The Gospel of Mark 4:1-25 - The Kingdom Insiders vs Outsiders

Gospel of Mark

Dec 28

Surrounded by a huge crowd, Jesus did not seek to impress them with His knowledge. He did not seek to gain more fame by explaining the mysteries of the Kingdom. Instead, he spoke to those who were walking in rebellion in a way that veiled the truth. Yet, He calls these same people to repent and believe in Him. After this they may come to Him and learn. This is the meaning behind parables and we will discuss this today.

Text

“Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when he was alone, those around him 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 is in parables, so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Mark 4:1-25 (ESV)

Discussion:

- “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”

“Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Mark 4:1-9 (ESV)

Jesus starts this time of teaching by opening up with a parable, a story that is intended to convey a deeper truth. This parable was about a man working in a field to sow seed and the result of his work. He explains that the fruit was based on the soil and location where the seed landed. The good soil and location produced a great return, but there were other locations, such as that which had thorns, that destroyed the seed. Jesus ended the story with a call that whoever had ears to hear should hear. But what does this mean? What does it mean to have ears to hear?

We must first understand that many Jews, at least those in the Qumran sect, believed that God opens a person’s ears (Collins and Attridge 2007, 246). We must also acknowledge that Mark 4:1-25 should be read together, as it is not three separate parts, but should be seen as one section with multiple parts. Often Jewish parables are often “ambiguous” and even some Bible stories provide little detail, in order to provoke thought, and to encourage listeners (and readers) to struggle through interpretation (Marcus 2008, 294-295). In other words, Jesus, as well as other Jews, would tell a parable in a way that you had to contemplate the story as well as work out the meaning. Jesus wasn’t trying to “dumb down” His message, He wasn’t trying to make it “seeker friendly”, instead, He was telling it in a way that they would only understand after much thought.

However, I want to be clear, this does not mean that Jesus was speaking to only the intelligent, or even a specific group of people. In fact, contrary to that idea, we see that it was the elite that struggled to understand what He was saying. Instead of speaking to the Pharisees (intellectual elite), the Sadducees (ruling class), or even the Essenes and Jerusalem priesthood (priestly class), He often spoke directly to the common people, people like you and I.

So what did having an ear to hear and an eye to see mean? It is clear from the context that not everyone will have the ears to ear, or else the statement would make no sense (Guelich 1989, 196). To understand the statement, let’s take a look at some Old Testament verses that can help inform its meaning.

“Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah: “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not. Do you not fear me? declares the LORD. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the LORD our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.’”
Jeremiah 5:20-24 (ESV)

“Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, who have eyes to see, but see not, who have ears to hear, but hear not, for they are a rebellious house. As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile’s baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house.”
Ezekiel 12:2-3 (ESV)

We can see that the common element is rebellion. Those who do not have an ear to hear are a “rebellious house”. In other words, those who don’t have an ear to hear are those who are closing their ears, shutting down their understanding, so that they won’t have to repent and obey. They walk in rebellion to God and thus do not accept His correction.

This already helps us to understand the context of Jesus words. Jesus is not talking about someone who isn’t smart enough to understand, He isn’t speaking about education, or being in the right place at the right time. He is talking about heart posture, having an obedient heart, one that wants to hear from God and obey. Thus, having an ear to hear is about our heat, not our mind. It’s about having the right attitude towards God and ourselves. It’s about walking in humility.

- “To you has been given”

“And when he was alone, those around him 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 is in parables,”
Mark 4:10-11 (ESV)

Having the idea in mind about what it means to have an ear to hear, we then read that the Disciples did have such an ear, not only this, but Jesus explained that they were to be given the explanation and mean of the parables even when they didn’t understand. Jesus isn’t just trying to keep those who walk in rebellion from understanding, He is also at the same time giving to His disciples understanding when they lack it, much like God gave Daniel an understanding of the kings dreams in Daniel 2:27-30 (Marcus 2008, 298). God does not only withhold, but He also gives. Thus, He perfectly balances mercy, kindness, truth, and judgement.

