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Mark

Chapter 4
{Verses 1:20: Parable of the Importance of Continuous Positive
  Volition to The Study of God's Word}
4:1``And, again He {Jesus} began to be teaching at the seashore.
And there gathers together face to face with Him a great crowd,
  {the largest crowd in His ministry so far is the point}
so that He entered a ship in order to occupy a place on the sea.
And, the whole crowd was on the land facing the sea.

{The Parable of the 'Sower of the Word of God'}
4:2-3``And He {Jesus} was teaching them many things
by means of parables,
and was saying to them in His teaching/doctrine: 4:3``
 "Be listening! {an order}
The sower went out to sow/'scatter seeds' {speiro}.

4:4``And it came to pass, that while he was sowing,
some {seed} indeed fell alongside the road,
and the birds came and ate it up.

4:5``And, other of the same kind/category {allos}
fell on 'rocky ground' {petrodes}
where it did not have much soil.
And, immediately, it sprang up
because the soil was not deep.

4:6``And, when the sun 'came up'/arose
it was scorched with the heat,
and because it did not possess rootage, it withered.

4:7``And 'other of the same kind' {alla} of seed
fell into the middle of thorns,
and the thorns grew up and utterly choked it,
and it absolutely did not {ouk} produce grain.

4:8``And 'other of the same kind' {alla} of seed
fell on 'good soil'/'ground that was good'
and they kept on 'producing grain'/'yielding fruit',
sprouting/'growing up' and they kept on bearing,
some bore thirty times . . . some sixty . . .
and some a hundred times."

4:9``And He {Jesus} was saying,
"He who has ears to be hearing . . . let him be hearing!"
  {idiom: meaning 'everyone' needs to 'hear, listen, concentrate, and
  obey {shama` in the Hebrew}!}

4:10``And, as soon as He was alone,
those about Him . . . with His Twelve {students/disciples} . . .
went to asking Him concerning the parables.

4:11-12``And He {Jesus} was saying to them, "To you . . .
the mystery {musterion} of the kingdom {plan} of God
has been given . . . and it is in your permanent possession
  {didomi - the great verb of grace - perfect tense - it was given
  in the past with the result that it is ours forever and ever}.
But to 'those who are outside' {ekeinos exo}
  {those who do not believe in Jesus Christ} . . .
in the form of parables are all these things done, 4:12``
in order that seeing/glancing {blepo - a glance} . . .
they may be seeing/glancing . . . and may not perceive,
and hearing . . . they may be hearing . . . and may not understand,
lest haply they turn again {epistrepho}
and it should be forgiven {aphiemi} them.

{Note: Musterion from which we get 'mystery', is derived from mustes meaning 'one initiated' and mueo meaning 'to close or shut'. It was used for the secrets and signs used in secret societies (like fraternities today). In the Scriptures, it means 'those secret doctrines of God's plan (decreed in eternity past) which are hidden from unbelievers (and believers until the Church Age) but when revealed to believers are understood by them.}

{Note: Basileia does mean 'kingdom of the ultimate ruler'. Basileia means absolute ruler - no one, anywhere over Him. The plan was that of God the Father. God the Son and God the Holy Spirit agreed to the plan. It was decreed and that was that. When we believe and take in doctrine to understand His plan, and then apply His plan to our experiences in life, we are in the plan of God . . . we are in the kingdom of God. So, kingdom has both a physical and spiritual connotation.}

{Note: Ekeinos exo means 'those who are outside'. Here it means those who are outside the plan of God. This would always include unbelievers. And, it would also include believers who are 'in reversionism'. This can include baby believers who never take in doctrine to 'grow up'. And also, those who did grow up, but fell away from God and His Word for any reason - too busy with the details of life, became negative to bible teaching, was under his wrong pastor-teacher and rejected his authority. The reason does not matter - there are no excuses before God.}

4:13``And, He {Jesus} says to them,
"Do you absolutely not {ouk} understand this parable?

And, how is it possible that you will know/understand
all the parables?
  {idiom: meaning 'if you do not get this one, how will you get any
  parables?'}

{Note: please keep in mind that the 'disciples' are really 'students' at this point. They are being chastised by their Teacher which is a method to get the student to 'concentrate and try harder'!}

4:14``The one sowing . . .
sows the Word/Doctrine {logos - the 'Word of God'}.

