The teaching to understand all the other teachings 1 Jesus returned to the seaside to teach. A huge crowd gathered, so Jesus got into a boat in the water and sat down; the crowd listened from the land nearby.
2 Jesus taught the crowd many things using word-pictures as illustrations. Speaking urgently, Jesus began to teach:
3 “Carefully listen and see:”Lit: spoke saying ‘Listen! Look! …
The illustration of the seed and the soil “A farmer went out to plant.”
- 4 “As he spread his seeds some fell next to the road; the birds came and ate them.
- 5 “Other seeds fell on rocky ground where there was little soil. Immediately plants sprang up (because the soil wasn’t deep) but 6 when the sun rose it scorched the seed. Because the seed’s roots had no depth the plants withered away.
- 7 “Other seeds fell among thorns and the thorns grew up and choked them; they didn’t yield any fruit.
- 8 “Other seeds fell into good soil, grew to maturity, and yielded fruit. Some produced thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much as was originally planted.
9 “If anyone’s heart is open to hear, that person must carefully listen!”If anyone has ‘ears to hear’ let him hear
Jesus explains his illustrations to those who stay with him 10 Later–after the crowds left Jesus alone–those who lingered with him,those around him along with the twelve, asked him to explain this illustration.
11 Jesus replied, “God has given you the mysteries of his Kingdom;To you has been given the mysteries of God’s kingdom I only offer illustrations to those who are outside it. 12 This is so that
While seeing they may “see” but not perceive,Jer 5:21-29Ezk 12:2-3
And while hearing they may “hear” and not understand;
Otherwise they might turn around,
And their selfish preferences and choices be forgiven.”
13 Jesus continued, “Don’t you understand this illustration?🔑 e.g.: This illustration is the key to understanding the rest of Jesus’s teachings. If not, how will you understand all the other ones?”
The Word is beyond value and everything that detracts from it is destructive 14 “The farmer spreads the Word.”In Jesus’s day farmers scattered seeds across the ground; it would be normal for seed to land elsewhere than in the field.
- 15 The first are peopleThese are beside the road where the Word is spread; when they hear… who are beside the road where the word is spread!🔑 The farmer’s plow can break the most hardened dirt road so it can receive the seed. When they hear the Word, immediately Satan comes and takes1) to steal the Word that the farmer planted in them.
- 16 The next seeds landed on shallow rocky soil.🔑 The farmer can dig out the rocks that prevent roots from going deep. When people are shallow rocky soil and hear the Word they immediately receive it with delight! 17 But the Word’s roots cannot grow deep in their hearts and they only live a short time. When they begin to experience trouble or hostility because they received the Word, immediately they are bitterly offended and leave.2) to kill
- 18 Other seeds land among thorns.🔑 The farmer can dig out the thorny distractions that ultimately scratch us, entangle us, and destroy the Word. When people are thorny soil, they hear the Word–but other things in their lives present themselves as alternatives to the Word. 19 The world’s distractions are one alternative. The mirage of being satisfied by material things,deceitfulness of wealth is another. Being preoccupied with other things is another alternative to the Word. These things all crowd out the Word and cause it to be unfruitful!3) to destroy the Word’s fruitfulness
- 20 But there is seed that lands on good ground.🔑 We all begin as unfruitful soil. But the farmer is capable of making each kind of unfruitful soil healthy. When we are made healthy in these ways, the natural result is expectant trust that the seed will grow, mature, and bear fruit–so we welcome it gladly into our hearts. These people hear the Word, accept it, and are fertile soil bearing fruit. Some of these people multiply the Word thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times beyond what they received!”4) life, rich and satisfyingJhn 10:10
It’s God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them 21 Jesus continued, “Is an oil lamp brought to a place🔑 A basket’s purpose is to help with human labor; a bed’s purpose is to aid our rest. The light doesn’t belong under either one, but in its own rightful place. in order to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a stand?
22 “Nothing is hidden except for it to be discovered, and every secret is intended to be illuminated.Pro 25:2
23 “If anyone’s heart is open to hear, that person should carefully listen!”If anyone has ‘ears to hear’…
Value it, use it, and be generously given more–otherwise lose it 24 Jesus said, “Pay careful attention to what you hear! The metric you use to measure what you apply to your life will also be used to measure more back to you–along with a gracious bonus.and extra to you.
25 Whoever makes what they hear part of themselves will be given more. But the person who ignores what they hear,e.g.: so it’s as if they don’t know it at all even what that person genuinely has will be taken away.”🔑 How do we make the teachings Jesus has offered so far part of ourselves? Start with the three kinds of unfruitful soil above and apply each lesson to the degree you know how right now. Here are some thoughts to get you started:1) What habits or well-worn paths keep you from hearing Jesus’s Word to begin with? What attitudes keep you doing or thinking things you know are harmful? List these and pray, asking God to help you change. Then make a plan and begin changing. Find someone else who can support you and keep you accountable.2) Are you aware of any things you do that are unhealthy or harmful toward yourself or others? If you are unwilling to change these things, they become like the stones that keep Jesus’s Word from taking root in your heart. List these. Leave no stone unturned. Ask God for forgiveness. If you have harmed somebody else, do whatever you are able to do to make it right and ask for their forgiveness too.3) Lastly, what things are you passionate about? Being passionate toward something isn’t bad by itself. But it’s bad if you begin to love it more than you love Jesus so that you stop paying attention to Jesus and his Word. Ask God for help and begin placing healthy boundaries on these things. Eliminate them if necessary. Nothing is more valuable than God’s kingdom.
The illustration of the seed and the earth 26 Jesus said, “God’s Kingdom is like a farmer spreading seed on the earth.
27 “The man sleeps and wakes night and day and the seed germinates and grows–even though the man doesn’t fully understand how.
28 “The earth produces fruit by itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the mature grain in the ear.
29 “But when the fruit is ripe, immediately the farmer cuts the stalks down using his sickle–because the harvest has arrived.”
The illustration of the mustard seed 30 Jesus continued, “What is God’s Kingdom like? What word-picture illustrates it well?
31 “God’s Kingdom is like a single mustard seed.
“Even though it’s the smallest seed 32 at planting time, it grows and matures into a larger plant than the other garden plants. It grows large branches and birds from high placesof the heavens nest in its shade.”
33 Jesus used many similar illustrations to explain the Word, up to the amount they could hear.
It’s God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them (reprise) 34 Jesus no longer spoke to the crowd except through illustrations!🔑 When Jesus no longer speaks in a way we can understand, something is very wrong. But Mark tells us the way back: a) to spend private time with Jesus; b) to stay persistently where he is. But he explained everything privately to his students who stayed with him.
The illustration of the boat and the storm 35 That evening Jesus said, “Let’s go to the other side of the sea.” 36 Leaving the huge crowd, the students took Jesus with them and got into the boat; other small boats joined.
37 A large wind-storm rose and the waves broke into the boat–so badly that the boat was nearly swamped!
38 Jesus was in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion!
His students woke him up demanding, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we are dying?”
39 Jesus woke up and corrected the wind! He commanded the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind suddenly stopped and a great calm came over the sea!
40 Jesus asked the students, “Why are you so afraid? Why don’t you have expectant trustfaith instead?”
41 They were deeply frightened and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”