Daily Bible Study

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Day 4 Mark 4 Mark 4:1 And he began again to teach by the seaside: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, 3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred. 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? And how then will ye know all parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended. 18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 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. 20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred. 21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick? 22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come abroad. 23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. 26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; 27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knows not how. 28 For the earth brings forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest is come. 30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what comparison shall we compare it? 31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 32 But when it is sown, it grows up, and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it. 33 And with many such parables spoke he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable spoke he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples. Many people like a good story. Libraries and bookstores are filled with books of all kinds to whet any appetite, whether educational, non-fiction, or fiction. Jesus also told stories, parables, to the people. Parables are earthly stories with heavenly meanings. He told those stories for two reasons. One, because everyone likes a good story, especially one they can relate to, and two, for those who would understand the stories he told. Not everyone understood the parables. Even the disciples needed an interpretation. As Christians, there are times when you too, need an explanation about what Jesus taught, and what the Bible is saying to you. For those with a hunger for the Word, there are commentaries for people to look into what the Bible talks about. Especially when it comes to the culture of that time. I personally use several commentaries when I do an in-depth study of the Word, or I don’t understand a passage. My go to commentary is Matthew Henry’s Commentary. I also use Adam Clarke’s Commentary, as well as others. They give further insight from a theological standpoint. Jesus said, he that has ears to hear, let him hear. God’s Word isn’t difficult to understand, you just need to study it, pay attention to what others say about it, pastors and other teachers. In the parable of the sower, Jesus talked about four different types of people who would have the opportunity to hear God’s Word. Those who hear it and immediately discount it – wayside, or the path a person walks on, where nothing grows; stony ground – the Word doesn’t have a chance to grow; thorny ground – the cares of the world are more important; and good ground – those who receive it are ready to learn all they can to become a better Christian. Those types are also like the mustard seed. Faith starts out small, but as you learn, it grows until you are known as a man or woman of faith in God. What kind of Christian are you? Everyone falls into one of those four areas. Let’s pray: Father, let your Word fall on good ground. Let me hear your Word and act upon it, letting it grow in me until you call me home. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 10 July 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay