as well as the degree of these conditions.

Spiritual Meaning: “With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you”, it has two meanings: (a) how we teach the mystery of the kingdom of God that we have received to others, God will also reveal more mystery of the kingdom of God to us. (b) How we measure the word of God (namely, our attitude toward the God’s word), God will likewise give us with the same measure (it indicates that the fullness of the revelation given by God will be more than the willingness of our heart and the capacity to receive.)

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    “Selfishness” is a common fault of man in the world. However, we believers are willing to share what we have received without any “hiding part”.

2)    One shall not hide any enlightenment from the word of God for his own spiritual benefits, but shall supply others with what he have received without any reservation or condition.

3)    The less the worldly things one can give, the more the spiritual things one will give.

4)    The more one gives, the more he will receive. The less one gives, the less he will receive. It is an unchangeable principle. With a great measure with which you mete, it shall be measured to you greatly (Luke. 6:38).

5)    The word of God is given to everyone according to his capacity. Moreover, God will give more to those who have large capacity.

6)    How much revelation shall God give us is totally decided by our receiving measure. God will give us just the measure that we can exactly receive.

 

Mark. 4:25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

YLT: “for whoever may have, there shall be given to him, and whoever hath not, also that which he hath shall be taken from him.'”

Spiritual Meaning: all those who have a right heart and have an understanding of the truth will receive more continually. However, all those whose mind has not opened have only a vague idea of the truth, so even what they think they have understood will also be empty.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    This verse shows the principle of the pursuit of spiritual things. The more you truly desire, the more you will be given. Otherwise, even what you have before shall be taken from you (see Matt. 25:29).

2)    The more understanding of truth one has, the more will he seek. And the more one seeks the truth, the more will he understand and receive the truth. In addition, if one has no reaction to the truth he has received and does not cherish it, he will receive nothing from the truth he has received.

3)    The more one uses his spiritual gifts, the more gifts he will be given. However, if he is slothful and seldom uses the gifts, what he has before will also be taken.

 

Mark. 4:26 And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,

YLT: “And he said, `Thus is the reign of God: as if a man may cast the seed on the earth,”

Meaning of Words: “ground”: soil, land;

Spiritual Meaning: “man” refers to the Lord Jesus. “Seed” refers to God’s word, especially the word of the kingdom of God (see v.14). Seed has life and is able to grow, which indicates that the kingdom of God is in the realm of life. The “ground” refers to men’s heart as well as the world where men dwell. The kingdom of God was started when the Lord Jesus sowed the seed of life into believers (see 1John 3:9; 1Peter 1:23).

 

Mark. 4:27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.

YLT: “and may sleep, and may rise night and day, and the seed spring up and grow, he hath not known how;”

Spiritual Meaning: “he himself does not know how”, it does not mean the Lord Jesus does not know how His word produce the effect in men’s heart, but that the principle of the growth of life is created by God and man can not fully understand it.

  The parable of sowing seed from verse 3 to verse 8 shows that men’s heart plays such an important role in the growth of the seed. And the parable of sowing seed from verse 26 to verse 29 indicates that the growth of seed is completely decided by the power of God.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    He who sows the seed does not know how the seed should sprout and grow. The worker of the Lord should only preach the word of God without worry, for the word of God itself will have effect in man’s heart.

2)    Man plants and waters, but God gives the increase (1Cor.3:6-7).

 

Mark. 4:28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.

YLT: “for of itself doth the earth bear fruit, first a blade, afterwards an ear, afterwards full corn in the ear;”

Meaning of Words: “by itself”: spontaneous, of own accord; “full”: covered over, complete;

Spiritual Meaning: “for the earth yields crops by itself”, it indicates that “God’s word” itself has the power of life and it will grow in the normal heart (ground) of men.

  “First the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head”, it shows that the growth of “God’s word” in men’s heart has certain process and is according to some order and it will increase unto ripeness after some days.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    For every purpose there is time and manner (Eccl. 8:6).

2)    If we have good heart (ground), God’s word will surely have the life effect in us. If we have not increased, the problem does not lie in God’s word, but in our heart.

3)    The growth of Christians’ life cannot be grown in one day, so we have to focus our effort on this matter before God and dwell in the Lord so that the life will increase gradually.

 

Mark. 4:29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

YLT: “and whenever the fruit may yield itself, immediately he doth send forth the sickle, because the harvest hath come.'”

Spiritual Meaning: it will be the “harvest” time when the end of the world comes. God will send the angel to harvest on the earth (see Matt.13:39; Rev.14:15-16) and those are ripe will be brought together into God’s granary (Matt. 13:30), and thus they are taking part in the fulfillment of God’ kingdom.

