(Leaders copy)

17 May 2013

The Parable of the Sower:

The condition of our hearts determines the effectiveness of Gods word in our
lives

Though the word of God is life-giving and powerful, it seems to transform the
lives of some but not that of others. Two persons can hear the same message
being preached in a church service. One can leave with conviction and
repentance that leads to a life of discipleship and transformation. The other
can leave unchanged with only a mere concern for earthly things.

In todays discussion, we want to turn to one of Jesus parable which will help
to shed light on this issue.

B-ible Reading
Mark 4:1-25

U-nderstand the Context

After Jesus had begun his powerful preaching and healing ministry (Mark 1-
3), he was met with tremendous opposition and unbelief from two groups of
people whom one would least likely to expect the Pharisees 1 (3:6; 22) and
Jesus kinsmen (3:21). This is then followed immediately by Jesus preaching
of the parable of the sower where he began with the seed that fell on the hard
soil. This has clear reference to the blindness and hardness of the Pharisees
and Jesus kinsmen.

The rest of the soils have reference to characters that would unfold in the rest
of the gospel story. Thus, the parable of the sower serves as a plot synopsis
for the rest of Marks gospel, where the different characters are portrayed in
terms of their different response to the true meaning of Jesus message and
ministry.

I-nterpret the Meaning

1. The Pharisees and Jesus kinsmen are examples of the hard soil. The
Pharisees knew the Scriptures well and were very religious, yet Jesus
quoted the prophet Isaiah against them (Mark 7:6-7a) for being hypocrites.
Jesus kinsmen were from his own hometown and knew him well, yet they
wanted to seize him because they thought he had gone mad (Mark 3:21).
Both rejected Jesus and his word. What do you think was the reason for
their rejection?

1
Though 3:22 mentions the scribes, for simplicity of discussion, we will just group them
together under the category Pharisees.

1
 Ans. The reason why Jesus quoted Isaiah against the Pharisees was
because they were outwardly religious but inwardly unrepentant of sin.
They trusted in their outward religious observances to be right with God.
Even though Jesus revealed their true state, they would not listen and
repent. Jesus kinsmen were familiar with Jesus because they saw him
grow up. Like the hard soil, they were both hardened and blinded from
perceiving him as the Christ. They could not accept his word to become
his disciples.

2. An example of the rocky soil is the multitudes. Though they were

repeatedly described as being amazed or astonished at Jesus teaching
and miracles, and wanted Jesus to heal them (Mark 1:27-28; 32-34; 2:12-
13; 3:7-10; 6:53-56; 7:37; 11:18; 12:37), they did not become Jesus
disciples. Why do you think so?

Ans. The multitudes were only chasing after the miracles and healings but
not Jesus himself. They were not willing to become his disciples by
following his teachings. Like the rocky soil, they were quickly amazed and
excited by Jesus teachings and miracles, but were also quick to fall away
when Jesus was crucified. They were shallow and lacked perseverance
in following Christ.

3. An example of the thorny soil is the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-23). He
has kept all the commandments since young but was unwilling to give up
everything to obey Jesus call to discipleship. What do you think was
holding him back?

Ans. Even though the rich young ruler had kept all the commandments, he
had a spiritual hunger for more. In response, Jesus called him to give up
everything and follow him. However, the rich young ruler was not willing to
part with his material possessions to obey the call to discipleship. Like the
soil choked by thorns, he was distracted from fulfilling his spiritual potential
as a disciple of Christ because he was entangled by his material
possessions.

L-ive out the Truth

1. Like the multitudes, many Christians chase after the miracles and
blessings of God instead of God Himself. Discuss how we can keep
ourselves from making this mistake.

Ans. We need to constantly review our focus in coming to God and church
to make sure we are not just chasing after His blessings but also
developing intimacy with God.

2. The thorns that choke the seed of Gods word in our lives can also come in
the form of unresolved emotional baggages. Discuss what the emotional
baggages are and what we can do to deal with them.

2
 The problem is not with the seed but the condition of the soil:
The condition of our hearts determines the effectiveness of
Gods word in our lives

D-ivine Enablement
In small groups of two or three, share with one another an area they feel
challenged by the Lord in response to todays discussion. Pray for one
another.

This discussion is adapted from a sermon preached in COOS by Pastor Mark

Tho, dated 28 April 2013, 8.30am service. The sermon is available on our
COOS website http://www.coos.org.sg/sermons_sr.php.