Chapter Four

1–9. Introduction to the parables section and the parable of the sower. – 10–20. The reason why the Lord communicated His teaching in parables, and the explanation of the parable of the sower. – 21–23. The disciples must shine with their knowledge like lamps. – 24–25. The more a man seeks knowledge, the more he grows in it. – 26–29. The self-growing and self-ripening seed. – 30–32. The kingdom of heaven from the perspective of its insignificance in the beginning and its greatness in the end. – 33–34. Concluding remarks about the parables. – 35–41. The calming of the storm on the sea.

Mark 4:1. And again He began to teach by the sea; and a multitude of people gathered to Him, so that He entered into a boat and sat on the sea, and all the people was on the land, by the sea. “And again.” This is already the third occasion when Christ offered His teaching on the shore of the sea (cf. Mark 2:13). A multitude of people. The crowd grew very great in number, as shown by the superlative degree of the adjective πλεῖστος standing with the word “crowd” (so according to Tischendorf; in our text only πολύς – positive degree), so that Christ was forced for convenience in delivering His sermon to sit down in a boat which stood at the very edge of the shore. “And all the people was on the land, by the sea.” The crowd, apparently, seeks not wonders, but instruction and shows great goodwill toward the Great Teacher. This crowd gathered with extraordinary swiftness (in Tischendorf’s text συνήχθη – aorist, as in the Textus Receptus, clearly to denote this very swift rushing of the crowd after Christ). Consequently, according to the Gospel of Mark, Christ first taught by the sea only His disciples, and then a whole crowd of listeners gathered there, whereas according to the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 13:1), the Lord began to teach only after a crowd of people had gathered on the shore.

Mark 4:2. And He taught them in parables at length, and in His teaching He said to them: “And He taught them in parables at length.” Evangelist Mark, however, later relates only three parables spoken by Christ by the sea (evangelist Matthew – seven: Matt 13). He himself considers the parables as a particular kind of teaching. “And in His teaching He said to them.” The word “teaching” (διδαχή) means, doubtless, not the act itself of teaching, not the process (then the expression would be ἐν τῷ διδάσκειν), but the teaching of the Savior Himself as a certain system.

Mark 4:3. Listen: behold, a sower went out to sow; Mark 4:4. and as he sowed, it happened that some fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it. Mark 4:5. And some fell upon rocky ground where there was but little soil, and it sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow; Mark 4:6. but when the sun rose, it was scorched, and having no root, it withered away. Mark 4:7. And some fell into thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it gave no fruit. Mark 4:8. And other fell into good soil and gave fruit, which came up and grew, and one yielded thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred. Mark 4:9. And He said to them: whoever has ears to hear, let him hear! The first parable – concerning the sower, which is related in these verses, is a repetition of what is contained in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 13:3-9). But evangelist Mark is more generous than the other Synoptists (cf. Luke 8:4-8) in communicating details of the parable. So, he alone has the expressions: “and it gave no fruit” (verse 7), fruit that “came up and grew” (verse 8), and others.

Mark 4:10. And when He was alone, those surrounding Him, together with the twelve, asked Him about the parable. Mark 4:11. And He said to them: to you is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to those outside all things are spoken in parables; Mark 4:12. so that they may look with their eyes and not see; and may hear with their ears and not understand, so that they may not turn and their sins be forgiven them. The explanation which the Lord gives to His disciples and closer followers from among the people (“those surrounding Him”) is placed here by evangelist Mark not because it was actually given after the parable of the sower, but because it seemed to him necessary to explain to the readers of his Gospel the purpose for which the Lord clothed His teaching addressed to the people in the form of parables. Indeed, Christ had just spoken His parable of the sower while sitting in a boat at the very shore and addressing those who stood on the shore, and the following parables He will speak in the same position, only in the evening He will cross to the other side of the sea (verse 35). If now evangelist Mark says that Christ “was alone” with the disciples, it is clear that he had in mind precisely that position in which Christ found Himself after the end of His preaching by the sea. Here, in the presence of the people, the disciples could not address their question to Christ, and Christ could not answer so as not to be heard by those standing about Him on the shore. Then, according to Tischendorf’s text, the disciples asked Christ about the meaning not of one parable of the sower (in our text – “about the parable”, verse 10), but about “parables” in general. Consequently, the explanation which Christ gave about the purpose of teaching in parables was doubtless transferred here by evangelist Mark from another place. “Asked.” According to Tischendorf – “were asking” (ἠρώτουν – imperfect tense). By this the evangelist shows that the disciples had the custom of asking Christ about the meaning of one or another parable. “To you is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God.” According to Tischendorf, who in this case follows the most esteemed codices, this passage reads: “to you the mystery of the kingdom of God is given.” In Mark’s account, by this reading, the mystery of the kingdom of God is not only an object of knowledge, but also a work entrusted by the Father in Heaven to the disciples of Christ – work that is already being accomplished. The kingdom of God is not a theory, but a fact which is destined to unfold in all its grandeur, and the mystery and powers to accomplish this unfolding are given only to the disciples of Christ. The word “mystery” (μυστήριον) thus means here the hidden plan of God concerning the divine economy of human salvation, concerning the establishment on earth of the kingdom of God (cf. Dan 2:28 and following). “But to those outside all things are spoken in parables.” Others, not belonging to this circle of people surrounding Christ, are unworthy of such a high mercy from God and receive instruction from Christ by means of parables. The word “outside” (οἱ ἔξω) does not here have the meaning of a disparaging epithet, but simply indicates a certain degree to which people stand in the knowledge of the mystery. To some this mystery is fully entrusted, to others a certain understanding of it comes by way of parables. All the same, the parable as an indirect way of revealing thought cannot fully illuminate so dark a subject as the mystery of the kingdom of God, especially if the parable is not explained. “All” – of course, not in the literal sense, but only all that concerns the mystery of the kingdom of God. “So that they may look with their eyes and not see...” (ἵνα βλέποντες βλέπωσιν). In the vernacular, the conjunction ἵνα often has the same meaning as the conjunction ὅπως – “so that” or even simply means “that,” but it is usually preceded by verbs with the meaning “to ask.” Without these verbs, the conjunction ἵνα can mean only “so that” (purpose). Therefore here the entire expression should be translated as it is translated in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 13:15: “that seeing they may not see”). It is evident that evangelist Mark takes here a passage from the 6th chapter of the book of Isaiah, just as Matthew does, but shortens the beginning and end of this passage (Isa 6:9-10). The meaning of the citation in Mark is this: The crowd is not told directly by Christ the mystery of the kingdom of God because that crowd is in the same moral state in which the contemporaries of the prophet Isaiah were. Christ speaks parables to them not so that they would not understand, but because they are not given to understand (“it is not given to them” – Matt 13:11). The extraordinary gift – the mystery of the kingdom of God – should not be given to them, apparently, because they are incapable of making use of it and show this incapability by the fact that they remain outside the circle of Christ’s disciples. Thus, according to the presentation of the Gospel of Mark, Christ’s parables had a twofold significance. For the multitude listening to Christ, they somewhat, in general outlines, lifted the veil of the mystery of the kingdom of God, as if inviting them to enter into deeper understanding of this mystery, and for the disciples they were a point of departure so that they could go further and further along the path of acceptance of this “mystery.” The hardening of the people occurred not because the Lord taught in parables, but because the people had already been disposed in a certain way toward Christ by their leaders and refused to go into the opened door of understanding. Besides, one must remember that the most important point in Christ’s teaching about the kingdom of God was the end of the Messiah – the death of Christ, a thought with which not even the apostles could reconcile themselves. It is clear that to preach this idea directly to the whole people would then have been completely futile (cf. article of Prof. Bogdashevsky on the purpose of parables. Proceedings of the Kiev Theological Academy, 1910, 3).

