LESSON 6
THE PARABLES AND THE STORM
MARK 4:21-41
Memory Verse: Mark 4:39
Introduction:
Jesus had now taught that the only good ground was that in which the good seed bore fruit. And He adds explicitly, that men receive the truth in order to spread it, and are given grace that they may become, in turn, good stewards of the manifold grace of God. —Expositor’s Bible Commentary.
I. THE PARABLES. vs. 21-34
A. The Parable of the Candle, vs. 21-25.
1. The PURPOSE of a candle, Psalm 119:130, “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”
2. It should be placed ON a candlestick, v. 21; Matthew 5:15, “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”
3. The light of God’s truth is NOT TO BE HIDDEN, 2 Corinthians 4:3, “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:”
a. Putting it under a bushel REFERS TO people letting their MONEY OR BUSINESS INTERESTS hide their light.
b. Putting it under a BED speaks of letting COMFORTS and LAZINESS cover the light.
4. The CANDLESTICK is WHERE the light is placed, in order to give THE MOST LIGHT. New Testament Scriptural CHURCHES are represented as being candlesticks, Revelation 2:5, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” [ Spoken to the church at Ephesus]
a. This is WHERE every Christian OUGHT TO BE that their light would shine, Hebrews 10:25, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
b. IF THEY ARE NOT, then they are HIDING their light, Revelation 1:20, “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”
4. We are NOT ONLY to RECEIVE light, but we are TO IMPART LIGHT. This refers to ALL Christians, NOT just the pastor,Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
a. Use the GIFTS God has given you, 1 Peter 4:10, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
b. Be a TESTIMONY in your walk among men, Ephesians 5:8, “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.”
c. We may be the ONLY Gospel others see, Philippians 2:15, “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.”
5. We are NOT TO HIDE the TRUTH, NOR to hide SIN, for it will be revealed on that day, v. 22;
a. God will bring to light the truth, 1 Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”
b. We are to manifest the truth, 2 Corinthians 4:2, “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”
6. We are to be CAREFUL WHAT we HEAR and HOW we hear, v. 24a, Luke 8:18, “Take heed therefore HOW ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.” We are to hear the truth and apply it to our lives.
7. The MEASURE of our REWARD will be according to the measure of our DILIGENT LABOR for Him, v. 24b; Luke 6:38, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” We decide whether God will use a teaspoon or a shovel when He gives us our reward.
8. Our rewards will be ADJUSTED TO FIT the case, v. 25; Luke 8:18, “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have.”
B. The Parable of the SEED, vs. 26-29.
Note: “This beautiful parable is PECULIAR TO MARK. Its design is to teach the Imperceptible Growth of the word sown in the heart, from its earliest stage of development to the ripest fruits of practical righteousness.” —Jamison, Fausset, Brown Commentary.
1. The SEED is the WORD of God, and the GROUND is the WORLD of LOST MEN, v. 26. (See v. 14, “The sower soweth the word.”).
2. The seed DOES NOT bring forth results IMMEDIATELY. We must wait for the results, v. 27; Ecclesiastes 11:5, “As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.”
3. We have NO CONTROL over the process, v. 28; Isaiah 61:11, “For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”
4. The HARVEST will come IN DUE TIME, v. 29; John 4:38, “I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”
5. Let us notice some IMPORTANT LESSONS for us.
a. There MUST BE A SOWER and that is OUR responsibility.
b. We DO NOT KNOW HOW the process works, BUT that is in the HAND of God, 1 Corinthians 3:6-9, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”
c. It is THROUGH the HOLY SPIRIT that this comes about, John 1:11-13, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
d. As there is A PROCESS that works with the corn, so is there a process as God works in the heart of a man. We must remember that the mighty oak was once an acorn.
e. We must WAIT FOR the harvest, Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
C. The Parable of the MUSTARD SEED, vs. 30-34.
Note: This parable must be interpreted very carefully, or we will make it teach error instead of truth. It can best be interpreted in relationship to the prophetic parables of Matthew 13.
1) In the parable of the sower we see the seed sown with different degrees of success, Matthew 13:3-23. This we can expect in the age of grace.
2) The tares among the wheat show us that the devil will imitate the work of God with evil seed, which will produce a mixed crop, Matthew 13:24-30.
3) The MUSTARD SEED represents the building of a religion that will END UP AS THE ONE WORLD CHURCH of the last days, Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32.
