The Message of the Kingly Rule of God Will Now Be Spread Widely and Will Produce Abundant Fruit (4:1-34).
As we have already seen the Gospel began with Jesus Christ as God's beloved Son and has gradually built up to the idea of the new community of believers who hear His words and do the will of His Father who are His brothers and sisters (Mark 3:34-35). These are the first proclaimed members of the newly established Kingly Rule of God. Now that is to be expanded on. That is why Jesus will now be revealed as proclaiming that Kingly Rule of God in parables. His words are an indication of what has already been happening to bring things to this stage, and will go on happening throughout the Gospel. They are an elucidation of what Jesus is proclaiming.
In the chiastic structure of the Gospel this passage parallels Mark 13 as being a discourse passage of Jesus (see introduction). Initially here we will see the Kingly Rule of God advancing because the King has come, and it is seen as growing through the spreading of God's word, resulting in the gathering in of the final harvest. In Mark 13 we will be reminded further of its advance as it advances in the face of every difficulty, with the good news being proclaimed among all nations, and resulting in His coming again in glory in order to finally bring the Kingly Rule of God to its triumphant consummation by the gathering in of His elect. There is therefore a clear parallel picture. But here it is presented in terms of the promising and glowing prospects that lie before His disciples. In Matthew 13 it is clear that those prospects still continue, but they are then set in the context of suffering, persecution and tribulation, as well as of judgement on Jerusalm. The advance will still continue, but the way will not be easy.
Here, however, having established that Jesus' kingship is not of Satan but of God through the Holy Spirit, and that a new ‘family' has been established under the Kingly Rule of God and the ministry of Jesus, we are now introduced to Jesus' use of ‘parables', that is of metaphors, pictures and riddles, which are presented in order to explain how the Kingly Rule of God will be further established. We need not necessarily assume that all these parables were related at the same time. They were rather examples of His ministry, brought together to give an overall impression of the forward movement of God's Kingly Rule. But the impression is certainly given of a continuing process in His preaching in parables (Mark 4:33-34). The message was now being constantly proclaimed and spread by this means, and a careful differentiation is made between those who hear and understand and those who fail to hear.
The passage begins with Jesus, ‘as His custom was' (compare Mark 3:9), preaching to the crowds from a boat. It was to the crowds that He preached in parables. And many of them would not ‘hear'. But to His true followers He explained the parables, for they sought an explanation for them and their hearts were open to the truth. They had already partly ‘seen' the Kingly Rule of God (John 3:3). They were willing to ‘hear'.
His method is interesting. He tells folksy stories which have a deeper meaning, so that some will simply enjoy the story and carry on as usual because they are spiritually ‘blind' and there is no response from their hearts, others will respond more generally and be stirred within, but will eventually let what they have learned slip away, or gain some part truth from it to help them in their daily lives, while still others will ponder it more deeply and respond fully. They will seek further clarification and the whole truth will dawn in their hearts. They will come under the Kingly Rule of God. These last are how Jesus wanted all to be.
It is possible that we may see in this parabolic approach Jesus' reaction to His past experience. He had been preaching the Kingly Rule of God openly, but all the crowds had been interested in were miracles. His words had passed over their heads, and possibly He had begun to realise how easily they could thus be hardened against His message. So we may see Him as determined that from now on He will deliberately veil His message in order to stir them into thought, while not making the truths He is proclaiming become stale in their minds. That is one view of the matter. It is, however, equally possible that He had been preaching in this way right from the beginning. (Note how even in the Sermon on the Mount which was for the inner group of disciples much of His teaching is parabolic, although not in quite the distinctive way found here. This may suggest that He preached on two levels right from the commencement of His ministry).
The major parable in this chapter is the parable of the sower, with its emphasis on different responses people make to the word, having in view the final harvest. The parables that follow that of the sower, quite possibly preached at different times, are then added to illustrate further this message. It is probable that it was Peter who vividly remembered the connection of the parable of the sower with the gathering by the seashore.
The suggestion that such parables had only one main point and did not have secondary points cannot be sustained. The parable of the sower positively demands to be seen as an ‘allegory' (meaning by this an illustration with more than one point) in that it clearly contains a number of ideas based on Scriptural truth which the hearers could be expected to recognise. There is no good reason why Jesus should not have used allegories, and besides they were a favourite method of Rabbinical teaching, so that we should not be at all surprised at Jesus using them. And this is so even though the final main point of the allegory was indeed of the harvest that would result.
But before looking at the parable of the sower in more depth we will first consider an analysis of the whole passage which is carefully built up in chiastic form.
Analysis of 4:1-34.
a Jesus teaches in parables (Mark 4:1-2).
b The parable of the sower and the growing seeds (Mark 4:3-9).
c He who has ears to hear let him hear (Mark 4:9).
d Parables divide those who see and hear from those who do not see and hear (Mark 4:10-12).
e Explanation of the parable of the sower (Mark 4:13-20).
d The parable of the lamp illustrates those who see and who do not see (Mark 4:21-22).
c He who has ears to hear let him hear for men will receive accordingly (Mark 4:23-25).
b The twin parables of the growing grain and the growing mustard seed (Mark 4:26-32).
a Jesus teaches in parables (Mark 4:33-34).
Note that in ‘a' Jesus teaches in parables, and in the parallel the similar fact is emphasised. In ‘b' we have the parable of the growing seeds, and in the parallel the parables of the growing grain and the growing mustard seed. In ‘c' those who have ears to hear, are to hear, and the same applies in the parallel. In ‘d' we learn that the parables separate between those who hear and those who fail to hear, and in the parallel the parable of the lamp illustrates those who see and those who do not see. Centrally in ‘e' we have the explanation of the parable of the sower.