Dirt

Text: Mark 4:3-9

The parable of the soils is illustrated by the kinds of people Jesus and his disciples just encountered in the previous chapter. The good soil is Jesus. Notice some other soil:

• Religious leaders represent the (Mark 3:1-6, Mark 3:28-29)

Notice the Greek Word for the withered hand is “xeraino” (withered) usually used of dead plants that have dried up and wasted.

• The Crowds are reminiscent of the (Mark 3:7-12)
• His Family is a reminder of the (Mark 3:20-21)

What does GOOD SOIL look like?

1. God soil = is easily (Mark 4:14-15)

2. Good Soil = takes in (Mark 4:16-20)

3. Good soil = requires (Mark 4:18)

Xeraino: Jesus can restore a dead hand. He can restore life to a withered spirit.

Pastor’s Study Notes:

A Man with a Withered Hand (Mark 3:1-6)

Mark 3:1: He has a “withered” hand. Xeraino, usually used of a withered plant.

Mark 3:4: His question to the religious leaders was essentially: What kind of a sabbath do you believe in? A Sabbath where you Can’t do thngs? Can’t walk, can’t heal, can’t enjoy. Or a Sabbath where you can do things, ie: Can enjoy God, can do good, can heal, can worship. He is telling them that there way of understanding the Bible is unbiblical! In fact, their way of carrying out the scriptures is killing people.

Mark 3:5: Only time in the Gospels it says he was “angry.”

Mark 3:5: He destroyed the work of Satan by healing the man. God by his goodness destroys Satan’s work.

Mark 3:6: The Pharisees were unmoved by the power of God; they should have celebrated. They were unmoved by the heart of God; they should have repented.

A Great Crowd Follows Jesus (Mark 3:7-12)

Mark 3:7: The Greek word mathetes = disciple: “learner” or “student.” They have more than a curious interest in Jesus. Desired follow him. Among the disciples were those later become the 12 Apostles.

Mark 3:7: Many people from many areas from many backgrounds. Jesus’ following was diverse.

Mark 3:9: He teaches from a boat, which would provide a platform for preaching, and an easy exit once done. He could leave without being followed!

Mark 3:10: “Diseases” (Mastix): Lit, Plagues. Same word for a whip. (Roman whip!) Seen by people that day: God was beating your flesh. Punishing. So in that view, he is removing the whip or punishment of God.

Mark 3:11: Demons are not permitted to tell who he is. Notice they fall before him, like the soldiers who came to arrest Jesus.

Why did Jesus not permit the demons to tell who he is?

1. He did not want affirmation from them.

2. He would not allow them the joy of worship/witnessing. He doesn’t need demon-missionaries. HUMANS bear the Gospel, not demons. They have no part in the work of God.

3. He is Lord of the spirit realm.

The Twelve Apostles (Mark 3:13-21)

Why 12 Apostles? 12 represents the 12 Tribes. Jesus is establishing the true Israel. In Genesis the 12 sons of Jacob become the 12 tribes of Israel. (really 13 because Joseph’s sons become half tribes) Those 12 Tribes would come out of Egypt, lead by Moses, and form a nation. Jesus is the new MOSES leading 12 tribes on Exodus: From bondage to freedom.

The work of the Apostles is to be with Jesus, witness how he worked, what he did, and to preach his message. As messengers or heralds of the king, they must first be with him to witness what he does and understand what his message is.

Mark 3:15: He gave them authority to cast out demons. It would take them a while to learn what that meant. Notice, not simply POWER but AUTHORITY.

Mark 3:16: John Macarthur writes: The names of the Twelve are recorded in four places in the New Testament (Matthew 10, Mark 3, Luke 6 and Acts 1) In each list, their names are organized into the same three subgroups of four, arranged in order of decreasing intimacy with Christ. The first group was comprised of two sets of brothers: Peter and Andrew, and James and John. The second included Philip, Nathaniel, Matthew, and Thomas. The third consisted of James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot (who was replaced by Matthias in Acts 1:26). Though the order of the names changes slightly from list to list, they always remain in the same subgroup. Moreover, the name that starts each subgroup is also consistent: Peter always heads group one, Philip group two, and James the son of Alphaeus group three. This suggests that each of these subgroups had its own leader.

Peter means “rock.” He would hold the central message of the Gospel. He is also the source for the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 3:20-21 Jesus Family (probably his mother and brothers) leave their home in Nazareth and come to Jesus’ home town of Capernium. This is an intervention. John 7:5 tells us his brothers did not believe he was the Messiah. But huge crowds are following him. So they think they need to intervene. They are afraid things have gotten out of hand. (John 7:5)

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit (Mark 3:22-30)

Mark 3:27: Jesus parable: The strong man is Satan. The Goods are People and Demons. Someone has to be strong enough to beat up Satan and rob him. Jesus is stronger than Satan. His point: If he is beating up Satan, how can he be Satan? Would Satan rob his own house?

Mark 3:28-30: Those who saw Jesus’ miracles but chose to reject the Gospel, were not just rejecting Jesus, but the Holy Spirit who was moving and prompting their hearts. They had more than physical evidence that God was at work, Jesus knew God was trying to work on their hearts. But they resisted the Holy Spirit. Jesus assessment is that is unacceptable.

