Mark 4
COMMENTARY:
: 2 And HE taught them many things by parables and said to them in HIS doctrine. (1322 “doctrine” [didache] means teaching, instruction, content of what is taught, or precepts.)
DEVOTION: Doctrine seems to be a bad word today. The Greek word for doctrine is the same as our word for teach. Jesus was teaching doctrine to HIS disciples for the three years they were together.
HE used parables to teach doctrine because HE defined HIS teaching as only for those who were followers of HIM. HIS doctrine or teaching would only be understood by those who were believers. Those who rejected HIM would wonder about what HE was teaching but never understand what HE was teaching.
Why did HE teach doctrine in parables? HE states that the mysteries of the kingdom belong only to believers. So HE wanted them to understand what the parables meant.
The same is true today. The only ones who can really understand the teachings or doctrines of the Bible are those who are believers. We are supposed to understand and want to learn all we can about what the Bible teaches.
The problem is that many who call themselves Christians don’t want to study doctrine or the teachings of Jesus because they would have to take a stand against those who didn’t teach what they believed to be true. They would rather not know so there would be no conflict with others.
For this reason many individuals can change churches and denominations without regard to what they teach because that isn’t important. It is whether they have good music or a charismatic speaker or a good children’s program. They don’t want to dig any deeper because they might find that the church is not really teaching the Bible.
I have the twelve basic doctrines covered in each chapter to show how a Biblical Theology is formed. Those who take the Biblical Theology from each book of the Bible and form it into a Systematic Theology teach us what the whole Bible teaches regarding a certain doctrine. We are not just using proof texts but the whole Bible to teach the truths the LORD wants us to understand.
Once we understand what all of the Bible teaches on a given subject, we should form our belief and then judge a church as to whether they teach what you have learned from your study.
CHALLENGE: Going from church to church because it meets our needs rather than teaching the truth of Scripture should cause us to stop and make sure we are changing for the right reason. Doctrinal truth is more important than itching our ears.
: 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (175 “unfruitful” [akarpos] means without fruit, barren, useless, not fruit bearing, useless, or unproductive.)
DEVOTION: There are four types of soils mentioned in this parable. They represent four responses to the gospel. The first three responses to the sowing of the seed of the gospel were negative. The fourth response was positive and the person was someone who produced fruit and became a genuine follower of the LORD.
Part of the way to identify a genuine believer was that they were fruitful. All those who are genuine believers are fruitful. Some are more fruitful than others but all believers are to be fruitful. Some will be saved yet so as by fire. Most of their works will burn but they will still be considered genuine believers. These could include those who become believers in the hospital just before they die. The thief on the cross could fall into this category. Believers today are to be producing fruit for the kingdom of God.
The other three soils are those that look like they might be believers but they show that it is something that doesn’t last. The one in this verse looks around him and sees more profit in earning money to buy things than to win souls to the LORD.
The normal tendency of all humans is to be selfish and lazy. If someone claims to be a believer and is only thinking of themselves and what they can get out of others they are not genuinely saved. We have people who look at believers as targets to take advantage of when they meet them. Some people go to church to promote their business rather than the LORD.
We need to examine our motives for serving the LORD. Is it for our glory or benefit or to glorify the LORD? Is money more important to us than witnessing for the LORD? Are our possessions more important than helping others? Are we accumulating things rather than praying for souls? The only one who can answer these questions is us.
CHALLENGE: Ask yourself these questions on a regular basis to examine if we are genuinely a believer. Remember to some who think they are believers Jesus will say “I never knew you.” Don’t get choked out of heaven.
: 34 But without a parable spoke he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. (1956 “expounded” [epiluo] means to unloose, untie, to clear (a controversy), decide, settle, interpret, to solve or to explain (what is obscure and hard to understand).)
DEVOTION: Jesus was speaking in parables to those he was teaching. Why? Because they were not listening to what HE was really saying or didn’t care to listen. The disciples were willing to listen to Jesus. If they had known what he was talking about they would have been converted. The disciples cared and wanted to understand what they meant.
There is a difference between those who followed just for the show and those who followed and wanted to understand HIS purpose for coming to this earth.
Many of those in our churches come just for the show. Some come to understand their responsibility to the LORD. Jesus wanted to explain to them and we should want to explain to those who want to learn what Christianity is really about. Most of those who say that they are Christians are walking around in a fog. It is sad but true. They say that doctrine is not important. They say that church name is not important. They say that we are all going to the same place when we die. Denomination don’t mean anything when it teaches the truth of the word of God but does mean something when that truth is not being taught. There are some denominations that are not even trying to teach the truth of the word of God. They are causing people to walk around in a fog and believe that they are Christians.
We need to be ones who daily search the Scriptures to see what is so. Those who are in a teaching or preaching positions are responsible to teach people the truth of the Word, so that, they understand their responsibility and understand the plan God has for this world and their life.
Jesus gives the formula: First the people have to see. Then the people have to hear. And finally they will be converted. If any of these steps are missed there will not be a Christian. There will be people who are wandering around in the dark.
We have a responsibility to spread the Word so that people perceive the truth of the Word of God and understand which will cause them to be followers of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Do we really understand the TRUTHS of the Word of God? If not, STUDY!
: 40 And HE said to them, Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith. (1169 “fearful” [deilos] means timid, cowardly, ignobly lacking courage, miserable, one who always runs, one who runs away at nothing, afraid, or faithless.)
DEVOTION: Jesus had no problem confronting people. HE would confront the religious leaders on their teachings. HE would confront people who wanted to be healed. HE would even confront HIS disciples.
Here is an occasion when HE confronted the disciples concerning their fear. They were in the middle of the sea when a storm came up and they were afraid with Jesus sleeping in the boat.
Remember that the many of the disciples were fishermen and used to being at sea all hours of the day. They had been through many storms but this one scared them. They went and woke up Jesus.
Jesus got up off HIS pillow and spoke to the storm. HE simply said “Peace, be still.” Three words stopped the storm. The sea became calm. The disciples were amazed that HE had control over the weather. They didn’t really understand who HE was. They knew HE was a great teacher. They knew HE could heal those who were sick but to control the weather was beyond their ability to think.
Jesus confronted them by asking them two questions. HE wanted to help them think through what was going on. HE wanted them to understand who HE was. HE wanted them to realize that they had God in the boat with them and nothing was going to happen that HE didn’t allow.
Secondly, HE wanted them to realize that when they faced future storm it took faith to believe that the LORD would protect them. They were going to face future storms after HE ascended into heaven and they needed to be prepared to pray and ask HIM for deliverance from all the trials HE allowed in their life.
We have to do the same today.
CHALLENGE: When storms come into our life, do we have enough faith to realize that the LORD is by our side to help us through them all? If not, we need to develop it through our understanding of who we are serving.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Wordverses 14-20
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Kingdom of Godverses 11, 26, 30
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Teacherverses 1, 2
Parablesverses 2, 33, 34
HIS doctrineverse 2
Parable of the sowerverses 3-25
Stony ground – no root
Fell among thorns – unfruitful
Good ground – good fruit
Disciples were to know the mystery of the Kingdom of Godverses 11, 34
Parable of harvestverses 26-29
Parable of mustard seedverses 30-34
Expounded all things to disciplesverse 34
Asleep during stormverse 38
Master verse 38
Nature obeys Jesusverses 39-41
Rebuked the wind
Spoke to the sea – great calm
Asked disciples: “Why are you so fearfulverse 40
How is it that you have no faith?verse 40
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Kingdom of Godverses 11, 26, 30
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world Good and Evil)
Satan – takes away the Word that was sown in their heartsverse 15
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Multitudeverse 36
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Not perceiveverse 12
Not understandverse 12
Sinsverse 12
Cares of this worldverse 19
Deceitfulness of richesverse 19
Lust of other thingsverse 19
Unfruitful wordverse 19
Fearfulverses 40, 41
No faithverse 40
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Teachverse 1
Doctrineverse 2
Fruitverses 8, 20
Hearverses 9, 20, 23, 33
Know the mysteryverse 11
Perceive teaching of Jesusverse 12
Understand teachings of Jesusverse 12
Convertedverse 12
Forgivenverse 12
Receive the wordverse 20
Expound the Wordverse 34
Faith verse 40
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Twelve = disciplesverses 10, 34, 40 41
Feared exceedingly
Asked themselves:
What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey HIM?
Last Things (Future Events)
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