Parables Lesson One
Parables in the Gospel of Mark:
An Internet Bible Study Courtesy of PGUMC
Lesson One: Mark 4:3-8 (1-20) The Parable of the Sower
Review
Before we begin this lesson, I would like to share some of the responses from the discussion questions from the Introduction.
1. How do you use parables in communicating with others about difficult or controversial topics?
A: I DON’T – I TEND TO BE DIRECT
John: Are you sure? We often consider our own speech to be plain and clear, but we all use certain shortcuts and technical terms specific to our culture, profession, and period. Listen to a conversation in the coming days and pretend that you are a visitor from another planet or time. You may be surprised at what you hear if you take it all literally.
B: In class this past year (I taught eighth-grade language arts), we often encountered concepts in literature that were difficult for the students to grasp. I didn’t exactly tell “parables” but I would give them an “for instance.” I would say, “OK, if you don’t understand why the path to the town was so curvy, think about this for instance:…” Then I would get them to imagine the area before the town was built and the cows or the pigs making trails and then the people coming along and building roads where the cow trails were before. So, I think Jesus used parables to help the people understand concepts by using imagery they were very familiar with — such as sowing seeds.
John: Jesus also used the common experiences of life to reveal the mystery that surrounds us. He probably confused more folks than he illumined. Mark seems to think that this was intentional.
2. How does this brief introduction help you to understand the role of parables in Mark?
A: I APPRECIATE THE ROLE OF THE PARABLE AS ASSISTING IN CHRIST’S TEACHING WHILE AT THE SAME TIME KEEPING THE “MESSIANIC” SECRET, AND ITS ROLE IN THE ORAL TRADITIONS
B: Yes…I have heard much of this explanation before but not in this depth.
John: I am not known for my brevity.
3. Have you ever encountered situations where the change in language over time completely changed the meaning of something drastically?
A: NICE” POINT – THE WORD “NICE” USED TO BE USED AS A VERY BLAND OR UNDESIRABLE WAY – WE NOW USE IT IN AN OPPOSITE FASHION
John: Interesting 
B. Well, obviously, we have all read “Romeo and Juliet” in school and had to constantly look at the footnotes to understand the meaning. I’ve run into that even with eighth-grade literature. We read a story about Abraham Lincoln and I had to explain the meaning of bureau to my students. Most of them had never heard of a chest of drawers being called a bureau.
John: I cannot appreciate Rap Music without the aid of an interpreter.
4. What questions or observations do you have at this point?
A: WHAT IS THE DATE AND SOURCE OF THE “NON-SYNOPTIC” GOSPEL OF JOHN? THE USE OF LANGUAGE IS MUCH MORE POETIC IN MY EXPERIENCE OF READING JOHN – I TAKE IT THAT IT WAS LIKELY WRITTEN FROM A MORE LITERARY POINT OF VIEW.
John: You are correct. The language of the Fourth Gospel is very poetic and sometimes lyrical. The dating of the Gospels is not exact. We do not have an original signed manuscript for any of them. We can hazard a date for their writing based on a number of factors. Sometimes we have a letter that quotes from a particular Gospel that can be dated and we know that the Gospel was in use prior to that time. We have also found inscriptions or other artifacts that can be dated. Additional each of the Gospels is attributed to a specific Christian Community. We have a rough idea of the history of these communities and can guess as to the time frame in which the Gospel could have been written.
However there are many different manuscripts and fragments of each or the Gospels. The Gospels as we know them were “closed” and canonized between the Third and Fourth Century.
To answer your question the Gospel of John was written in Asia Minor (Ephesus) sometime between 90 A.D. and early 100s. It uses sources that seem to be unique and independent from the Synoptic Gospels and is more Hellenistic in its language and logic.
B: None
THE TEXT
Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3“Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. 6And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” 9And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”
10When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; 12in order that
‘they may indeed look, but not perceive,
and may indeed listen, but not understand;
so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’”
13And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, 19but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. 20And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
–Mark 4:1-20 (NRSV)
THE CONTEXT
A. First Century Palestine
First century Palestine was essentially an agrarian society. Even in the urban areas people were attuned to the rhythms of seasons and the timing of the harvest of various crops. If you look at the religious festivals of the Temple in Jerusalem you will find that they intentionally correlate to the various activities of agriculture.