{Note: Jesus Christ is The Logos. The bible is the Mind of Christ. When you study and 'grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ', you are learning His viewpoint - the Divine Viewpoint.}

4:15``And, these are those alongside the road
where the Word is being sown;
and whenever they hear, immediately there comes Satan
and 'snatches away by force' {airo}
the Word which has been sown in them.

{Note: This is the principal that Satan is a genius and has his own army opposing God and His Word. He has created many systems of thinking that are opposed to God's divine viewpoint. Many people will hear the Word and reject it as Truth, because they have 'bought into' the false doctrine/viewpoints of false public and private teachers, false pastors, false news-reporters - any opinion that is contrary to that expressed in the written Word of God.}

4:16-17``And these are they likewise/
'on the same principal of interpretation'
those who are being sown on the 'rocky ground'/'ground full of rocks'
who . . . whenever they hear the Word . . .
immediately receive it with joy; 4:17``
indeed . . . they absolutely do not {ouk} have rootage in themselves
  {'rootage' here is 'lasting positive volition for the long haul'},
moreover {alla} . . . last only for a time.

After that, affliction or persecution having come,
  {the 'doctrine does not work' crowd - testing for advancement
  comes and they fail and leave the study of the Word}
'because of'/'on account of' the Word . . .
  {a rock that glitters is not necessarily gold - it needs to be 'tested'
  or 'proved' to demonstrate that it is Truly Gold. All believers
  growing in spiritual maturity will have that knowledge tested to
  prove to angels and men that this Truly is Gold (of intrinsic value).}
immediately they are displeased/indignant/resentful {skandalizo}.

4:18-19``And, others of the same category/kind
are those who heard the Word, 4:19``
and the anxieties/cares {merimna} of the present age {aion}
and the deceitfulness {apate} of wealth {ploutos},
and the 'passionate desires'/lusts {epithumia}
'of the rest of the things not in these categories' {loipoy}
entering in . . . choke the Word . . . and it becomes unfruitful.

{Note: These verses are of priorities in life. If bible doctrine is NOT first in your life, then some 'detail of life' is. God must be first in your spiritual life. And, His Word must be first in your priorities of life's activities (that means to make sure your first priority is to schedule into your day an hour or more to study His Word).}

4:20``And those are they which were sown on ground that is good,
which are of such a nature as hear the Word . . .
and receive it . . . and bear fruit . . .
some thirty times/fold . . . , some sixty, and some a hundred."

{The Parable of the Lamp}
4:21``And, He {Jesus} was saying to them,
"The lamp "isn't brought"/'does not come"
to be put under a basket/'peck measure'
or under a bed/'reclining couch', is it? No it is not. {meti}
  {meti is a Greek negative that indicates a negative response}
Does it absolutely not {ouk} come
in order to be placed upon the lampstand?

4:22``For there keeps on being absolutely not {ouk} anything
which is hidden {kruptos},
except if {ean} it might be made known {phaneroo}
-maybe it will be, maybe it will not - {3rd class condition}.

Nor has anything become hidden/'stored up' {apokruphos}
but in order that It might come
'into full view'/apparent/manifest/'plainly recognized' {phaneros}.

4:23``If {ei} anyone has ears to be hearing
-and it is true, you do have ears {1st class condition} -
 let him be hearing!"

{Note: Akouo akouo - to double in the Greek is very strong. Means to hear. In the Hebrew, this has a similar effect to shama` which fully means to 'hear, listen, concentrate, and obey'.}

4:24-25``And He {Jesus} was saying to them,
"Keep ever a watchful eye on what you are hearing.
In the measure by which you are measuring,
it will be measured to you.
And, it will be measured to you not only according to that measure,
but there will be some added on top of that. 4:25``
For he who has, it shall be be given to him.
And, he who does not have,
even that which he has, shall be taken away from him.

{Note: These verses mean that the more a man hears (studies), listens and concentrates on Bible doctrine/Divine Viewpoint, then the more he can think and apply divine viewpoint. The more he thinks divine viewpoint , the more he will understand divine viewpoint. The less a man 'thinks and applies to experience' divine viewpoint, the less divine viewpoint he will understand.}

4:26-27``And He was saying,
"In this manner, is the kingdom of God . . .
as if {ean} a man should throw the seed upon the ground 4:27``
-maybe he will throw, maybe he will not {3rd class condition} -
and should be sleeping and arising night and day,
and the seed should be sprouting and lengthening/growing . . .
how . . . he absolutely does not {ouk} himself know.

