TEXT: MARCOS 4:1-20 (TCB)

Muling nagturo si Jesus sa tabi ng lawa ng Galilea. At dahil sa dami ng

taong nakapalibot sa kanya, sumakay siya sa isang bangka at doon
umupo, habang ang mga tao namaʼy nasa dalampasigan. 2 Marami siyang
itinuro sa kanila sa pamamagitan ng mga talinghaga. Sinabi niya, 3 “Makinig
kayo! May isang magsasakang naghasik ng binhi. 4 Sa kanyang
paghahasik, may mga binhing nahulog sa tabi ng daan. Dumating ang mga
ibon at tinuka ang mga binhing iyon. 5 May mga binhi namang nahulog sa
mabatong lugar, kung saan walang gaanong lupa. Mabilis na tumubo ang
binhi dahil mababaw ang lupa. 6 Ngunit natuyo rin ito nang masikatan ng
araw, at dahil hindi malalim ang ugat, namatay ito. 7 May mga binhi namang
nahulog sa lupang may matitinik na damo. Lumago ang mga damo at
natakpan ang mga tumubong binhi kaya hindi namunga. 8 Ang iba namaʼy
nahulog sa mabuting lupa. Tumubo at lumago ang mga ito, at namunga.
Ang ibaʼy katamtaman lang ang bunga; ang ibaʼy marami, at ang iba
namaʼy napakarami.” 9 Pagkatapos, sinabi ni Jesus, “Kayong mga
nakikinig, dapat nʼyo itong pag-isipan.” 10 Nang nakauwi na ang mga tao,
tinanong siya ng 12 apostol at ng iba pang mga tagasunod niya kung ano
ang kahulugan ng talinghagang iyon. 11 Sinabi ni Jesus sa kanila,
“Ipinagkaloob sa inyo na malaman ang mga lihim tungkol sa paghahari ng
Dios, ngunit sa iba ay ipinapahayag ito sa pamamagitan ng
talinghaga, 12 upang matupad ang nakasulat sa Kasulatan, ‘Tumingin man
sila nang tumingin, hindi sila makakakita. Makinig man sila nang makinig,
hindi sila makakaunawa. Dahil kung makakaunawa sila, magsisisi sila sa
kanilang kasalanan at patatawarin sila ng Dios.’” 13 Pagkatapos, sinabi ni
Jesus sa kanila, “Kung hindi ninyo nauunawaan ang talinghaga na ito,
paano ninyo mauunawaan ang iba ko pang mga talinghaga? 14 Ang
inihahasik ng manghahasik ay ang salita ng Dios. 15 Ang tabi ng daan, kung
saan nahulog ang ilang binhi ay ang mga taong nakinig sa salita ng Dios.
Ngunit dumating agad si Satanas at inagaw ang salita ng Dios na narinig
nila. 16 Ang mabatong lugar, kung saan nahulog ang ibang binhi, ay ang
mga taong nakinig sa salita ng Dios at masaya itong tinanggap
kaagad. 17 Ngunit hindi taimtim sa puso ang pagtanggap nila, kaya hindi
tumatagal ang kanilang pananampalataya. Pagdating ng kahirapan o pag-
uusig dahil sa salita ng Dios na tinanggap nila, tumatalikod sila kaagad sa
kanilang pananampalataya. 18 Ang lupang may matitinik na damo, kung
saan nahulog ang iba pang binhi ay ang mga taong nakinig sa salita ng
Dios. 19 Ngunit dahil sa mga alalahanin dito sa mundo, paghahangad na
yumaman, at paghahabol sa marami pang mga bagay, nakakalimutan nila
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ang salita ng Dios, kaya hindi namumunga ang salita sa kanilang

buhay. 20 Ngunit ang mabuting lupa na hinasikan ng binhi ay ang mga
taong nakikinig ng salita ng Dios at tumanggap nito. Kaya namumunga
ito sa kanilang buhay. Ang ibaʼy katamtaman lang ang bunga; ang ibaʼy
marami, at ang iba namaʼy napakarami.”

THEME: THE PARABLE OF THE SOILS

QUESTION: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE PARABLE OF
THE SOILS?

I. THE NARRATIVE OF THE PARABLE– VV. 1-8

A. The Occasion – vv. 1-2

He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd
gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and
the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. 2 And He was teaching
them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His
teaching…

1. Jesus taught again before a large crowd by the sea.

a. He was teaching many things in parables.

