Marcos 4
Bob Utley · Citado em PreceptAustin
Marcos 4
Utley- When it comes to the gospel, it continues to give and give to those who have responded, but to those who reject it, it leaves nothing! Jesus is using a paradoxical proverb (cf. 4:22, 25; 6:4; 8:35; 10:43–44). This was typical of near eastern teachers. Go Light Your World - sung by Kathy Troccoli Written by Christopher M. Rice There is a candle in every soul Some brightly burning, some dark and cold There is a Spirit who brings fire Ignites a candle and makes His home Carry your candle, run to the darkness Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn Hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world Take your candle, and go light your world Frustrated brother, see how he's tried to Light his own candle some other way See now your sister, she's been robbed and lied to Still holds a candle without a flame Carry your candle, run to the darkness Seek out the lonely, the tired and worn Hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world Take your candle, and go light your world We are a family whose hearts are blazing So let's raise our candles and light up the sky Praying to our Father, in the name of Jesus Make us a beacon in darkest times Carry your candle, run to the darkness Seek out the helpless, deceived and poor Hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world Carry your candle, run to the darkness Seek out the hopeless, confused and torn Hold out your candle for all to see it Take your candle, and go light your world Take your candle, and go light your world The light of Jesus' truth is revealed to us, not hidden. But we may not be able to see or to use all of that truth right now. Only as we put God's teachings into practice will we understand and see more of the truth. The truth is clear, but our ability to understand is imperfect. As we obey, we will sharpen our vision and increase our understanding (see James 1:22-25). Jesus' words may have been directed to the Jews who had no understanding of Jesus and would lose even what they had-their privileged status as God's people. Or Jesus might have meant that when people reject him, their hardness of heart drives away or renders useless even the little understanding they had; thus, any opportunity to share in God's Kingdom will eventually be taken away completely. To understand Jesus' message, people must listen and respond. Those who listen casually, for whatever reason, will miss the point.(Life Application Study Bible) Brian Bill has some pithy application of Mark 4:24-25: Let’s flesh this out a bit more. • If we have a high capacity for knowing, God will pour knowledge into us. If we bring a big bucket, God will fill it up, and then some: “…and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given.” Isaiah 55:7 says that God will not only pardon but “abundantly pardon.” Ephesians 3:20: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think…” And Malachi 3:10 tells us that when we honor God with our giving – BTW, 10% (a tithe) is a good place to start. When we put Him first with our finances, He will “open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” • If we have a distracted capacity for knowing, our knowledge will be diminished. The end of Mark 4:25 is ominous: “…and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” It’s both obvious and profound – if you want to know, you’ll know. If you don’t want to, you won’t. Or to say it another way: people do what they want to do. That reminds me of the Parable of the Talents where the guy who was given one talent buried it and then ended up with no talents (Mt 25:18, Mt 25:24). A week ago Thursday about 60 men gathered for a Men’s Huddle time as a follow-up to the Iron Sharpens Iron Conference, where 108 men from EBC attended. I had the delight of speaking from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” We pondered 5 Mandates for Men from this passage (there are extra cards available at the Welcome Center if you’d like one). 1. Wake up 2. Stand up 3. Man up 4. Grow up 5. Love up I referenced an article entitled, “The Modern Man and His Fantasy World.” If you want to read it, it’s posted on the Sermon Extras tab on our website. Here are some highlights: “I have noticed a trait, particularly among men, where faith is impeded. I’m talking about a cultural fixation upon fantasy…men are giving themselves to something they can see but is not real. However, with Christianity we give ourselves to something that we cannot see but is actually real.” Here are the three fantasy worlds men are giving themselves to… • Pornography • Fantasy sports • Video games “We find that men are reluctant and stagnant in their Christianity because they are thriving in a fantasy world. Is it any wonder why there is such a decline in biblical masculinity in the church? It is a shame that many men are far too busy conquering fake lands, looking at fake women, and winning fake championships to follow Christ’s path of self-denying, cross-bearing, service.” Let me say it more strongly than I did to the men that night. If you live in fantasy land, you won’t grow in your faith. Do you remember the acronym GIGO that came out many years ago? It stands for “Garbage In, Garbage Out” and is a concept common to computer science and mathematics: the quality of output is determined by the quality of the input. If you put garbage in, garbage will come out. If men (and women) focus on fantasy, we will not glow for Christ and our ability to know Him will be short-circuited. Let’s change this up a bit. GIGO can also mean, “God In, God Out.” John Acuff perceptively quips: “If you do the work, things happen. If you don’t, they won’t. I wish it were more complicated than that because then I'd have a better excuse to not do anything.” Some time ago I heard a pastor say that most American Christians are educated way beyond their level of obedience. We must obey what we know and then God will give us more. (cf Jn 7:17) What measure are you using? Make sure it’s big enough and then let God add even more. If you want to know Him, you will because Galatians 6:7-8+ promises: “Do not be deceived (present imperative with a negative): God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” Mark 4:26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; NET Mark 4:26 He also said, "The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground. GNT Mark 4:26 Καὶ ἔλεγεν, Οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς NLT Mark 4:26 Jesus also said, "The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. KJV Mark 4:26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; ESV Mark 4:26 And he said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. NIV Mark 4:26 He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ASV Mark 4:26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed upon the earth; CSB Mark 4:26 "The kingdom of God is like this," He said. "A man scatters seed on the ground; NKJ Mark 4:26 And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, NRS Mark 4:26 He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, YLT Mark 4:26 And he said, 'Thus is the reign of God: as if a man may cast the seed on the earth, NAB Mark 4:26 He said,"This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land NJB Mark 4:26 He also said, 'This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the land. GWN Mark 4:26 Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground. BBE Mark 4:26 And he said, Such is the kingdom of God, as if a man put seed in the earth, The kingdom of God: Mt 3:2 4:17 13:11,31,33 Lu 13:18 like a man who casts seed: Mk 4:3,4,14-20 Pr 11:18 Ec 11:4,6 Isa 28:24-26 32:20 Mt 13:3,24 Lu 8:5,11 Joh 4:36-38 12:24 1Co 3:6-9 Jas 3:18 1Pe 1:23-25 Mark 4 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries -->Video PARABLE OF THE SEED GROWING A Simple Outline: Sowing - Mk 4:26 Growing - Mk 4:27-28 Harvesting - Mk 4:29 This parable is found only in the Gospel of Mark. Given the subject matter, this parable seems to supplement the parable of the sower/soils. This parable does not has some similarity to Matthew’s parable of the tares, in Mt 13:24–30+, but it is a distinct, separate parable. The audience is apparently the entire multitude not just the disciples because of what Mark writes at the end of these parables With many such parables He was speaking the word to them (MULTITUDES), so far as they were able to hear it; and He did not speak to them without a parable; but (CONTRAST WITH THE WORD SPOKEN TO THE MULTITUDES) He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples. (Mk 4:33-34+) If you have ever been discouraged preaching the Word or sharing the Word in an evangelistic setting than the truth of this short, pithy parable should encourage you to "not lose heart in doing good (SOWING), for in due time we will reap (HARVEST) if we do not grow weary." (Gal 6:9+). You will notice that the man, obviously a farmer, in this parable shows up only two times, at the beginning to sow the seed and and the end to harvest the fruit or crop. While this parable is in the context of the mysteries of the kingdom and most clearly describes how the kingdom of God grows, it is also clearly applicable to all of us who are in the Kingdom of God and are God's sowers. Without the sowing of the seed there would be no harvest. So let this parable be an encouragement to your heart. As Oswald Chambers said "It is one thing to go through a crisis grandly, but a different thing to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, and no one paying the remotest attention to you." Irving Jensen - The vast project and institution of God’s kingdom involves inviting souls into it (Mk 4:26) and then receiving them (Mk 4:29). It is a supernatural work of God, mysterious and incomprehensible to man (Mk 4:27). Bock - At this point, Mark resumes his collection of seed parables (Mk 4:3–20), which has been interrupted by the parables of the lamp and the measure (Mk 4:21–25), with the parables of the seed growing secretly (Mk 4:26–29) and the mustard seed (Mk 4:30–32)....despite the hiddenness of the kingdom of God, growth is certain and inevitable (Mk 4:26–29)....The banal nature of the parable (J. Edwards 2002: 142) fits well the already now—not yet dimension of the kingdom of God.(BECNT-Mk) John
Marcos 4
Utley says "This refers to the personal acceptance or rejection of Jesus. The rabbis believed that the mind was a plowed garden ready for seed. What we let our eyes see and ears hear (cf. Mark 4:9, 23) takes root. We become what we dwell on, focus on, make priority!" B B Warfield - the passage culminates in a great warning. “Take heed how ye hear.” And this warning is supported by the verses already incidentally adduced: “With what measure ye mete …”; “He that hath …; He that hath not …” The warning is, of course, of universal application. It is spoken here to Christ’s immediate disciples, and it is most immediately a warning to them to look with care and loving scrutiny on the teaching He was giving about the Kingdom. Do you not fail, it says, to hear and ponder; to understand and profit by this teaching. But it stretches further. As we, too, are His disciples it comes in these times also to us. Let us not fail to-day to hear and ponder and understand and profit by the teaching brought to us by these pungent words! (Faith and Life) This is the CAUTION.