Enlightenment in the Word: the real service unto Christ is out of the sovereignty of the living God ---- “of itself” (see v.28), but not of any artificiality ---- “he himself does not know how” (see v.27). We shall “sow the seed” diligently and harvest “when the harvest has come” and entrust the process of growth totally to the hand of God.

 

Mark. 4:30 Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?

YLT: “And he said, `To what may we liken the reign of God, or in what simile may we compare it?”

Meaning of Words: “like”: as; “picture”: reach a place, arrive;

 

Mark. 4:31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth;

YLT: “As a grain of mustard, which, whenever it may be sown on the earth, is less than any of the seeds that are on the earth;”

Meaning of Words: “like”: in that manner (which is the different word from the previous verse);

Literal Meaning: “the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed”, the Lord does not mean that the kingdom of heaven is like “a mustard seed”, but like the whole parable from v.31 to v.32.

Spiritual Meaning: the word of the Lord here implies that:

    1) The nature of the kingdom of God is life and is characterized by being able to grow.

  2) The kingdom of heaven is like herbs on the earth and it is temporary. It will be harvested after is has grown up.

      3) The word of the kingdom of God is for men as bread instead of other uses.

      4) The kingdom of God is as small as the mustard seed and therefore the sons of the kingdom of heaven are little flock (Luke. 12:32).

  “Sowed in his field”, the beginning of the kingdom of God is the Lord Himself (“a man”) who sowed His word as seed (“the mustard seed”) into the world (“his field”).

 

Mark. 4:32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

YLT: “and whenever it may be sown, it cometh up, and doth become greater than any of the herbs, and doth make great branches, so that under its shade the fowls of the heaven are able to rest.'”

The Background: there is a kind of mustard tree in the Middle East. Its seed is very small but it can grow up into a big tree of three or four meters in which birds come and rest.

Spiritual Meaning: “but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and shoots out large branches”, “shoots out large branches”, it is not the will of the Lord but the result of the enemy’s destruction. Here it shows the accidental development of the kingdom of God, and its features are as below:

1) The kingdom of God becomes tall and wide and draws men’s attention and respect and also gives men protection.

2) It takes root deeply into the land, unties with the world closely and plans to stay on earth long.

3) It can never be taken as food like herbs, which has lost its function of the spiritual provision.

“The birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” ---- “The birds of the air” are Satan (see v.4, 15) and its angels (Eph. 6:12). “Branches” refer to the organizations of Christianity. It shows that the excessive development of the appearance of the kingdom of God draws the devil to hide itself in and many evil persons and things nest in the organizations of Christianity later.

Some Bible exegetes explained “shooting out large branches” as that the kingdom of God was as insignificant as the mustard seed. After grown up, it would be large and be spread all over the world. “The birds of the air” refer to the Gentile nations. “Nest in its branches”, it means that people of all nations partake in the kingdom of God and have rest in it. This positive explanation about the ideal of the kingdom of God conflicts with the Lord’s explanation that “birds of the air” is “the wicked one” (see v.4, 15). Moreover, the birds are not a part of the kingdom of God, so we can only take it as a matter whose nature is different from that of the kingdom of God. Therefore, a proper explanation is that it refers to the abnormal development of the kingdom of God on the earth. Since the Constantine carried on the policy of the unification of the state and the church, the appearance of the kingdom of God became rather enormous so that the evil one took the chance to enter into the church on the earth and dwelt in it (Rev. 2:13).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    It is not a good thing of the excessive development of the appearance of the assembly, for it may easily bring in the hide of the enemy (“the birds of the air”). The assembly should keep its identity of “little flock” on the earth (Luke. 12:32). 

2)    The secret of overcoming is to keep our position given by the Lord and be willing to be humble. God used Saul when he thought himself as the smallest. God found David when Saul was proud later (1Sam. 9:21, 16:1).

3)    If we puff up and pretend to be great and to be spiritual though we are not so in fact, we just consequently give room to the devil.

 

Mark. 4:33 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.

YLT: “And with many such similes he was speaking to them the word, as they were able to hear,”

Literal Meaning: “as they were able to hear it”, it refers to men’s attitude of receiving the “word” as well as the perceptive condition.

Enlightenment in the Word: when the Lord’s workers preach the Lord’s words, they should preach according to the hearers’ perceptive condition and ability. Therefore, they should try to know the conditions of the hearers before preaching the Lord’s words.

 

Mark. 4:34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

YLT: “and without a simile he was not speaking to them, and by themselves, to his disciples he was expounding all.”

Meaning of Words: “speak”: preach, say; “explain”: solve further, expound;

 

Mark. 4:35 On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."

YLT: “And he saith to them on that day, evening having come, `We may pass over to the other side;'”

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    If we work for the Lord, we should not be seized by the work itself. We shall not be reluctant to “cross over to the other side” and leave the crowed for the sake of the great efficacious work or the great number of man that we have gained.

