Mark - Lesson 6

Lesson 6

Growth and the Kingdom

Mark 4:26–41

Son of Man, Son of God

Studies in Mark’s Gospel

LAST WEEK IN REVIEW

Mark 4 is a sampling of the parables of Jesus, and is the only place where Mark records them.  These parables are all interlinked to refer to truths about the growth of the Kingdom, but also have implications and applications for our own personal lives.  In our prior study, we examined the meaning of the terms parable and mystery and how these concepts were a part of understanding the Kingdom of God.  The primary focus Mark led us to last time was the parable of the soils.  This parable told us much about the impact of the Gospel on various lives, depending on how receptive they are to its message.  Jesus told the people to listen to these things if they had ears to hear, to hear with perception; yet He had to explain this parable even to His closest followers.  We also examined how these things specifically impact our own lives when we examine God’s Word, and that we must proactively prepare our own heart’s soil so that we become people who will bear fruit for the Kingdom.

This week we conclude this brief look at the parables of Jesus.  We will at once see that the theme of the soils and the seed is continued on, and again there is more than one way to interpret it.  This week we will also do something different.  We will examine Mark 4:26-41 for the first three days of study, and spend the following two days focusing on how these things relate to our own personal growth in Christ.

DAY ONE:  Patience and Spiritual Growth

Please carefully read Mark 4:26-29 and answer the following questions.

1.  What is the next parable that Jesus related (v. 26, 27)?

2.  Verse 27 is an awkward phrase in Greek at least to us, but probably not to Mark’s readers of the day.  The nlt translates this phrase as “he went on with other activities.”  Others say that it means whether he rises up and checks to see if there has been any change, he can’t do anything to make that growth occur, but it occurs mysteriously and eventually.[i]  What will happen to the planted seed in good time (v. 28)?

3.  What will the farmer’s reaction be to this (v. 29)?

4.  “The earth yields crops by itself.”  This comes from the Greek word automate; autos meaning self, and memaa meaning to desire eagerly.  It is where we get our word automatic.  This is an automatic process of the seed germinating and growing, and while we may sit and stare at a plant to watch it grow and bear fruit, or even water and feed the soil, we don’t make it grow.  This is helpful for us to remember when we share the Gospel, planting seeds in others’ hearts.  We must be patient and let God do His work in bringing the person to Christ.  John Phillips well said it:  “Ultimately all life comes from God.  The most zealous believer can no more convert a soul than he could create a star.  Life, especially spiritual life, remains a mystery.”[ii]

Someone once defined successful witnessing as sharing the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God!  How does James 5:7, 8 address this? 

Scripture Memory:  This week we will be memorizing Mark 4:40.  Review the passage several times throughout the day each day this week, and by the end of the week, you should have it memorized completely.

But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” Mark 4:40 (nkjv)

DAY TWO:  Instructions in Spiritual Growth

Please carefully read Mark 4:30-34 and answer the following questions.

1.  What picture did Jesus next paint for them about the Kingdom (v. 30, 31)?

2.  What unique features of this growth symbolize the spread of the Kingdom (v. 32)?

NOTES: The question in verse 31 occurs only here in the New Testament.  The mustard seed was the smallest seed known to the people of Galilee.  It would take well over 700 of them to weigh one gram! The type of mustard plant Jesus referred to has been known to reach 10–12 feet tall, and birds are attracted to it because of both its shade and its seeds.[iii] The term used for the birds nesting in its shade literally means pitching their tents in its shade.[iv]

3.  Sometimes the image of birds in the Scriptures is a picture of evil, so some interpret this parable as representing an overgrown, apostate church that would develop, but there isn’t really a need to consider this possibility, as this isn’t the emphasis but rather the contrast between the beginning and the end.[v]   While the birds may not symbolize anything at all, another theory is that they symbolize Gentiles partaking in the Kingdom of God.[vi]  What are some ways that the following passages support the idea that God had a plan for the Gentiles all along?

Genesis 12:2, 3

2 Samuel 22:50; Psalm 18:49

Psalm 117:1, 2

Isaiah 11:10-12; 49:6

Amos 9:11, 12; Malachi 1:11

4.  How did Mark conclude his sampling of Jesus’ parables (v. 33, 34)?

Scripture Memory:  Try to fill in the missing words in the blanks below, by memory if at all possible, and then review the passage several times today.

But He said to them, “Why are you so __________________? How is it that you ______________ no faith?” Mark 4:40 (nkjv)