Mark 4:21

 Mark 4:21 says, And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? We need to shine the light of the gospel in the world.  It is too easy to allow the gospel to become hidden by other things that we say and do. We can let it be hidden under the bushel of doubt or anger.  The Light is not going to shine brightly if all that people see is negativity on the part of Christians. Verse twenty-two adds, For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. Also, the light of the gospel will reveal all the things that we attempt to keep secret.  There are no sins that are hidden from God.  Verse twenty-three continues, If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.  So, as stated, if you have ears, may you hear and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Light of the world.  Verse twenty-four states, And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.  As Mark tells us, we do need to take heed of what we hear.  We can let the noise and lies of the world drown out the voice of God if we aren't careful.   Mark also tells us to be careful about how we treat other people.  As Christians, we are to deal honestly with other people.  If we are stingy with what God has blessed us with, we may find that God is stingy with His blessings on us.  I believe this also refers to how we forgive those who have somehow wronged us.  If we aren't forgiving of others, why do we expect God to forgive us, since we have all wronged Him at some time.  Verse twenty-five adds, For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.  To him that hath does not refer to material wealth, but to spiritual gifts.  If we have spiritual gifts, or even one spiritual gift, and use them wisely, God will bless us with more opportunities to exercise that gift or gifts.  If we don't use it, it will be taken away.  Since as Christians we all have at least one spiritual gift, then the question is whether we are using it or not.  We cannot attempt to make this about material wealth, believing that if God has blessed us materially that He is going to bless us with more while taking away from those who have less.  If we want to have more spiritually, it begins by accepting God's gift of salvation through putting one's faith in Jesus Christ.  If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, then be generous in using your spiritual gift or gifts. 

Mark 4:10

Mark 4:10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. After Jesus shared the parable of the sower, many of the crowd evidently left, not truly understanding the meaning, just as many people today read or hear the Bible preached and go away without understanding its meaning.  Still, some people stayed close to the disciples and Jesus, seeking a better understanding of what Jesus was really saying.  If we want to truly understand the truth of God, we must stay close to Jesus.  Until a person comes to God through faith in Jesus Christ, God's word will never have real meaning.  Verse eleven adds, And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:  Jesus told those around Him, those who came to Him for understanding, that it was given to them the ability to understand the mystery of the kingdom of God, and if we are to understand that mystery, we must first come to God through faith in Christ, and then He will help us understand.  Verse twelve continues, That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.  Those who were without I believe were those who didn't have enough desire to learn more about God's kingdom by staying close to Jesus.  God did not prevent them from coming to Jesus to understand His teachings, but their own lack of interest did.  This is still true today.  Those who have their eyes and ears spiritually attuned to God will understand His word. Verse thirteen states, And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? After saying that He spoke in parables so those of the world, those who did not know Him personally, would not understand, Jesus asked the disciples how they, His disciples, didn't know what the parable meant.  He then asked how they would understand all parables if they didn't understand this one.  As followers of Christ, we have that personal relationship with Him, and we should be able to understand His teachings, even if they are in the form of parables.  Still, Jesus explained the meaning of the parable to them.  If we are having difficulty understanding God's word, we need to prayerfully ask for His help in understanding what He is saying to us.  God will never leave us confused if we are willing to patiently await His answer.  Verse fourteen states, The sower soweth the word.  Jesus said the sower sowed the Word, and this is our responsibility as Christians.  We cannot control how it will be received, but we can control whether we sow it or not.  Verse fifteen adds, And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. Jesus said some hear the Word by the wayside, but Satan prevents them from ever accepting it.  The choice is still theirs, but they listen to Satan's deceit instead of God's truth.  Verse sixteen continues, And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; Verse seventeen concludes, And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.  These two verses deal with the same seed.  As Jesus said, like a seed on stony ground, some people will gladly receive the gospel but have no root of faith in it.  Then, when trouble arises because of their faith, they are offended by the Word.   Verse eighteen says, And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word.  Verse nineteen adds, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.  Others are like a seed sown in thorns, where concerns about and love of the riches of the world choke the Word out before it can grow, and it becomes unfruitful.  As followers of Christ, we cannot allow worldly concerns to keep us from being fruitful for Christ.  Verse twenty continues, And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.  Finally, some people are like the good ground, where the Word grows and is productive in God's kingdom, though not all to the same degree.  We as Christians need to be producing fruit for God, to the best of our ability.  If you have heard the Word, the gospel of Christ, my prayer for you if you haven't, allow it to take root in your life today and that you will become productive in sharing God's Word. 

Mark 4:1

Mark 4:1 says, And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.  At this time, Jesus once again began to teach, this time by the seaside.  He taught wherever He was and so should we as Christians. Sometimes we seem to worry more about where we believe we are told that we cannot teach the gospel than we do about why we don't do so where we are.  The multitude once again surrounded Jesus, and He got on a ship to continue teaching them.  It would be wonderful if people were that interested in hearing the teachings of Jesus today.  We don't often have to find a way to keep from being overrun by those wanting to hear the gospel.  Verse two adds, And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, We are told that Jesus taught them many things by using parables, which I have heard defined as earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.  When people hear them, I believe that they have to look to God for the deeper or moral understanding.  Just like the parables, the gospel is very simple, but we have to look to God to truly understand it.  The truth of the gospel is that Jesus Christ was born without sin, lived a perfect life, was unjustly crucified for the sins of all mankind, was buried and rose again the third day so that anyone who accepts the salvation that He thereby made available will be saved.  We have to accept this by faith for it to be more than just a story. Verse three states, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:  Jesus shared a very simple parable, and at this point. He left it at that without explanation, so I will simply post these verses without looking at the meaning.  Verse four adds, And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.  Verse five continues, And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: Verse six says, But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.  Verse seven adds, And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.  Verse eight continues, And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.  Verse nine concludes, And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.  What He said was very logical, and we could conclude that all seed sown do not meet the same fate, and that only some bear fruit.  For many people, this is all they will understand, because they do not look to God for the true meaning.  Just as Jesus said, those who have ears, I believe attuned to God's guidance, will hear and understand the parable.  What we must first understand and accept in order to truly understand this parable or any other is the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was born, lived, was crucified, buried and arose to bring forgiveness of sin to all who put their faith in Him.