THE PARABLE EXPLAINED

Passage: Mark 4:13-20

Key verse: 20

NIV

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word.(A) 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan(B) comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth(C) and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

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Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

13 (A)And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 (B)The sower sows (C)the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it (D)with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but (E)endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately (F)they fall away.[a] 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but (G)the cares of (H)the world and (I)the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and (J)bear fruit, (K)thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

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Footnotes
  1. Mark 4:17 Or stumble
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. Unproductive heart soil (13-19)

The seed represents the word of God. Whether or not it produces a crop depends on the soil. The uncommitted heart is like a path. Such a person enjoys superficial relationships, or pseudo-intellectual ideas for his own pleasure. He never commits himself to the truth. Some hearts are like the thin soil which covers a rock: They receive the word joyfully, but don't let it change their lives. So they have no root. They don't know Jesus. When rejection or persecution arises because of the word, they wilt and give up. Hearts like the thorny soil are full of anxiety and/or worldly desires. God's word is choked and dies.

2. Good soil (20)

When we repent, prepare the soil of our hearts and accept God's word and hold on to it, a good crop is produced--30, 60 and 100 times what was sown. Each of us has all of these soils in his/her heart from time to time.

Prayer: Lord, help me to plow my heart soil with repentance until it is good soil.

One Word: Have good heart soil