2)    We believers today are also sojourners in the world and are crossing over to the other side ---- the better and heavenly city (Heb. 11:13, 16).

3)    That we follow the Lord is not though our own strength to “swim over to the other side”, but through the status of being in the “boat” of grace to “cross over to the other side”.

4)    Since the Lord has said that “let us cross over to the other side”, He will surely take the responsibility of His own words. The faith of Christians is catching the Lord’s words. Once the Lord “has said” that let us cross over to the other side, we should “believe” that we will surely cross over to the other side.

5)    The Lord said that “let us cross over to the other side”, not “drive down to the sea bottom”. Since we have the sure words of the Lord, we will never sink in the sea bottom even though the wind is strong and the wave is fierce.

 

Mark. 4:36 Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.

YLT: “and having let away the multitude, they take him up as he was in the boat, and other little boats also were with him.”

Spiritual Meaning: “boat” in the Bible symbolizes the assembly; “sea” symbolizes the world. Though the boat is in sea, it is separated from the sea. Though the assembly sojourns in the world, it is separated from the world. There was only the Lord and His disciples on the boat. That is to say, the Lord and those who are of Him make up the so-called assembly.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The Lord and disciples are the key elements of making up the assembly and both of them are indispensable. If there is the Lord without the disciples, the assembly will not exist on earth. If there are only disciples without the Lord, the assembly will have neither content nor reality.

2)    When we follow the Lord, the most important thing is whether the Lord is on the boat. It will be a big problem if the Lord is not on our boat.

 

Mark. 4:37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.

YLT: “And there cometh a great storm of wind, and the waves were beating on the boat, so that it is now being filled,”

Meaning of Words: “great”: big, exceedingly; “tempest”: disturbance, shake, waver;

The Background: the Sea of Galilee was often surging because of the sudden tempestuous storm. The fierce wind attacked the valley of Jordan River from the north, and would speed up when it was blowing through the valley. When the stormy wind arrived at the offing, the billowing offing would make the boats on the sea rather dangerous.

 

Mark. 4:38 But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"

YLT: “and he himself was upon the stern, upon the pillow sleeping, and they wake him up, and say to him, `Teacher, art thou not caring that we perish?'”

Spiritual Meaning: “asleep on a pillow”, it symbolized that the Lord seemed to pay little attention to the disciples’ difficulty. “They awoke Him”, it referred to the disciples prayers.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The assembly, in the world, is always attacked by the outside circumstances. Sometimes, the circumstance is so terrible that even the Lord’s presence seems to be lost (“He was asleep”).

2)    As long as we have the presence of the Lord, no matter it is openly (He is awake) or secretly (“He was asleep”), we will not be shaken even though the enemy stirs up troubles.

3)    Terrible circumstances always force us to come to the Lord to call upon Him.

4)    If men see the fierce winds and surges, they will feel that all hope of being saved is taken away. However, if we hold fast the Lord’s words, it is convinced that we will not be killed (see Acts. 27:20, 22-25).

5)    Men may usually complain about the Lord’s “not caring”. However, it is not the Lord does not care for us, but that we lack faith (see v.40).

6)    When we follow the Lord, we shall learn to believe the Lord’s word absolutely ---- “cross over to the other side (see v.35) ---- instead of doubting or fearing because of the dangerous circumstances.

 

Mark. 4:39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

YLT: “And having waked up, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, `Peace, be stilled;' and the wind did lull, and there was a great calm:”

Meaning of Words: “rebuke”: reprove, blame; “peace”: dumb, hold peace (a commanding tone); “be still”: muzzle, be quiet (a commanding tone); “calm”: tranquil;

Literal Meaning: “rebuked the wind, and said to the sea”, the wind and sea had neither person nor consciousness. The Lord was rebuking the ruler of the authority of the air behind the wind and the sea (Eph.2:2) as well as the dirty spirit in the sea (see 5:13).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    The Lord’s word that goes forth out of His mouth ---- it shall not return unto Him void, but it shall do that which He pleases (Is. 55:11).

2)    The waves in the sea were because of the wind in the air, so the Lord first “rebuked the wind” and then made the sea still, which indicated that all the confusion and roiling were due to “the ruler of the authority of the air” ---- the tricks of the devil. However, the Son of God has been manifested in order to undo the works of the devil and thus bring true peace to men.

3)    All the trouble that the assembly is confronted with is stirred up by Satan and its ministers.

 

Mark. 4:40 But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?"

YLT: “and he said to them, `Why are ye so fearful? how have ye not faith?'”

Literal Meaning: “why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” ---- The Lord reproached the disciples because they had lost faith in the power of His words and became fearful. They only cared for the winds and the sea before their eyes and forgot the words that the Lord had earlier commanded them ---- “cross over to the other side” (v.35).