Farming was very primitive compared to modern practices. For cereal grains the average yield was probably 7 to 10 percent, which is a huge investment for a modest return. Much of the science of biology and horticulture were still an undiscovered mystery. The Ancients did not understand exactly how things worked. Farming was often a matter of life or death and was naturally a religious matter. Fertility Cults and Rituals were among the earliest developments in Near Eastern Cultures and around the world.
Most agrarian cultures were run under a feudal system. The Lord owned the land and all that was on it and all that was produced by it. The Lord was typically an absent landlord and the Steward or Manager over saw the day-to-day operations. The people or tenants worked the land and paid for rent and supplies with a percentage of the harvest. It was common for the tenants to become enslaved to the Lord as a result of failure to pay due to failed crops. This is not far removed from the Share Cropping and Mill Systems of our own history.
B. Within the Gospel of Mark
Mark Chapter Four has a series of parables based on agriculture. Strung together the build on each other while remaining distinct and separate. Before launching into these parables it might be helpful to remember what is happening in the Gospel story at this point.
Mark 3:1-6
Jesus heals a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath and the Pharisees conspire with the Herodians (we are not sure who they are, but my guess is that they were those who were loyal to Herod Antipas) to destroy him.
Mark 3:7-12
Crowds seeking to be healed mobs Jesus. Demons proclaim that, “You are the Son of God” and Jesus sternly orders (rebukes) them not to make him known.
Mark 3:13-19a
Jesus appoints the Twelve to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message, and cast out demons.
Mark 3:19b-30
The crowd mod Jesus at his home so that he does not even have time to eat. Jesus’ family comes to restrain him after hearing reports that he had gone insane. Scribes from Jerusalem accuse Jesus of demon possession and claim that he cast out demons in the name of Beelzebub. Jesus responds by saying that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. He further warns the Scribes that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. (we could spend a month on this section alone.)
Mark 3:31-35
Jesus’ mother and his brothers come (presumably to restrain him see above) but cannot or will not enter the house. When Jesus hears of this he asks, “Who are my mother and brothers?…Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.
and then we come to Chapter 4
Jesus is teaching from a boat by the sea (Psalm 29:10?) because of the size of the crowd and “he began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them…” v. 2
ENCOUNTERING THE TEXT PART ONE
Please take the time to read carefully. Read and reread the parable slowly. Make note of any important or unusual words or situations you encounter. After you have finished spend some time in reflection and prayer and consider the questions that follow.
3‘Listen! A sower went out to sow.
4And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. 6And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away.
7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.
8Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’
9And he said, ‘Let anyone with ears to hear listen!’ -Mark 4:3-9 (NRSV)
- Questions for discussion part one
1. Is this an allegory? (I know that Mark treats it as one and has an interpretation in vs. 14-20, but let’s not take the answer for granted and don’t peek.) Is this just a running metaphor or is there a one to one correlation between the elements of the story and the experiences of Jesus’ audience?
2. If we deem this to be an allegory what does each of the following represent?
a. the sower
b. sowing
c. seed
d. the path
e. the birds
f. the rocky ground
g. the sun
h. thorns
i. good soil
3. If we assume that this parable is an allegory, what is the moral? I have heard many sermons about the importance of being good soil, but is that possible? Can the path or the rocky ground or the thorny patches become good soil by sheer will power and positive thinking? (I always thought that “rocky ground” would make a great church name. As in Rocky Ground UMC.)
4. For whom is the parable intended? Who has the ears to listen?
5. Is the sower responsible for where the seed falls?
6. Is the seed responsible for where it falls?
7. Is the soil responsible for the fate of the seed?
8. Where in the parable does Jesus put the most emphasis?
8. What is the difference between sowing and planting?
9. How do yields of thirty, sixty, and hundredfold compare to the average crop yields of the time? What do you think is significant about the difference?
10. Do you think this parable is descriptive (describes how things are) or prescriptive (proclaims how things aught to be)?
10. How does reading carefully change you understanding of the parable?
11. Have you heard interpretations of this parable that do not match with what it actually says?
12. Where do you find yourself represented in this parable? Explain.
13. What lesson is Jesus teaching us today?
- ENCOUNTERING THE TEXT PART TWO
Using the same guidelines as before.
