Have you ever told a child to use their words? Have you ever felt the frustration of not being able to communicate with another person because there was a language barrier and you could not understand each other? Do you know how annoying it is to live with someone who is hard of hearing? Have you ever been the one who cannot hear?
Words are like seeds. They can be used to plant thoughts in the minds of those who have the ability to hear. In Mark 4 when Jesus began teaching the multitude He said, “Listen! Behold.” Jesus was using His words to plant a picture in their minds. He was translating spiritual pictures into everyday experiences they would be familiar with.
Jesus was teaching about the mystery, the secret, of the kingdom of God. In order for His hearers to understand, He had to translate these spiritual truths into a pictures common for them. Jesus’ audience would have seen farmers sowing seeds, and so Jesus sowed the seeds of the kingdom as He placed the picture of the kingdom of God beside a picture they were familiar with. He ended this parable by saying, “Anyone who has ears should listen.”
The disciples waited until they were alone with Jesus to ask Him what the secret was. I guess they didn’t want to admit in front of everyone that they didn’t understand. Jesus explained that the seed was God’s word. The sower sows the word. There is power in the word, the power to unlock the mysteries of God’s kingdom. But the seed that fell on the path was snatched up by the birds (translated to mean that Satan took the word away). The seed that fell on rocky soil had no root and was short lived (translated to mean when God’s word made life difficult they quit). Other seed was sown among the thorns (translated to mean that other things like anxiety, money, or anything that is deemed more important choked the ability to receive the truth about God’s kingdom).
The last soil Jesus spoke of was good soil. This soil could produce a crop of 30, 60, up to 100 times what was sown. This was impressive to those listening since back then a yield of 10 to 1 was considered a fine crop. But the seed Jesus spoke of was the living word of God.
Jesus began telling the secret of the kingdom of God by saying, “Listen!” He ended by saying, “Anyone who had ears to hear should listen” (Mark 4:9)! The mystery has been spoken. Were you able to hear it? The sower has sown the seeds. What is the condition of your soul?
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