Question 1

What does the parable of the sower teach about the different soils?

Accepted Answer

The parable of the sower uses four types of soil to picture four kinds of hearts. The wayside is a hard path, like people who hear the word but it never sinks in, and Satan quickly snatches it away. The stony ground is shallow soil, like people who receive the word with joy but have no root, so trouble or persecution makes them give up. The thorny ground is crowded soil, where cares, riches, and desires choke the word. The good ground is a receptive heart that hears, receives, and bears real fruit in different measures.

Question 2

Why did Jesus say, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God”?

Accepted Answer

Jesus said this to those who were close to him, including the twelve, after they asked about the parable. He explains that understanding the kingdom is a gift. Some hear the same stories and remain outside, seeing and hearing but not really taking it in, because their hearts are hard. Others are given insight and a changed heart, so the parables do not just sound like stories but open up God’s ways. This shows both God’s kindness in giving understanding and the danger of careless, resistant hearing.

Question 3

What does Jesus mean by the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches choking the word?

Accepted Answer

Jesus describes people who hear the word but live in soil full of thorns. The thorns are everyday worries about this life, the pull and lies of wealth, and desires for other things. These may not look evil on the surface, but they grow and crowd out time, attention, and love for God. The word does not stop being good, but it becomes unfruitful in such a heart. This is a warning to watch what fills our minds and to keep God’s word first, so it has room to grow and produce lasting fruit.

Question 4

Why does Jesus talk about a candle under a bushel in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Right after explaining the soils, Jesus speaks about a lamp. A lamp is not lit to be hidden under a basket or a bed but to be set on a stand. In the same way, the light of his word and the truth about the kingdom are not meant to stay hidden forever. God brings hidden things to light. For those who truly hear, what they receive should not be buried but allowed to shine. It also hints that God will one day expose what is in people’s hearts, whether they welcomed or rejected his word.

Question 5

What does the growing seed parable teach about God’s kingdom work?

Accepted Answer

In the growing seed story, a man scatters seed and then goes on with his days, sleeping and rising, while the seed sprouts and grows in a way he does not understand. The earth produces by stages: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain, until harvest comes. This shows that God’s kingdom often works quietly and gradually. The word may seem hidden or slow at first, but God is at work in ways we cannot see. Those who teach or share the word are called to sow faithfully and trust God for the growth and the harvest.

Question 6

What is the meaning of the mustard seed in this chapter?

Accepted Answer

Jesus says the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which is very small when sown but grows into a plant larger than other herbs, with big branches where birds can rest. The picture is of a tiny, unimpressive beginning that leads to large, visible growth. God’s rule may look small at first, in a small group of followers or a simple word preached, but in time it spreads and provides shelter. This encourages believers not to despise small starts, because God can make them grow far beyond what they look like at first.

Question 7

Why does Jesus say, “With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you”?

Accepted Answer

Jesus is talking about how people hear and respond to his word. The “measure” is the care and openness they bring to what they hear. If someone listens with attention, hunger, and obedience, more understanding will be given. If someone listens lightly or with a closed heart, even the little they seem to have can slip away. This shows that hearing the word is not passive. God is generous with those who value his truth, but those who treat it as small or unimportant end up losing what they might have had.

Question 8

What does this passage show about Jesus calming the storm and faith?

Accepted Answer

When the storm hits the boat, the waves fill it and the disciples think they are going to die. Jesus is asleep, and they wake him with, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” He rises, speaks to the wind and sea, “Peace, be still,” and a great calm follows. Then he asks why they are so fearful and have no faith. This shows his power over creation and also exposes their hearts. They had seen his works, yet panic overcame trust. The story invites readers to see Jesus as Lord even in danger and to bring fear to him instead of letting it rule.

Question 9

Why does this passage say some see but do not perceive and hear but do not understand?

Accepted Answer

The wording here is difficult and has been read in more than one way, but the main idea is that the same word that softens some hearts leaves others unchanged or harder. The problem is not in the word itself but in the condition of the hearer. Like bright light that hurts weak eyes, God’s word can expose and even deepen the blindness of those who refuse it. At the same time, the passage hints at what could have been: if they truly saw and understood, they would turn and find forgiveness. It is both a warning and a sorrowful description.

Mark 4:1

And he began again to teach by the sea side: 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.

The Parable of the Sower

The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables

The Parable of the Sower Explained

The Lesson of the Lamp

The Seed Growing Secretly

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Jesus Calms the Storm

The Parable of the Sower

Cross References

Mark 4:1

And he began again to teach by the sea side: 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.

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The Parable of the Sower

The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables

The Parable of the Sower Explained

The Lesson of the Lamp

The Seed Growing Secretly

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

Jesus Calms the Storm

The Parable of the Sower

Cross References