Mark 4:1-9 The Parable of the Sower
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 14, 2018, Mark 4:1-9
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Then Jesus began to teach again beside the sea. Such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while the entire crowd remained beside the sea on the shore. He began teaching them many things in parables. While he was teaching them he said, “Listen! A farmer went out to sow. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. Others fell on stony ground, where they did not have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once because the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they did not have any roots, they dried up. Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes came up and choked them out, and they did not produce anything. But others fell on good soil and produced a crop. They grew up, increased in size, and produced 30, 60, or 100 times what was sown.” He added, “Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!”
(Understanding the Text) The parable of the sower was taught from a boat according to Peter in Mark and according to Matthew also. This was still during the time of large crowds flocking to Jesus. This is the reason that He taught from a boat. He must have had a big voice so that everyone could hear him over the murmur of the crowd. In Luke the next action mentioned is the sending out of the 12 to preach, but in Mark other actions are mentioned in between. Matthew mentions it many chapters before the parables. Matthew Card in his book about Luke draws the conclusion that Jesus is telling this parable to try to prepare the disciples for the next event in Luke when He sends them out, but I do not think that this is a conclusion that can be drawn from the information in the gospels. It may be part of why he presented the parable, but there are so many lessons here that I doubt that it is the main reason. I do agree with Card that one lesson is that even though only a few produced fruit, their production was abundant. Thus, while only 25% produced a crop, the crop that was produced was 30%, 60%, or 100% so that the 1/4 replaced itself with more to spare.
Jesus tells us to listen and understand, not just let the words flow away from us. The disciples needed the story explained to them, but I wonder if the crowd started to understand when they went home, or did they just sort of confusedly say, “He’s so smart. I don’t understand, but there must be a deeper meaning.” What did the crowd think Jesus meant when He talked about the seed? Did they know that it was the message of God?
(Revelation of God and Understanding the Text) I have been running into this parable again and again over the past week or so. I’m not sure why. I’m also not sure what to write about it here. I know the story so well that nothing new comes to mind. God gives His message to all of us whether He knows it will grow or be lost. He gives us all a chance. Some of us are so surrounded by Satan that the seeds don’t get a chance to stay and grow. The message goes into one ear and out the other. These people have no idea that they have received a powerful message from God because they have walled themselves around with Satan’s distractions. Other people are like Dory the Fish. They receive the message and get excited over it and then forget about it. I think they belong to the path seeds also. The second group start to follow the truth, but as soon as there is a problem, they leave it. They have so many stiff parts inside of them that they simply refuse to change and allow the truth to transform them. They choose not to be flexible and give very little place for the truth in their lives. They themselves crowd out the truth with their prejudices and refusal to change. They want the message, but on their own terms. They want the truth, but only if it will stay in one little section and not bother the rest of their lives. The third group is flexible and will let the truth grow in their lives, but they do not get rid of the weeds that start growing in their lives so that the truth can be nourished. They may be too flexible letting plants that have no place in their life grow just as freely as the true plant. They cannot produce because they do not nourish the plant of truth growing in their lives. They want everything and achieve nothing worthwhile. The fourth group are flexible allowing God to transform them, but they are also protective getting rid of anything that endangers the growth of the truth in their lives.
Thus, I see 5 types of people: headphone-ears–so focused on non-spiritual things that they cannot even hear the beauty being presented to them, inflexible rusted-up machinery, Dories, too flexible accept everything people-not valuing the message above the other plants, and the flexible-yet-protective of the message people.
(Application) There was a time when I was the too flexible. Now, I hope I am still flexible, yet protective of the seed growing in me. Soil preparation is important. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to prepare the soil, not mine, but I should not be discouraged if the Holy Spirit uses me for soil preparation rather than harvesting.
(Prayer) Teach me to be open to Your leading and to humbly accept the jobs that You put before me. Encourage me to continue when I am doing the work that You want me to do. Keep me flexible to receive Your transformational words, and show me how to reject those words which will hurt me and others.