{Note: The mechanics of how divine viewpoint replaces your human viewpoint and actually facilitates the metabolism of more divine viewpoint is not important to understand. What is important is that you continue to shama` doctrine on a consistent and daily (with the analogy of seed - it is good to water your fields daily not once a week or twice a year!) basis. A little here and a little there - line upon line, precept upon precept (see Isaiah 28:10).}

4:28``The earth bears grain/fruit spontaneously {automatos},
first the stalk/herbage,
then the head/covering for the grain/ear,
then the fully developed grain in the head/covering.

4:29``And when the grain/fruit 'is ripe'/permits,
immediately, he sends forth {apostello} the sickle . . .
because the harvest 'stands ready'/'has come'."

{Note: Apostello means to 'send on a mission under the authority of one in power. It is important that Jesus chose to use this word here. We take in doctrine, take in doctrine, take in more doctrine. We learn it to the point that we can not forget it (inculcation). We metabolize it in our souls and THEN we apply it. Here the students/disciples will take what they have learned and spread it to other positive believers (evangelism). When they are ready, a man with the gift of pastor and teacher will be sent forth to teach the 'new crop' of believers (form a local church). The cycle then continues forever and ever. Learn and apply doctrine in your spiritual areas . . . and some teach others who teach others who teach others.}

4:30``And He {Jesus} was saying,
"In what way shall we liken the kingdom of God?
In what parable {parabole} shall we
'set forth'/'use to present' {paraballo} it?

{Note: Jesus often throws in a pun . . . a 'paramenasia' or 'play on words' - parabole/paraballo is a play on words.}

4:31-32``Like a grain of mustard seed . . .
which when it is planted/placed on the ground
is 'the smallest of all the seeds scattered on the ground'/
'less than all the seeds which are upon the earth' . . . 4:32``
and when it 'takes root'/'is sown' . . . it grows up
and becomes 'the greatest of all garden plants'/
'greater that all of the herbs',
and 'puts out'/grows large branches
so that the birds of the sky
are able to find shelter under its shadow/shade."

4:33-34``And, by means of many parables of this kind,
He {Jesus} was speaking to them the Word {logos - Word of God} -
as they were able to understand/hear. 4:34``
But without a parable,
He {Jesus} was absolutely not {ouk}
in the habit of speaking to them.
But, in private, He was in the habit of fully explaining
all things to those students/disciples who were peculiarly His own.

{Stilling of a Storm}
4:35``And He {Jesus} says to them on that same day,
evening having come, "Let us go across/over to the other side."

4:36``And, having dismissed the crowd,
they take Him {Jesus} under their care just as He was,
in the boat . . . and there were others of the same kind of boats
with Him.

4:37``And, there arises
a 'great windstorm {of hurricane proportions}'
  {these sudden violent storms are still seen in the Sea of Galilee}
and the waves kept on beating into the boat,
so that it 'was nearly swamped'/'was being filled'.

4:38``And He {Jesus} Himself was in the stern . . .
sleeping on the 'steersman's leather cushion' {proskephalaion}.

And they awakened Him and say to Him,
"O Teacher {didaskalos}, is it absolutely not {ouk}
a concern to You that we are perishing {apollumi}?"

4:39``And, having risen,
He {Jesus} rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
"Be getting calm! { siopao}
Hush up and stay that way!" {phimoo} {two commands}
And, the wind ceased its raging, and there was a great calm.

4:40``And He {Jesus} said to them,
"Why are you such 'cowards'/'timid, fearful ones' {deilos}?
How is it possible that you absolutely do not {ouk}
have faith {pistis}?"

{Note: Pistis means 'faith'. In the passive sense, it also means 'that which is believed' or 'doctrine'. Faith and doctrine are intricately related. Faith is needed for salvation. After salvation, doctrine is needed for 'faith to grow'. As we can see in the next verse, the students/disciples here still had not come to have 'absolute confidence' in Who and What Jesus Christ was! Once their faith via the intake of doctrine would grow them to spiritual maturity, then they would KNOW (not 'hope so') about Who and What Jesus Christ was and will always be.}

4:41``And, they 'were overwhelmed by reverential fear'/
'feared a great fear' and were saying to one another,
"Who then is this Person
  {Jesus Christ - Creator and Controller of the Universe}?
Even the wind and sea obey Him!"

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This page is sponsored by Kenneth Sidley, CPA, an Orange County California CPA (949) 706-3133.

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