Mark 4:14 - Obstacles to Growing In Christ and Sharing Him.
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.
COMMENTARY PEARLS
What Are You Building On?
Some people get excited about a lot of
different things. Theyre into the latest fad or the
newest this or that. But then they suddenly abandon
it and move on to whatever is next.
The same thing can happen in a persons
relationship with God. Sometimes people will say
something along the lines of, I tried the whole
Christianity thing, and it didnt work for me. No,
actually they never built their life on Christ. They
had an emotional experience. If it was a real
conversion, they still would be walking with the Lord.
Jesus described people like this in the
parable of the sower when He said, But he who
received the seed on stony places, this is he who
hears the word and immediately receives it with
joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures
only for a while. For when tribulation or
persecution arises because of the word, immediately he
stumbles (Matthew 13:20-21 NKJV).
As Christians, we are all persecuted in
some way, shape, or form. In fact, its the
mark of a true Christian. As 2 Timothy 3:12
reminds us, Yes, and all who desire to live godly
in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution
(NKJV).
Christianity isnt like a product that
works for some and not for others. Christianity,
simplified, is a relationship with Christ himself. I
think one of the reasons people fall away is
because theyve built their faith on the wrong
foundation. Theres only one foundation to build your
faith on, and it is Christ and Christ alone.
Dont build your spiritual life on a
church in and of itself. Dont build your
spiritual life on another person or on a pastor or
spiritual leader, because people will let you down.
Instead, build your life on Christ. He will sustain
you and be there for you. [Greg Laurie from
Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] re
Mat. 13:20-21
Overcrowding
In addition to rocks, there are a lot of
weeds in Israel, and weeds hinder the growth of
seeds. In the parable of the sower, Jesus talked
about seeds that fell among thorns, and
immediately the thorns choked them out.
Then Jesus said, Now he who received
seed among the thorns is he who hears the word,
and the cares of this world and the
deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes
unfruitful (Matthew 13:22 NKJV).
This describes someone who seems to be
growing spiritually, but they gradually walk away
because other things become more important. It
isnt bad things necessarily, but its the
worries of this life, the concerns of this life,
that take priority.
Theres nothing wrong with being
concerned about putting food on the table or a roof
over your head. Theres nothing wrong with
thinking about the needs and necessities of life. But
Jesus was describing someone who allows those
things to become more important than God.
They believe its good to read the
Bible, to pray, and go to church. Its just that
they dont do it. Its a choice theyre
making. As someone has pointed out, The second
best can often be the worst enemy of the
best.
Jesus also said that the deceitfulness
of riches choke the word. In 1 Timothy 6, we
find an interesting verse about wealth: For
the love of money is a root of all kinds of
evil, for which some have strayed from the faith
in their greediness, and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows (verse 10 NKJV,
emphasis added). You decide what money will be in
your life.
A thorn, or a weed, is anything that
crowds Jesus out of our lives. So dont make your
life about those things. Make Christ your primary
focus instead. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] re Mat. 13:22
COMMENTARY
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 Gods 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 Gods
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]
CLOSING THOUGHT
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.
Dear 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]
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
