Sowing the Gospel
The Son of Man sows the seed of the gospel in the world where it grows into the kingdom of God until the harvest at the end of the age.
The Parable
of the Sower provides the key to understanding the other parables. Its point is
that the kingdom of God began to invade the present age with the proclamation
of the kingdom of God by the “Son of Man.” Jesus inaugurated the
process, and ever since, the kingdom has been advancing throughout the earth though
largely unnoticed.
The process will culminate at the end of
the age when Jesus returns to reap the harvest produced by the “sowing of the
gospel” on the earth by him and his disciples.
As Jesus stated in his discourse on the
Mount of Olives, when the Son of Man comes, he will dispatch his angels to
gather the “elect” from the four corners of the earth. But that final
day will NOT COME UNTIL the good news of God’s kingdom has been proclaimed
to “all the nations of the earth.”
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| [Photo by Dương Trí on Unsplash] |
Thus, the Parable of the Sower presents not only the pattern of how men received the “word” when it is preached but also the procedure for how the kingdom of God advances on the earth until its consummation.
What is a parable? The Greek word commonly
rendered “parable” means “something that is thrown alongside, to cast beside” (Strong’s
- #G3850). It is a saying that is laid alongside something else for comparison
- an analogy.
His parables are stories drawn from
everyday life and often feature jarring images to grab his audience’s attention.
They illustrate one or two points of comparison. His parables most often
concern the “kingdom of God.”
And in the parable, the stress is on how the seed interacts with different types of
soil. The “Sower,” the “seed,” and the method of
sowing are the same for each soil type - (Mark 4:1-9).
What happens to the “seed” once it contacts the “soil” is the real point, and the “seed” falls on four soil types - hardened, rocky, thorny, and fertile soil.
A harvest of thirty, sixty or a hundredfold
is extraordinary. This is an exaggerated figure to catch our attention. With his
kingdom, regardless of how insignificant its beginnings, the results exceed all
expectations.
MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM
The disciples then asked why “outsiders”
receive parables without explanation, yet
insiders receive parables with explanations?
Parables separate insiders from outsiders.
They both reveal AND conceal. They are a blessing to some but bring judgment
to others:
- (Mark 4:10-12) - “And when he was alone, they who were about him with the twelve questioned him as to the parables. And he was saying to them: To you, the mystery has been given of the kingdom of God, whereas, to them who are outside, in parables are all things coming to pass that they may surely look and yet not see, and surely hear and yet not understand, lest once they should return and be forgiven.”
Christ’s saying alludes to a passage in the
book of Isaiah:
- “Go! And say to this people: Hear on but do not discern, see on but do not perceive; stupefy the heart of this people, and their ears make heavy, and their eyes overspread, lest they see with their eyes, and with their ears should hear, and their heart should discern and come back, and they be healed.”
The contrast is between those who hear the
parable and receive its explanation and those who do not. This is the pattern in
his teaching ministry. Some men react in faith to the good news, but others are
blinded by unbelief and reject it. The failure of some to understand is a sign
of divine judgment on their hardness of heart.
Jesus declares to his disciples that they
have been “given the mystery
of the kingdom of God.” The Greek noun rendered “mystery” does not
refer to something esoteric or mysterious, but to something hidden that now is disclosed.
The unveiling of the mystery is “given.” It cannot be acquired through human effort or intellect. It must be received from God. The “mystery” is revealed to those who follow him and hearken to his words.
The word “parable” occurs twelve
times in the gospel of Mark, and each time in a context of opposition to
Jesus. By means of parables, he reveals the “mystery of the kingdom” to
hearers, but he also exposes his opponents and their hardness of heart.
In Isaiah, the prophet receives a
vision of Yahweh sitting on his throne when the prophet hears his call to bring
the words of God to Israel. He is warned that the people will not heed his
words, and inevitably, judgment will follow. Yet a remnant will heed the words
of Yahweh.
INTERPRETATION
The parable concerns the process of the kingdom
expanding in the world, and how men will respond to it. It is being implemented
through the proclamation of the gospel proclamation - first by Jesus, then by
his disciples - (Mark 4:13-20).
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| [Photo by Tom Hauk on Unsplash] |
The proclamation of the kingdom of God by a ragtag group of poorly educated Galileans appears weak to the human mind. But that small beginning initiates something far larger. But the results cannot be seen at the time the “seed” is sown.
In the end, the proclamation of the gospel will
usher in the long-promised reign and realm of God, including everlasting life
for everyone who responds to it in repentance and faith.
The parable is about the four different ways
the word of the kingdom is received. The seed sown on the hardened soil meets
with no positive response.
Some seed is received initially with
enthusiasm but then forsaken when circumstances become challenging. Others
receive the seed, but then it is smothered when they turn their attention to the
competing forces of this age.
And the seed that falls on good soil
represents the men and women who hear the gospel, respond to it with faith, and
then bear fruit.
Jesus faced outright rejection by some,
initial acceptance by others who were not prepared to pay the required costs, and
acceptance by still others who later recanted because of the deceitfulness of
riches.
It is the same for every disciple who heeds
the call and begins to sow the good seed of the kingdom of God. And disciples
faithfully preaching the gospel - regardless
of how things look - is how the kingdom of God advances across the
earth until its consummation when Jesus arrives to reap the final harvest.
And
“sowing” the gospel was why the “Sower” was sent into the world,
and is the primary task that has since fallen to his followers.
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