- “the secret of the Kingdom of God”

What does it mean by secret? How can it be a secret if Jesus is freely teaching His disciples and (later Christians through the Bible)? R. T. France explains that the word secret is related to the Aramaic word which conveys that the meaning has to be given by God, not that it is something that is searched out (like a secret treasure) (France 2002, 196). This, I believe, should be the way we look at all Bible study. We can search something out, but at the end of the day, it is the Holy Spirit that speaks to our hearts and shows us the truth. The truth is not something that God desires to reveal to just one man. Instead, it is something that is open to all those who have ears to hear. Adela Yarbro Collins and Harold W. Attridge explain that “The mystery of the kingdom is the divinely willed way in which the rule of God will manifest itself and come to fulfillment through the agency of Jesus” (Collins and Attridge 2007, 249). In other words, the real meaning of the mystery, the secret, is Jesus Himself and how He would bring the kingdom of God! This makes sense then, for you cannot reject God and at the same time expect to receive from Him.

- “those outside everything is in parables”

To those who are outside the kingdom of God, that is, those who have rejected Him and are in rebellion, only receive parables. We must be careful here. We are not just talking about a normal unbeliever. Remember that previously the Pharisees and Scribes were actively working against Jesus and seeking to murder Him. This is the context of those who are outside the kingdom, and in rebellion against Him (Lane 1974, 157 and 159). However, as Lane points out, this outsider status only exists as long as the outsider continues in rebellion and unbelief. Once they repent, they are able to receive instruction from the Holy Spirit.

- Insiders vs outsiders

Often today there is a desire to remove the “barriers” to the gospel (example, having people close their eyes while you present a call to receive Jesus) and to remove any insider or outsider identity. However, we can see that Jesus did not do this. This is because He defined the kingdom as made up of those who believed in Him. To reject Him was by definition, to be an outsider. If we remove this concept of outsiders then we remove a great transformation, that of outsider to insider. James R. Edwards explains how Jesus used this parable to redefine what it meant to be an outsider and insider which would have been shocking to many Jews of His time (Edwards 2002, 132).

“Parables are thus a way for Jesus to speak to “outsiders” who have ears to hear but do not hear. Outsiders include the public gamut, from declared opposition in the scribes and Pharisees to those who may even sympathize with Jesus but who hear only casually or carelessly and “do not bear fruit” (v. 8). The parable of the sower thus recapitulates the insider-outsider motif of 3:20–35. The categories of insiders and outsiders were familiar enough to Jesus’ hearers, who thought it self-evident that observant Jews (scribes, Pharisees, Zealots, and perhaps Sadducees and Essenes) were insiders, and that lapsed Jews, “am-ha’aretz” (common people), and Gentiles were outsiders. But this division is of no help in understanding insiders and outsiders in relation to Jesus; in fact, it is often reversed.48 In both his person (3:20–35) and parables (4:1–20), Jesus precipitates a crisis among his hearers, dividing them along quite different lines. Insiders are those for whom the fellowship and will of Jesus take precedence over everything else (so 3:14–15, 34–35). They “hear, believe, and bear fruit” (4:20), which is Mark’s definition of faith. They can hear only by being with Jesus, and to them the mystery is revealed.”

This is another example of the “upside down” kingdom, a Kingdom that ran contrary to normal human wisdom. Jesus was not interested on building on intellect, power, or even human wisdom. Instead, He called the lowly, those who were rejected by society, those whom were deemed as common and below understanding, to be those who did understand. This would have been deeply shaming to those in power and those of the elite, and this is one of the reasons why we see them constantly rejecting Him.