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers (Mark 3:31-35)

Mark 3:31: Is the only reference of Jesus’ mother in the Gospel of Mark.

Mark 3:25: Jesus is most moved not by flesh but by faith. Faith is expressed in obedience. (Whoever, “DOES” the will of God…)

The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20)

Mark 4:2: Parables: Practical stories demonstrate spiritual truth. (Familiar/Practical applied it to Spiritual)

Mark 4:4: The seed fell on the path had nothing to protect it. It was exposed to the elements. It lay in danger of being destroyed quickly because the soil did not take it in.

Mark 4:5: The seed fell on rocky ground (Israel is a rocky land) would grow quickly because the rock holds the moisture in. But then the rock ultimately hinders the plants root system. It cannot develop roots to mature and endure the sun.

Mark 4:7: The seed that fell among thorns at first looks okay, but quickly the crop is overwhelmed by the weeds.

Mark 4:8: The good soil causes a huge abundant crop that is “thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” In ancient Israel, farmers could usually expect a six-to-eightfold yield at harvesttime. A crop that yielded tenfold would have been well above average. When Jesus spoke of crops that produced harvests of thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold—percentages that were unthinkably high—His listeners would have been stunned. Those kind of results would have been unheard of. (John MacArthur)

Mark 4:9: He who has an ear… This is something Jesus said OFTEN. Means: if you have SPIRITUAL ears. Interested in truth. Some people hear what they want to hear.

Short note on the ear statement: It appears in all the synoptic Gospels. But not once in John However, it appears 7 times in Revelation. John Encountered living Jesus; talked the same.

Mark 6:12: Jesus quotes Isaiah 6:9-10. This is to make it clear that God’s Word goes out as it did in Isaiah’s time, exposing man’s sinful rebellion against God’s plainly spoken Word God allowed them to harden their hearts to the point that they could no longer repent.

Mark 6:13: The sower is God’s messenger. The seed is God’s Word. The ground is my heart. My attitude toward

Mark 6:16-17: The plant needs to grow ROOTS. How do I grow spiritual roots?

R: Read the Bible.

O: Other Christians. I need the input of other Christians to grow.

O: Old Christians. I specifically need some old believers in my life to guide me and help my thinking.

T: Teachers. I need teachers who are gifted in communicating and exegeting God’s Word.

S: Storms. Believe it or not, storms grow us deeper in God if we will hold to him in tough hours.

A Lamp Under a Basket (Mark 4:21-25

Mark 4:21: Light is used as metaphor for truth. Here: Light is the truth of the Gospel. Point: The Salvation of Jesus is not a secret thing. Don’t conceal it. Shine! Good works. Joy. An important turn: He keeps telling demons to be quiet. Not US! We are to be light; demons are condemned to darkness.

Mark 4:22: The Kingdom of God is not a secret thing. The King has come! The Kingdom of God will EXPOSE secret keepers. Authenticity of my life examined light Jesus.

Mark 4:32: How much effort did you put into God’s Kingdom? Impacts your harvest! (Lazy/hard worker)

Mark 4:25: Warning to false teachers: Those who scatter corrupted seed. Some have not shared the Gospel, all they did was made false converts. Don’t get to count them.

The Parable of the Seed Growing (Mark 4:26-29)

This parable is a definition of roles in the Kingdom: Those who bear fruit: Do so because God allowed them. Don’t stress! Do your job, God will provide the harvest. Just be faithful. POINT: The farmer is not the power that brings the seed to life. God is.

We have a BEFORE/AFTER role.

1. Before: Scatter Seed.

2. After: Disciple. (Harvest.)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-34)

Mark 4:30-32 He’s using a parable from DANIEL! Daniel 4:20-21: Tree, large strong. Touched sky, visible all earth. Provided shelter for beasts, nest birds. You are that tree. Give security to the earth. Prideful/cut down. No earthly nation can give rest to the earth. Nations are brought down, my kingdom will give security.

At moment, Kingdom of God looked small. One man teaching by a lake. (After resurrection early church attendance was about 120.) Soon it would fill the earth. Galalien teacher fill earth? Other cut down. ROME!

Jesus Calms a Storm (Mark 4:35-41)

Mark 4:36: The Boat belong to Peter. Notice that other boats were with them. When Jesus calms the storm in my life, others are touched.

Mark 4:38: Jesus slept during the storm. Why? Because he was tired. He was not afraid. He was at peace. (He is not like Jonah sleeping.)

Mark 4:38: They woke him because His behavior doesn’t make sense for the situation. They want him to get up and lead them. Tell them what to do.

Mark 4:39: He created the water. By his WORD. He stilled it by his WORD.

Mark 4:39: “Peace” Not shalom. It means: be quiet! Same word used when he spoke demons. siopao (see-o-pah’-o): silence, i.e. a hush; properly, muteness, i.e. involuntary stillness, or inability to speak; US: Shut up.

Mark 4:40 Don’t have to know what I’ll do, just have to know I care. Not upset they woke him. Upset at the accusation. Faith not in his ability. Faith in his CHARACTER. (They accused his character)