When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that
‘they may indeed look, but not perceive,
and may indeed listen, but not understand;
so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’”†
And he said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? -Mark 4:10-13 (NRSV)
†(See Isaiah 6:9-10)
Questions for discussion part two
1. Who does Mark 4:10-12 fit into our discussion on Jesus’ use of parables in the Introduction? Is this consistent? (See also Mark 7:17-22; 9:28-29; 13:3-37)
2. In this passage Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10. Isaiah 6 is the story of Isaiah’s call to the prophetic office. What do you think is Jesus intent in using this quote? Did you notice any differences?
3. How do you think the disciples answered Jesus’ questions in verse 13?
4. How does this passage help your understanding of the confrontational tone of Mark? What does this infer about the experiences of Mark’s community?
4. How does this challenge you assumptions about Jesus?
5. Why do you think Jesus said this?
- ENCOUNTERING THE TEXT PART THREE
Using the same guidelines as before.
14The sower sows the word.
15These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.
16And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
18And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, 19but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing.
20And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’ –Mark 4:14-20 (NRSV)
At this point I need to tell you that Mark 4:14-20 is contested territory. Many respectable biblical scholars (such as John Drury) argue that these are the words of “Mark” and not the teachings of Jesus. Toward this they point out that the rabbi would never offer an explanation to a parable as it undermines the point of the parable, which like a good joke is killed by explaining it. Secondly, they point out that Mark is using the interpretation of the parable as a literary device to foreshadow events that will happen in coming chapters. This looks something like this…
Seeds on the path = Mark 8:27-33
Seeds on rocky soil = Mark 14: 43-50 or Mark 13
Seeds in the thorns = Mark 10:17-22
Regardless of the source of this passage it most certainly is a part of Mark’s Gospel, a part of Christian Scripture, and not something to be brushed aside and ignored. Looking at this allegorical interpretation we are told that:
a. seed = the word
b. birds = Satan
c. trouble or persecution = sun
d. thorns = cares of the world, lure of wealth, and desire for other things
But there is a problem (or problems). There is no explanation about the path, rocky ground, thorny patch, or good soil. Instead we hear about: ones on the path, ones sown on rocky ground, those sown among the thorns, and those sown on good soil. This is not an explanation of the soils but about what is sown. So is the seed the word or the ones who hear the word? It is ambiguous at best! To complicate things further there is no mention as to the identity of the sower. Not only does this highlight the difficulty of using an analogy to interpret a parable it seems to have missed some middle term or skipped tracks (it also completely destroys the sermons that I mentioned before. It’s not easy being a preacher! Consider taking your pastor out to lunch sometime and let her/him know that you have learned how difficult it can be to come up with something intelligent and honest to say week after week). This is hard to understand, but don’t give up. Continue to wrestle with it.
- Questions for Discussion Part Three
1. Is this parable an allegory?
2. Has verses 14-20 changed any of your answers to question 2 in part one? Explain.
3. Can we be the sower, the seed, and the soil at different times and stages of our lives? Explain.
4. If we assume that the parable is about how people in different situations receive and respond to the gospel, can we be the path, the rocky ground, the thorny patch, and the good soil at different times? If so, please share an example of each.
5. Imagine for a moment that we are talking about evangelism and you (gasp) are the sower.
A. How does this parable change, challenge, or confirm your understanding of what
evangelism is and how it works?
B. According to Mark, who should hear the Gospel?
C. How could this parable affect our feelings of disappointment when we feel
unsuccessful at reaching others with the gospel? Or success when we do?
D. Who is responsible for the outcomes of the sowing?
6. How do you think this parable relates to the thinks going on in Mark up to this point?
7. How do you respond to the theory that this is a foreshadowing of things to come?
Does this give you a better understanding of how Mark is organizing the action and the theological framework that is at play?
8. What do you think is the moral of this parable?
9. What questions of suggestions do you have at this point?
Challenge: Rewrite the parable of the sower for a contemporary audience using common experiences and ideas.
Please respond with your answers and I will post Lesson Two: Mark 4:21-25 Lamp Under a Basket soon! Keep up the great work!