- That they may not understand

“so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Mark 4:12-20 (ESV)

It is strange to consider that God desired for those who were walking in rebellion against Him to not understand. Yet remember that this “rejection” by Jesus was not permanent, it was only during active rebellion. Yet the call of Jesus continues even to those who are in rebellion. Come, and repent. Yet we can see that knowledge does not come before belief, and those who are not willing to believe have been judged with ignorance and thus will be outsiders. Understanding first relies on belief. This is contrary to the claims we see today. We often see Atheists say that they cannot believe, yet for Jesus, the belief needed to come first. First, we must accept Jesus and believe in Him. It is later that we can receive the knowledge.

- “nor is anything secret except to come to light”

“And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Mark 4:21-25 (ESV)

Here Jesus ends this teaching by explaining His ultimate goal. Jesus does not desire to leave knowledge hidden, He does not want to hide it under a basket (Lane 1974, 166). Instead, He desires that all would repent and come to Him and thus find life. After this repentance they would receive the knowledge. Thus, the call of Jesus is one that is set where people can see it. He calls to all, crying out that they should hear and come to Him. Yet those who reject the kingdom will find that the lamp on a lampstand is indeed hidden to them. They cannot see it’s light, and thus they, while seeing, are blind. Jesus will not pardon unbelief but instead calls us to believe and then to understand.

Summary

Jesus once again began to reach a huge crowd. Yet when He spoke He spoke in parables so that those who were walking in rebellion against Him would not understand. Those who walked by rejecting Jesus were outsiders. Yet His call is for them to repent and believe in Him. After belief comes knowledge. Thus, faith is greater than knowledge.

Life Application

I recently heard a phrase, those who can be talked into something can be talked out of it. But those who have experienced the power of God cannot be reasoned out of belief. This is important. It is easy for us to adjust our understanding as we learn, yet when we see the power of God we receive evidence that cannot be explained away. Belief is not just a mental ascent, an agreement, but is also the work of the Holy Spirit on our heart. Belief is one of the first fruits of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Yet are we making room for such belief? Belief is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process where we learn from Him and learn about Him and walk in relationship with Him.

Before we seek to obey, before we seek knowledge, let us seek to believe. Knowledge and obedience are great, but first let us walk in faith. From this faith we let obedience flow and thus, our belief bears fruit into good works. We can then seek to find knowledge and grow in our understanding.

Questions to Consider

Do I speak to those outside of the Kingdom as if they were not outsiders? If so, what is the possible consequences of this?
Do I spend time thinking about Jesus words and seeking to understand them? If not, do I have ears to hear?

Connections

Matthew 13:1–23
Luke 8:4–18

Outline

Jesus taught the people in Parables.
Parable of the Sower.
Those who are outside of the kingdom only get to hear Parables so that they won’t understand.
Jesus explains the parable of the Sower.
Jesus explains that the purpose to hiding is that it may be revealed.

References-

Adela Yarbro Collins and Harold W. Attridge, Mark: A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007), 246.
Joel Marcus, Mark 1–8: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 294–295.
Robert A. Guelich, Mark 1–8:26, vol. 34A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1989), 196.
Joel Marcus, Mark 1–8: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 298.
R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commenary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2002), 196.
Adela Yarbro Collins and Harold W. Attridge, Mark: A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007), 249.
“Mark 4:11–12 is properly understood only in the context of the contemporaneous situation set forth in Ch. 3, where unbelief and opposition to Jesus is blatant. In Ch. 3:6 Jesus’ opponents conspire to secure his destruction, while in Ch. 3:22 they declare that his power is demonic. It is against this background that in Ch. 4:11–12 Jesus makes a sharp distinction between the disciples (to whom God entrusts the mystery of the Kingdom) and the unbelieving multitude (from whom the truth is concealed)… The citation of Isa. 6:9f. does not mean that “those outside” are denied the possibility of belief. It indicates that they are excluded from the opportunity of being further instructed in the secret of the Kingdom so long as unbelief continues.”
William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 157, 159.
James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 132.
William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 166.