CHAPTER 4

1 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
14 The sower soweth the word.
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

We learned in Chapter 3, verse 9, that Jesus used a small ship to teach the multitudes. He would stand in the ship, a little offshore, and use the beach as an amphitheatre.

This is ONE parable which Jesus taught, and then explained to His disciples. Let's treat it as such, and learn the truths as Jesus explained them.

FIRST TRUTH
And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? (vs 13)

THIS is, I believe, the main point of the parable!

EACH parable of Jesus is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. It is our duty, as Christians, to be humble and learn from our Teacher, Jesus. It is ours to dig deep into the spiritual nature of His "Word", and let His Holy Spirit teach us the truth! (See John 14:26).

Now, if a person who calls themselves a Christian is NOT doing this, there is only one of two things the matter:
ONE, he/she has never truly surrendered to the will of God in his/her life;
TWO, he/she is definitely lax in their ownership of Christ as LORD of their lives.

SECOND TRUTH
As Jesus taught the parable, HE was the "Sower." (See vss 3&14) He was sowing the Word of God.
Later, as Jesus explained the parable, the disciples realized that THEY become the "sower."
And you and I, Christians, are the sowers of God's Word today!

THIRD TRUTH
Some people live on the "way side" of life (vss 4&15). Their heart is not cultivated ground. Too preoccupied with self, they are not interested in truth. Though they might hear it, the truth is received in a negligent manner. It is then quite easily that Satan comes and plucks the truth away quickly.

FOURTH TRUTH
Some people live on the "stony ground" of life (vss 5-6 & 16-17). Jesus said these receive the Gospel "with gladness." Perhaps they live knowledgeable of sin, and realizing the consequences of sin. However, they have "no root in themselves."

These receive mercy and forgiveness readily, because of their self, or social realization of sin. But then comes the "affliction or persecution for the Word's sake," when they are tested to live by the will of God. And "immediately they are offended." They are not surrendered to the will of God because they are never grounded in the Word of God. Therefore, they can not bear fruit, and soon become negiligible in "the way"(See 1John 2:6) of Jesus Christ.

FIFTH TRUTH
And some people live in the "thorns" of life (vss 7 & 18-19). They are concerned for the things of spirituality and eternity. But the "cares of this world" take precedence in their lives. Soon, those "cares of this world,...choke the Word," and they become "unfruitful."

Pride, self-esteem, and self-gain bar the person from living in the truth of the Gospel. The truth of the Gospel is: It's all about JESUS, NOT about you!

SIXTH TRUTH
Some people live in "good ground" (vss 8 & 20). These are willing not only to hear the good news of God's gracious salvation; but also willing to apply themselves to the Word, and become disciples. They are both willing to "receive" and to "bring forth fruit." They are willing to WORK in the ministry of Jesus!

These will humble themselves before God; pray diligently; seek to know Jesus more by study of the Word; and turn away from sinfulness (See 2Chronicles 7:14). Because they are humble as servants of Christ; because they are steeped in prayer; because they are "rooted and grounded" in the love of Christ by study of Him in the Word (See Ephesians 3:17); they strive to stay away from sin and do the will of God in their lives.

God blesses them with "fruit"!
Praise God! It is not OUR fruit, but HIS! He allows us to SEE the fruit, and encourages us in continuance of the ministry!

SEVENTH TRUTH
The "seed" (the Word of the Gospel) is to be sown EVERYWHERE!
YES! EVERYWHERE! On the path, on the rocks, in the thorns, and on good ground - EVERYWHERE!

Once we are born again, or saved, we have a compelling interest in the things of God. We are, after all, "heirs" (See Romans 8:17) of God. Therefore, "as new borne babes" (1Peter 2:2), we are to "grow up into HIM in all things." (Ephesians 4:15) That means we GROW into allowing God's desires to become more and more our own desires! And God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2Peter 3:9)

Keep in mind, when a person is sowing, he/she is scattering irregardless of where the seed lands!

It is GOD'S job to determine the receipt of the Gospel!
It is the Christians job to simply sow the Gospel!

21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

Jesus continues the theme that it is EVERY Christian's responsibility to sow the Gospel, or Good News of God's salvation through Christ.

