The Power of God’s Word, Pt. 5
Continuing our study of the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-20), this article will begin examining the interpretation of the parable.
As I mentioned last week, we have a responsibility to steward God’s Word in our lives. Through Christ, we are made kings and priests. Therefore, we must strive to comprehend God’s truths and strategies.
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. (Prov. 25:2 NKJV)
Furthermore, God wishes to unveil His purposes and mysteries to His people. What we gain through revelation and understanding can be handed down to our children and their children.
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (Deut. 29:29 NKJV)
For many, the pursuit of God, His Word, and attentive listening is insufficient. Furthermore, humanity can “listen” yet may not truly “hear” or “understand” what is being communicated.
The Word is proclaimed (the seed is sown), but it must be heard (received) and responded to. It is not enough to simply hear a Word spoken to you; faith and obedience are required to witness fulfillment.
Parables do not obscure the truth; rather, they illuminate the human condition of blindness. To grasp the Kingdom Truths, one must “pursue” God—not “resist” Him. Action is necessary on our part to truly “hear.”
Interpretation of the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:13-20)
Jesus announced the arrival of the Kingdom of God in Mark 1:15; now He begins to explain its meaning through parables. In this parable, Jesus describes different types of soil and how they determine the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the Word sown.
The religious leaders, his family, and most of the nation were blinded to the truth that Jesus was bringing. He conveyed a message about God’s kingdom being established, but to them, His message remained hidden, as their expectations differed.
They expected a Messiah to establish a dominant kingdom that would overthrow the Romans and other Jewish enemies. Instead, Jesus suggested that God’s kingdom arrives more like a farmer sowing seed, much of it seemingly wasted because the soil isn’t suitable and cannot sustain the truth contained in the seed.
God was neither cruel to ancient Israel nor to humanity today. A hardness of heart prevents people from seeing and hearing what God is revealing (see Mark 6:51-52). The Kingdom of God is concealed, not by God’s divine choice, but by human will.
For those who persist in their human reasoning or selfish ways toward God, the parables remain “opaque,” so they “see and don’t perceive… they hear and don’t understand.” God desires that they would repent, turn to Him, be converted, and forgiven. This principle applies to all revealed truth in God’s Kingdom.
Don’t You Understand this Parable?
13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? (Mark 4:13 NIV)
Jesus clearly states, “If you can’t understand this parable, how will you grasp the more challenging ones?” This parable offers insight into the progressive nature of God’s Word.
The progressive nature of the parable illustrates that having the “mystery” does not ensure proper alignment with truth, God’s promises, and expectations.
We can comprehend the mystery of the kingdom (God was in Jesus reconciling the world to Himself), but understanding the foundational truth of the gospel isn’t sufficient to achieve one’s salvation or to advance in the deeper truths of the kingdom.
God’s Word is alive and grows in hearts that are receptive to Him. Relationship is foundational to kingdom growth, and cultivating one’s heart is a vital component. God reveals His secrets to friends- those who walk with Him in sincerity of heart.
The Sower
“The Sower sows the Word.” (Mark 4:14 NKJV)
Jesus is the Sower, and the word He sows is the gospel of the Kingdom (Mark 1:15), which later becomes the Church’s message of salvation in Christ. For example:
4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, 5 which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News. (Col. 1:4-5 NLT)
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. (James 1:21 NIV)
“But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. (1 Pet. 1:25 NLT)
The parable highlights four different human responses—representing distinct categories of people, but also reflecting the responses of the same individual at different times. It embodies the gospel message while also applying to all the revelation that God gives us.
First, the seed sown on the wayside.
“15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:15 NKJV)
The ones on the wayside are those in whom the word elicits no interest or receptivity. Like seed on a hard-trodden path, the gospel has no opportunity to take root. Satan snatches it away—perhaps through distractions, fears, offenses, unbelief, or flawed human reasoning.
Paul states, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Cor. 4:4 NIV)
While many in the 21st century dismiss the idea of a literal “devil” or Satan, both Jesus and Paul clearly identified this spiritual being as an enemy who deceives, steals, and inflicts suffering on humanity.
To illustrate how the enemy deceives, consider how Peter was swayed by the enemy’s lies and schemes when Jesus spoke to him and the other disciples about His impending death.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Mk 8:31-33 NIV)
As a result of Satan’s lies, Peter rejects the Word concerning Jesus’ impending suffering and death. Jesus immediately refers to him as Satan! While Peter wasn’t possessed by Satan at this moment, his thoughts were influenced by him. His human reasoning and agreement with the lies of the evil one opposed God’s purposes.
Once again, Satan and the forces of darkness are our adversaries; Jesus characterized Satan as a thief, and Peter identified him as an enemy:
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 NKJV)
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Pet. 5:8 NLT)
Peter states in the following verse, “Resist him, being steadfast in the faith…”
Here is the good news: Jesus has triumphed over him at Calvary. Paul speaks of Christ’s victory over these evil powers:
In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. (Col. 2:15 NLT)
God desires that His people live a blessed, abundant, and peaceful life. The enemy, however, attempts to rob us of God’s promise of abundant living. Therefore, recognize Satan’s schemes, be alert, and spiritually resist him with steadfast faith in Christ. As Paul writes in Ephesians, put on the full armor of God and use His spiritual weapons to fight the good fight of faith, living as an overcomer and believing for God’s best in your life.
The path can represent a heart of unbelief—hardened heart. In Mark 6:1-6, the people heard the word but were offended, resulting in no miracles; the word or gospel of the kingdom was “stolen” from them.
The Lord spoke to me, saying, “Some are losing answers to their problems because promises are being stolen!”
You need faith for a promise, and then faith for the answer! Believe in God’s word, and allow it to take root and flourish in your life to see prayers answered and promises fulfilled!
I’ll continue next week with the Interpretation of the Parable of the Sower.