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    What the Lord reproached was not their awaking Him (v.25) ------prayer but their fearfulness. The Lord likes us to “trouble” Him with prayers but does not like us to trouble ourselves with fearfulness.

2)    He who is fearful is the one who does not know the Lord and forget the Lord’s words. Such man only sees other men as well as the circumstance, so he fears both men and circumstance.

3)    We should let the words of the Lord change the circumstance, not let the circumstance change the words of the Lord.

4)    Our prayers are supposed to be the manifestation of faith. However many times our prayers show our little faith. The Lord does not like our prayers made by little faith.

5)    To those who really know the Lord and know to hold fast the words of the Lord, the greater the outside wind is, the more his inside faith will be. The outside wind can not blow away their faith and on the contrary the outside wind is calmed by their faith finally.

6)    The Lord not only rebukes the wind and the sea (v.39), but also rebuked the wicked heart of unbelief. He is not only the Master of the natural world and the Master of men’s heart as well.

7)    The wind outside is not terrible. What is really terrible is the inside wind. No matter how terrible the outside wind is, as long as we do not let them blow into our heart, there will be of nothing to fear.

 

Mark. 4:41 And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"

YLT: “and they feared a great fear, and said one to another, `Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea do obey him?'”

Literal Meaning: the word “exceedingly” is the same as the word “great” is the same word in the original. They were feared exceedingly for seeing the great calm.

Enlightenment in the Word:

1)    Tribulations make us know Him more deeply------“who can this be?” just like Job heard of God by the hearing of the ear, but after tribulations his eyes saw God (Job. 42:5).

2)    The Lord is the king. The nature and all things shall obey Him. The demons hidden behind circumstances shall obey Him also. We who are of Him shall more obey Him.

 

III. Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons

 

Four Kinds of Heart

A.   The heart of the wayside ---- those who are hard to receive the word of God so that the word is taken by Satan (v.4,15);

B.   The heart of the stony ground ---- those who receive the word of God with gladness, but have no root in themselves (v.5-6, 16-17);

C.   The heart of the ground of thorns ---- the word of God is choked by the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things (v.7, 18-19);

D.   The heart of the good ground ---- the word of God can increase and bear fruit in such ground (v.8, 20);

 

The Word and Men’s Heart

A.   The wayside where the word is sown (v.4,15) ---- the word has not entered into man’s heart (man whose faith is not stable).

B.   The stony ground where the word is sown (v.5-6, 16-17) ---- only a part of the word has entered into man’s heart (man whose faith is not sufficient).

C.   The thorns where the word is sown (v.7, 18-19) ---- a half of the word has entered into man’s heart (man whose faith is not firm).

D.   The good ground where the word is sown (v.8, 20) ---- the word has deeply entered into man’s heart (man whose faith is great).

 

The Reason Why the Lord Preached with Parables

A.   The mystery of the kingdom of God is only revealed to those whose heart is right (v.11).

B.   To those who do not desire to seek the Lord (who are outside), the parable is purposed to make them hear and not understand (v.12).

C.   To those who desire to seek the Lord, they can understand all the parable if they have known the principle of the parables (v.13).

D.   To those who like to hear the Lord’s word, with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it (v.33).

E.   The Lord only preached with parables to those who were outside, but explained everything to His disciples (v.34).

 

The Dual Responsibilities of Christians

A.   We shall shine others with truth (v.21);

B.   We shall shine others with justice (v.22);

1.    We should be honest (v.23).

2.    We should treat others with justice (v.24).

C.   The conclusion ---- the reward of God (v.25);

 

The Works of Man

A.   To sow the seed laboriously (v.26);

B.   To wait in rest (v.27-28);

C.   To harvest joyfully (v.29);

 

The Seed of God

A.   The sowing of the seed (v.26) ---- it is according to the time (which can not be decided by man);

B.   The growth of the seed (v.27) ---- it is rather wonderful (which can not be known by man);

C.   The yielding of the seed (v.28) ---- it has its order (which can not be changed by man);

D.   The harvest of the seed (v.29) ---- it is according to its law (which can not be handled by man);

 

Who Can This Be?

A.   He is the Lord who guides our way ---- Jesus said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side" (v.35).

B.   He is the Lord who is with us ---- when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was (v.36).

C.   He is the Lord who tries the disciples ---- Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a pillow (v.37-38a).

D.   He is the Lord who grants those who ask Him ---- they awoke Him…and there was a great calm (v.38a-39).

E.   He is the Lord who teaches the disciples ---- Jesus said to them,"Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" (v.40)

F.    He is the Lord of all things ---- that even the wind and the sea obey Him! (v.41).

 

── Caleb HuangChristian Digest Bible Commentary Series

   Translated by Mary Zhou