When one lights a candle, it is not for the purpose of being hidden. It is for the purpose of being seen, and to produce light all around it.

When Christ comes into a person's heart, a great candle is lit! This is the "light of the world" (See Matthew 5:14).

Be sure that the smallest dropping of the seed is not hidden (vs 22), for it shall be "made manifest" in glory!

Having "ears to hear" means not only to hear the sounds, but to pay attention to their meaning. Don't just hear the Word of God, dig deep into the meaning!

24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

"Take heed what ye hear"(vs 24), develop it in your heart and mind, and learn how to USE it. The manner in which you make use of what God teaches in His Word determines how you will "mete," or use it in the world. And the manner in which you use it in the world determines how rewards will be "measured" to you.

He that has the Word of God, and shares the Gospel with others shall have MORE - more joy than he can express with words!

However, he that does NOT have the Word of God, and does not share the gospel, shall LOSE "even that which he hath" - LIFE! Instead of having life, he shall have eternal death!

26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

We may not be able to comprehend the mystery of the germination of seed. Who knows how it can DIE and then become ALIVE again? Who knows how a seed can disentegrate in the ground, but can produce a plant from which fruit is gathered? Yes, scientists can describe the process, but none can tell us WHY!

And who knows WHICH person will be part of that "good ground" and genuinely receive and share the Word (Gospel) of Jesus Christ? ONLY GOD!

But we DO KNOW that when plants are become full, and fruit is ready to harvest, it is time to put in the "sickle!"

Jesus compares the Gospel to a "mustard seed." Although the mustard seed is one of the smallest of seeds, when planted it grows into a bush that reaches 7 to 15 feet in height! And that mustard bush will produce THOUSANDS of seeds!

And God knows when a "mustard seed" grows into a bush! The Gospel may only be a "mustard seed" sown by a Christian. But when it is genuinely received in the heart of a person, it grows into a BUSH and produces MUCH FRUIT!

33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

As Jesus stood in the boat preaching and teaching to the multitudes on the shore, He used these parables. Later, He explained and expounded upon the parables to His disciples - when they were ALONE!

There's a valuable lesson to be received there, Christians. If you want to know more about God, get alone with Him in prayer and study the Bible! His Holy Spirit will "teach you all things" (John 14:26)!

35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Now, it was evening, and Jesus was taking the disciples across the Northern portion of the Sea of Galilee on a ship. The Sea of Galilee is notorious for evening storms. Do you think the storm took Jesus by surprise?

While others were obviously fretting about the storm, Jesus was peacefully asleep. There is definitely something to be said about "Peace In The Midst Of The Storm!" When the soul is perfectly at peace with God, there is peace even when the world is raging!

Jesus Himself had commanded the ship to go across the sea. Why were they fretting? After all, He was WITH them.

Notice that Jesus did not say they had a LACK of faith, but rather they were
not HOLDING to faith. In the Greek it reads "how ye hold not faith?"
He certainly recognized the faith they had in Him, for they were coming to Him for help. But He was slightly chastising them for being unnecessarily fearful.

What is a "lack of faith?" Faith is given when we are saved, but it is also something that must grow. It is something that has to be learned. One need not sow weeds and thorns, they grow naturally. Neither must one sow discontent, malice, covetousness, etc. They are seeds that grow naturally to man. However corn, wheat, beans, etc. must be sown and then cultivated in order to grow and bear fruit. And so it is with faith. The "seed" of faith has already been sown in our lives through surrender to Jesus. However, we are to CULTIVATE that seed and allow it to GROW!

Would you, Christian, experience strong faith in the difficulties of life? Then remember, you are a new creature in Christ Jesus. The seed is planted, you must cultivate.

Read the Word. Heed the Word. Live the Word. Let disciplined education cultivate the plant until the fruit is received.

Our Lord allows us to be "in the storm" at times. He expects us to be fruitful for Him during those times because He is WITH us. And we must remember, that He who led us INTO the storm can QUIET the storm!

Jesus, OWNS the wind (See Psalm 135:7) And Jesus also "gathers the winds in His fist" (See Proverbs 30:4). And Jesus can keep you in "perfect peace" through the winds and storms (See Isaiah 26:3).

PLEASE CONTINUE WITH US IN BIBLE STUDY TOMORROW.