Second Mark 4:1

“The Sower Soweth the Word”

Mark 4:1-20 says, “1. And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, 3. Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6. But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7. And some fell among thorns and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 13. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables? 14. The sower soweth the word. 15. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. 18. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19. And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.”

This is Jesus’ famous parable, the parable of the sower. The parable explains the different types of conditions of the human heart when hearing the word of God. There are 4 types of soil and situations, 1. Those that fall by the way side, 2 stony ground, 3 thorns, and 4 good ground.

The sower soweth the word. The seed is the word. The ground is the human heart. Verses 1 & 2 give us the background: a setting for the parable of the sower. Mark 4:1-2, “And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine.”

When Jesus gave this parable, the parable of the sower and the seed, he spoke to a great multitude of people while in a boat by the sea side. Apparently as verse 2 says he taught them many things by parables. So on this day by the seaside the great multitude heard many parables. They were taught many things not just the parable of the sower and the seed.

One can only imagine what it must have been like to stand there on the land on the shore and hear Jesus teaching by the sea side. Jesus the Master Teacher, Rabbi, the greatest preacher ever to walk the earth, one can only imagine what parables and teachings that great multitude heard, perhaps teachings meant just for them because they are not included here in Mark chapter 4. Maybe one day in heaven we will hear those teachings as well.

Imagine being there by the sea side where land and sea meet and the salty air can blow against your skin. Imagine being there where the horizon stretches as far as the sea and there is Jesus to teach to you His Word. He that hath ears to hear let him hear.

The sower soweth the word. The seed is the word. The ground is the human heart. The first situation is explained in verses 3, 4 and 15 which say: 3. Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4. And it came to pass, as he sowed some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up 15. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.”

The sower soweth the word and some fall by the wayside. The Bible says the thief cometh not but for to kill, steal, and destroy. 1 Peter 5:8, “The devil as a roaring lion walked about seeking whom he may devour.”

Satan is opposed to God’s Word. His goal is to prevent people from believing the word of God. What is Satan’s method that he uses to prevent people from believing God’s Word. I Think He uses several things: the lies of this world, the philosophies of the world, and the teachings of the world are among his main tools that he uses. This would include false religions and all the corrupt teachings of evolution and sex taught in the public school systems.

Most people in the world today are deceived by the devil. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Seek and ye shall find. The truth is for those that want the truth. He that hath an ear, let him hear.

Another method that Satan uses to snatch the word out of peoples’ hearts is the love of the world: the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, the lust of the eyes. These things can keep a person from listening to God’s Word and believing God’s Word.

There are many things in this world to lust after from money, sex, power, fame, material possessions, anything you can think of. But what can we really say about lost people? They are enslaved to their sins, children of the devil, they do not even understand the concept the Bible to resist the devil and he will flee from you. It takes a miracle from God to bring a person out of the darkness of their sins into the light of the truth of God. Only God’s Word can do this. That is why Satan is so opposed to God’s Word. But God’s Word is more powerful than Satan. And you can be sure that even though some fall by the wayside. God’s word will accomplish that which God purposes for it to do.

Some fell by the way side. Matthew 7:14, “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” How can we as Christians help unbelievers when some fell by the way side when the word is sown in their hearts? By keeping ourselves unspotted from the world and loving the lost people in the truth. If only we would love lost people more like Jesus and pray for their souls. But the truth is you can be sure some fell by the way side.

It is the principle of understanding what will happen when the sower goeth to sow the word. When you sow the word, you can guarantee some will fall by the way side. Do not let this discourage you from sowing the word. Because you know that some will fall by the way side but you also know that some will fall on stony ground or among thorns, and you also know that some will bring forth fruit. Keep sowing the word. Do not be discouraged by those that fall by the way side, or on stony ground or among thorns because some will receive the word with joy and will bear fruit. Even if you witness to 10,000 people in your lifetime and only see one saved it will be worth it. So do not give up no matter how many fall by the way side. There will be some that fall among good ground and bring forth fruit. In fact, you may not always see the results of your sowing of the word in people’s lives, but you can be sure that God’s Word is a sharp two edged sword and is quick and powerful to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. God’s Word will accomplish that which God purposes for it to accomplish in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

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