Today we begin a new study on the four types of christians that can be found in the church, and we will use the teachings of the Lord in Mark 4 to extract lessons that can help guide us today in our everyday lives. We read that, “Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His doctrine…” (Mark 4:2) – showing us that Jesus Himself had a systematic curriculum of teaching that was purposed to build a specific mindset in His followers; He did not just teach randomly and without structure. Into the teaching, Jesus relayed a parable about four different grounds that received a seed of and the different responses and fruit borne from each of them (read v. 3-9). He did not explain the meaning of this parable to the multitudes, and we are not told of any of them asking, but the faithful disciples went to Him when He was alone to further pursue its understanding. Already we see the separation of the two types of people: those who are casual in the seeking of knowledge, and those who go the extra mile. Jesus responded, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables” (v.11) – firstly we see here that a mystery is a body of knowledge that is hidden from the world for us! It is not hidden from us, but when we express the desire to know more, we are granted understanding.
Jesus then asked them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?” (v.13) – He was making it known that this is the very first parable that one ought to master if they have any hope of understanding the Lord’s other teachings. He used the example of seed, because it is a consistent principle across all walks of life that can not be cheated by any man, as the scriptures tell us, “… as long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest… shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). Jesus then went on to explain that the parable referred to the word being sown in different hearts, where the first heart described is one where Satan came immediately to steal the word that was being sown. This shows a group of people that Satan has easy access to, a heart with no defence and no capacity to retain the received word. The Lord explained that this is the group of persons with no understanding, because without understanding, the Word of God cannot find landing in your heart. For the Word of God to work and start bearing fruit – you have to have understanding! “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45)
The second group of hearts and people that Jesus described, were those who immediately receive the Word with gladness but have no root within themselves to sustain it, thus it only endures for a while (Mark 4:17). A majority of God’s children can be found in this group, and their weakness is exposed in the times of testing. The strength of any tree is determined by the strength of the root. So before we lust over manifestations, we need to soberly assess whether we have enough strength in our root system to withstand the test of time and seasons. And we ought to also always be vigilant and watchful, knowing that persecution and testing arises for the sake of the Word (v.17), and everytime we receive a Word into our heart, the enemy will try to uproot that seed and abort its fruitfulness.
The third group described by Jesus are those who may have graduated from that first stage of having their roots scorched by the sun, and have entered into a different category of testing: the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things (v.19). This is the group that have everything they once prayed for, needs and wants sorted, and are now tempted with deprioritizing the things of the Kingdom because they see no need for a commitment to ‘these church things’. The Word at this stage had yielded fruit, and started elevating the lives of the receivers in question, and satan began to attempt to lure their attention with the very fruit they received from the Word. The last group described by Jesus are those with good ground that received the Word and have it working in them (v.20) – showing that it is absolutely important to receive the Word, never be caught in the trap of thinking a Word is not for you because you cannot see its relevance at that point in time. This good ground did not carry any thorns and thistles, showing us again the importance of guarding our hearts, be rid of bitterness, jealousy, worry, and all these things – truly none are worth the value they cost you!
Prayer
Father, we thank You for the opening of eyes! We thank You for enlightenment and for understanding! We thank You for counsel and for correction! We thank You for guidance and for truth! We also thank You, for a remembrance of the words You have taught us when it matters most! In the name of Jesus, amen!
