“A sower went out to sow…”

The Parable of the Sower Mark 4 is the first parable that Jesus tells in the Gospel of Mark.  The agricultural themes present are ones that the hearers of the day, both Jesus’ audience and the audience of the author of Mark, would have recognized.  There are a number of things we could focus on in this text, but let me touch on a few things.

1. The Word is endless-  Seed is precious to a farmer.  So, one who sows by broadcasting the seed would have been very adept at making the seed go where they wanted it to go.  This means, that the Sower wanted the seed to go on the path, in the rocks, amongst the weeds.  Part of what this means to me is that the Word is not in limited supply.  There is an abundance, so spread it everywhere and who knows, it might sprout.
2. Each soil could be us-  Each type of soil; the path, the rocky ground, the thorn infested ground, good soil, each could be us at any given moment.  This parable describes situations we have seen with our own eyes.  Where we proclaim the gospel and it falls on deaf ears.  Where someone is captured by the Word for a moment and then when it becomes difficult to follow through they don’t.  Where people are sincere, but other things (soccer practice, family time, work, travel) come in and choke out any fruit from the Word.  Where the Word finally transforms us and produces great things in us.
3. What are we in the Parable-  A good question to ask in parables is where we stand.  Are we the Sower?  If so, how faithful have we been at throwing the Word everywhere we go?  Are we soil?  If so, what kind are we right now in our lives?  Are we watching all of this from afar?  If so, what do we learn from watching this Sower?

We will hear Jesus talk more about what it means to be a disciple in our reading from Mark 8:31-38 this weekend.  Do you see any relationship between what Jesus is talking about in this text and what Jesus talks about there?

I hope you continue to walk this journey through Mark and that the Holy Spirit will grant you insights into your own faith.

God’s Blessings,

Pastor Brian