Today’s passage: Mark 4:1-20
Helpful thoughts:
- Jesus teaches this parable of the sower (And the good soil) and then explains it for His followers.
- In verse 12, Jesus references text and/or concepts from Isaiah 6:9-10, Deuteronomy 29:4, Jeremiah 5:21 and Ezekiel 12:2.
- Though there is an apparent increasing interest in the word being communicated, it appears only the heart of “good soil” truly believes and bears fruit (Ephesians 2:10).
Questions to consider:
- What does Jesus say is the purpose of the parables? Was Jesus clamoring or begging to get as many followers as He possibly could? What are we to make of this? How do we reconcile this idea with the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)?
- With whom was the word shared? Does this parable teach us to only share with those whose hearts are determined to be “Good soil?” When will we even come to know that the good soil was/is present?
- How does a person come to possess a heart of good soil? Can we cultivate that on our own before someone shares the gospel with us, before we believe? Or, what might God be doing in the life of a person to bring them to repentance? (Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinthians 5:17)