B. The Content – vv. 3-8

3
“Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 as he was
sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate
it up. 5 Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have
much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of
soil. 6 And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it
had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns,
and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no
crop. 8 Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and
increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a
hundredfold.”

1. A sower went out to sow seeds in the fields.

a. Some seeds fell beside the road (birds came and ate it up)
b. Some seeds fell on rocky soil (withered away because they
had no root)
c. Some seeds fell among the thorns (they yielded no fruit for
lack of moisture)
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d. Some seeds fell on good soil (produced many crops)

C. The Challenge – v. 9
9
And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

D. The Response – v. 10
10
As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the
twelve, began asking Him about the parables.

II. THE PURPOSE OF THE PARABLE – VV. 11-12

11
And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of
the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in
parables, 12 so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND
WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY
MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN.”

A. God reveals the truth of His Word to those who believe – v. 11a
1. Those who are interested to hear His Word.
2. Those who are given enlightenment by God.

B. God conceals the truth of His Word to those who do not believe
– vv. 11b-12
1. Those who have physical eyes and ears but do not see and
understand the truth of the Word of God.

John 7:17 (NLT) Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know
whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own.

Jer. 29:13 (NASB) You will seek Me and find Me when you search for
Me with all your heart.

III. THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE – VV. 13-20

A. Bad Soil
1. Hard-hearted Hearers – vv. 13-15
13
And He *said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How
will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the
word. 15 These are the ones who are beside the road where the word
is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes
away the word which has been sown in them.
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a. They listen to the Word of God.

b. They do not believe and will not be saved (cf. Lk. 8:12)
because the devil (Satan) immediately comes and takes
(snatches) away the Word of God from them.

II Cor. 4:4 (NLT) Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the
minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious
light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about
the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

2. Shallow-hearted Hearers – vv. 16-17

16
In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on
the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately
receive it with joy; 17 and they have no firm root in themselves, but
are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises
because of the word, immediately they fall away.

a. They listen to the Word of God.

b. They receive immediately the Word of God with joy.
c. They believe temporarily.
d. They immediately fall away to affliction or persecution because
of the word.

I John 2:19 (NASB) They went out from us, but they were
not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained
with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are
not of us

3. Divided-heart Hearers – vv. 18-19

18
And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the
thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19 but the
worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the
desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it
becomes unfruitful.

a. They listen to the Word of God.

b. They are distracted with worries of the world, deceitfulness of
riches and the desires for pleasures.
c. They bring no fruit to maturity. (cf. Lk. 8:14)
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Matt. 6:24 (NLT) “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate
one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the
other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

I John 2:16 (NASB) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh
and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the
Father, but is from the world.

B. Good Soil

1. Whole-hearted Hearers – v. 20
20
And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good
soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty,
sixty, and a hundredfold.”

a. They listen in an honest and good heart (cf. Lk. 8:15), accept
and understand (cf. Matt. 13:23) and hold fast (cf. Lk. 8:15)
the Word of God.
b. They bear fruit with perseverance (cf. Lk. 8:15)

James 1:25 (NLT) But if you look carefully into the perfect law that
sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you
heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

John 8:31 (NLT) Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You
are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.

Heb. 3:14 (NASB) For we have become partakers of Christ, if we

hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end.

APPEAL

YOU AND I ARE BLESSED BECAUSE OF THE GREAT OPPORTUNITY

GIVEN TO US BY GOD TO HEAR AND STUDY HIS SAVING WORD. THE
QUESTION IS—WHAT KIND OF SOILS OR HEARERS ARE YOU? ARE
YOU A GOOD SOIL OR A GOOD HEARER? IF SO, THEN SHOW IT BY
YOUR TRANSFORMED AND FRUITFUL LIFE. IF YOU ARE A BAD SOIL
OR BAD HEARER DUE TO THE HARDNESS OF YOUR HEART,
CONSIDER IT VERY SERIOUSLY BECAUSE THERE IS A GREAT
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CONSEQUENCE IN TAKING FOR GRANTED THE WORD OF GOD.

THEREFORE, IF GOD SO SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS WORD, DO
NOT HARDEN YOUR HEART, BUT HUMBLE AND SUBMIT YOURSELF
TO GOD SO THAT SALVATION AND BLESSINGS MAY COME INTO
YOUR LIFE. GOD BLESS US ALL!