4) The placing of the LEAVEN in the meal represents the PLANTING OF FALSEHOOD among the truth, which of course is what we have in the religious world, Matthew 13:33-35, “Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
5) The net cast into the sea brings forth two kinds of fish. One is good and the other is evil. This shows the mixing of the lost and the saved in religion which only God can sort out.
1. This parable of the mustard seed also SHOWS the DETERIORATION IN KIND and QUALITY. It represents PROFESSING Christianity, but NOT THE PURE THINGS of God.
2. The mustard seed PRODUCES a MONSTROSITY that becomes a tree, Matthew 13:32, “Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”
3. This is the PUBLIC MANIFESTATION of religion as we see in the GREAT APOSTASY of our day.
4. The FOWLS of the air REPRESENT SATAN and his EVIL WORKERS who are ROOSTING in FALSE RELIGION of the last days. The fowls represent evil, Revelation 18:2, “And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every UNCLEAN and HATEFUL BIRD.”
5. There is a CONTRAST BETWEEN the seed in the PREVIOUS parable and the seed in THIS parable.
a. Corn (v. 38) is a FITTING TYPE of Jesus Christ the BREAD OF LIFE.
b. The seed in this parable is MUSTARD seed, which CANNOT REPRESENT Christ the bread of life.
c. The mustard plant is NO MORE EVIL than the LEAVEN, BUT they are SYMBOLS of EVIL in this case.
6. There is NO HARVEST, but just a TREE FULL of EVIL BIRDS, Daniel 4:20-22, “The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; Whose leaves were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all; under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and upon whose branches the fowls of the heaven had their habitation: It is thou, O king, that art grown and become strong: for thy greatness is grown, and reacheth unto heaven, and thy dominion to the end of the earth.”
a. The TREE in Daniel 4 represented the EVIL CORRUPT EMPIRE OF Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.
b. Notice that IT TOO IS FILLED with EVIL birds, Daniel 4:14, “He cried aloud, and said thus, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaves, and scatter his fruit: let the beasts get away from under it, and the fowls from his branches:”
7. Jesus used MANY PARABLES to teach the MULTITUDE, BUT when He was alone with His DISCIPLES He EXPLAINED THEM.
II. THE STILLING OF THE STORM, vs. 35-41.
A. The Awful Storm, vs. 35-38.
1. A strange proposal, v. 35, “Let us pass over unto the other side.”
NOTE: Jesus certainly knew that a great storm was coming, but He wanted them to see that Christians must face the storms of life.
2. They had just HEARD THE WORD of God, and it PRODUCES FAITH so now they are going to be TESTED, Romans 10:17, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
3. Jonah was in a storm because of disobedience, but they were in the storm BECAUSE OF OBEDIENCE, v. 35; John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
4. Reasons why they had NOTHING TO FEAR:
a. Jesus SAID they would go to the OTHER SIDE.
b. Jesus Himself was WITH THEM and they had seen His MIRACLE WORKING POWER.
c. Jesus Himself had gone to SLEEP, REVEALING that there was NOTHING to be afraid of, Psalm 4:8, “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.”
5. Some of His disciples were EXPERIENCED SAILORS, BUT even they were afraid. This happens when we walk by sight and not by faith, 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”
6. God does NOT EXEMPT is children FROM THE STORMS of this life, 1 Peter 4:12, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you.”
5. We should MAKE SURE that we have the Lord WITH US, when the storms hit, Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”
a. He is our refuge, Psalm 46:11, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”
b. He will GO WITH US through every difficulty, Isaiah 43:2, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
c. He is the STRENGTH of our life, Psalm 27:1, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”
B. The Awesome Calm, vs. 39-41.
1. The AUTHORITY of His words, v. 39; Psalm 107:29, “He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.”
a. The Lord is the ONE we need TO FEAR, Jeremiah 5:22, “Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?”
b. The Lord RULES THE SEA, Psalm 89:9, “Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.”
c. With a word He brought an UNCOMMON PEACE, John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
d. This is a PEACE that PASSES our understanding, Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
2. He REBUKED them for their LACK of faith, v. 40; Matthew 8:26, “And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.”
3. They LEARNED a great lesson ABOUT HIM, v. 41.
a. They feared the Lord, Revelation 15:4, “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.”
Note: “That is, the men in the ship, the mariners to whom the ship belonged, and who had the management of it.” —John Gill’s Expositor.
b. What manner of man is this?
(1) He is a man mightier than the waves of the sea, Psalms 93:4, “The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.”
(2) He is the Son of God, Matthew 14:33, “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”
Outline by E. L. Bynum; Revision by Art Davison–CONTINUED IN 6A