Mark 4:14 - Sowing With Singing.
Mark 4:14 - Sowing With Singing.
Mark 4:14 (NKJV) The sower sows the word.
Mark 4:14 (CWR) "The sower sowing on the hillside represents a
man sharing the good news of salvation from the Scriptures.
The sower soweth the word - Luke says, "the seed is the word of
God" (8:11). The real question is, "Who is the sower?" According to
Matthew 13:37, the Son of man, Jesus, is the sower. It is obvious that
right in this situation and as long as he was on earth, Jesus was a
sower spreading God's message, but it is also clear that the whole
point of his teaching was to train his disciples to be sowers as well,
in spreading God's message to other men. In this parable it is the
same sower and the same seed from start to finish. But it is what the
sower does with the seed, and what happens to it as a result, that
makes the story important. The whole point is to examine the various
kinds of soil in which a person can plant. These different soils
represent, of course, different types of human beings. In one sense, it
might be more appropriate to call this "the parable of the soils"
rather than "the parable of the sower." Some people have called it "the
Parable of Parables" because it describes how men will react to all of
Jesus' teachings. [Jamieson, Fausset, And Brown Commentary]
The parable teaches that there would be four different responses
to the Word: no response, emotional response, worldly response, and
fruitful response. [Ryrie SB]
In the parable of the seeds, the four soils represent four
different ways that people will respond to Jesus' message. Some are like
the hard path, others are like rocky soil, and still others are like
thorny ground. The best, of course, are those who receive the seed of
Jesus' message in good soil.
Is your enthusiasm for Christ being discouraged by struggles?
Be careful not to be like the seed on rocky soil that heard the
message, received it with joy, but then wilted. Are you finding that the
cares of this life are overshadowing your commitment to Christ? Be
careful not to be like the seed on thorny ground with your joy in Christ
being crowded out.
Pray that God will help you to be like the good soil so that
the faith that's been planted in you can persevere, grow, and
produce a harvest. That is, pray that you'll continue to grow in the
knowledge of Jesus so that you can share his good news with others. [The
One Year Bible for New Believers re Mark 4:16-20]
In West Africa people customarily sing as they work in the
fields. They lift their voices as they plant in anticipation of the
harvest. Perhaps this is how the farmer in the parable appeared as he
walked through the field. As he tossed seed, it fell in various types
of soil--some hard, some weedy, some shallow, and some good and
fertile. Not once did Jesus describe the farmer as anxious; rather, he
portrayed the sower as faithfully carrying out his job.
Sometimes we treat evangelism as a heavy burden. Instead of
cheerfully scattering seed everywhere, we become soil testers, trying to
determine whether or not the seed will flourish even before we plant. We
hover over the tender shoots, trying to thwart weeds. When a seed
doesn't produce the desired fruit, we may declare ourselves failures as
farmers. But God has called us to plant the message of the gospel in
whatever field he places us. It is the Lord of the harvest who nourishes
the tiny seeds and causes them to grow. You may never see the
bushels of souls that result from seeds you planted, but you can sing as
you sow and anticipate a harvest of thirty, sixty, and even a
hundredfold.
Prayer: God, I can scatter seeds in my job, my neighborhood,
my family, and plant seeds of hope in people I encounter every day.
Help me to sing as I plant and be confident that many of those seeds
will take root in soil that will someday produce a harvest. [Praying
Through The Bible By Fuller re Mark 4:14]
Grace Notes:
http://www.e-gracenotes.org/index.php
A Better Way to Live:
http://www.itiswritten.com/betterway/
Excellent Spiritual Resource Site:
http://www.christianlifemediacenter.com/
More Spiritual Resources:
http://www.aBible.com
