 In Mark 4:3-8 Jesus tells a parable about a farmer who was planting some seeds. In Mark 4:14-20 he explained what it meant. He described four scenarios where the seed symbolises the good news about Jesus and the ground represents different types of people.
What kind of ground are you? Do you get dragged to church each week and sit there doing your best grumpy cat impersonation? Did you accept Jesus but got discouraged when life got difficult? Do you go to church on Sunday but live like the world for the rest of the week? Or are you good dirt? Do you read your Bible, love going to church and worshipping God, do you pray, are generous and serve others and tell them the Good News? In Mark 4:8 Jesus said, But other seeds were planted on good ground, sprouted, and produced thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted. Be good dirt and live a fruitful life serving Jesus!
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 In Mark chapter four Jesus tells the story of the parable of the sower (someone who plants seed).
Mark 4:3-8 A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Jesus spoke in parables for us, not for the people he was actually speaking to at the time. They didn't understand what he was saying. Afterwards he explained the parable to the disciples. Mark 4:14-20 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted! When some people hear the good news about Jesus they dismiss it outright (footpath). Some people come along to youth group every now and then before fizzling out (rocky soil). Some people go to church for many years but they get distracted by study, work and the busyness of life (thorny soil). But some people serve God wholeheartedly and tell other people about Jesus (good soil). They produce a harvest of believers. Which type of soil are you?  Mark 4:31-32 says, God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed, which is smaller than any other seed on earth that you can plant. But when you plant it, it grows and becomes the largest of all the plants in your garden.
God's kingdom is the believers. When Jesus told this parable, there weren't many Christians (people who believe that Jesus is the Saviour of the world or the Messiah. Many of the Jews (God's chosen people who were descendants of Abraham), didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah. The Jewish leaders were the ones who had Jesus killed. A mustard seed is tiny. See if you can find a jar of whole seed mustard in the fridge or pantry to see for yourself. The church would have seemed tiny during Jesus' ministry. It was also under enormous persecution. The thought that it could grow into something so big would have been hard to grasp. A mustard seed is about 1 mm and a mustard tree can grow to 6 metres, which means a mustard seed is 1/6000th of the hight of a mature tree. The growth of the Kingdom of God could refer to the growth of the church to every part of the planet. It could also refer to the growth in the number of Christians worldwide. Something to think about... |
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