Mark 4:13. And He says to them: do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? Mark 4:14. The sower sows the word. Mark 4:15. And those sown by the wayside are those in whom the word is sown, but when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in their hearts. Mark 4:16. And in like manner those sown upon rocky ground are those who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, Mark 4:17. but they have no root in themselves and are unstable; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, they immediately fall away. Mark 4:18. And those sown in thorns are those who hear the word, Mark 4:19. but in whom the anxieties of this age, the deceit of riches, and other desires, entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark 4:20. And those sown on good soil are those who hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit, one thirty-fold, another sixty-fold, another a hundred-fold. For the explanation of the parable of the sower, see the commentaries to Matt 13:18-23. “Do you not understand this parable?” (verse 13). According to evangelist Mark, the question of the disciples (verse 10) referred only to the parable of the sower, and thus the Lord could indeed understand their question, because they asked Him “about parables,” and one who asks about the meaning of parables in general naturally desires to know the meaning of the first parable as well. Moreover, in the words of Christ there is no reproach to the disciples for not understanding the parable of the sower; the metaphor which Christ used here to denote the fate of the kingdom of God was far from being so common that the disciples would have been able to solve it on their own. By His question Christ wishes only to arouse the attention of the disciples, showing them how much they still need instruction (cf. Mark 8:17). The fact that they receive as a gift the divine mystery does not make instruction from Christ unnecessary for them; on the contrary, it is precisely through His clarifications that this gift is communicated to them (cf. verse 34). “How then will you understand all the parables?” The Lord wishes to say by this that on the basis of many parables (all) the disciples will have to form for themselves a whole understanding of the kingdom of God. This will be incomparably more difficult than solving the meaning of the parable of the sower, in which was depicted only the preaching of the kingdom of God, its course in the world, but not the kingdom itself.

Mark 4:21. And He said to them: is a lamp brought in order to be placed under a bushel or under a bed? Is it not rather to be placed on a lampstand? “And He said to them.” The parable of the lamp was probably spoken at another time – the evangelist Mark himself seems to hint at this by separating it from the preceding by the expression “and He said.” But, nevertheless, he considered it necessary to place this parable precisely here, because it perfectly explains the fate of Christ’s teaching about the kingdom of God. This teaching, as the parable of the lamp shows, is for now concealed by Christ from the people and communicated only in unveiled form to His disciples, but in time it must be revealed to all, and therefore the disciples should now pay as much attention to it as possible, so that afterwards they may proclaim it to others. See also the commentaries to Matt 5:15.

Mark 4:22. For there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed, and nothing kept secret that shall not come to light. If this thought of this verse were isolated, it could be taken as a separate parable: it has the appearance of a separate parable comparison in the Gospel of Matthew (Matt 10:26). But here it represents the basis for the preceding: for (in the Russian translation “for” is omitted) “there is nothing hidden”... Thus here is explained what was meant above by the “lamp” as the teaching about the mystery of the kingdom of God.

Mark 4:23. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear! This utterance seemed more naturally to apply to the whole people rather than to the disciples. But here it has its own meaning. The Lord calls upon His disciples to listen carefully to the thought which He has just expressed in the parable of the lamp. The disciples must understand that the teaching of Christ about the mystery of the kingdom of God will in time be proposed to all the world, that it is given to them by Christ for that very reason.

Mark 4:24. And He said to them: consider what you hear: by the measure with which you measure, it shall be measured to you, and more shall be added to those who hear. “Consider what you hear.” Such a translation represents merely a repetition of the previously expressed appeal (verse 23). But the evangelist hardly would repeat the same thing without reason. It is more natural to see here an appeal to the disciples to listen carefully and remember all that Christ will communicate to them about the mystery of the kingdom of God: the more carefully they attend to this teaching, the more and more understanding will be given to them by God. Thus the prophet Elisha filled all the vessels that were brought to him with oil, and when there were no more empty vessels, the oil ceased to flow (2 Sam 4:1-6). In Matthew this utterance is cited in a different context (see Matt 7:2).

Mark 4:25. For whoever has, to him shall be given, but whoever does not have, from him shall be taken even what he has. Here the same thought is expressed as in the preceding verse. The disciples must be as attentive as possible to the words of Christ in order to deserve still greater enlightenment with the light of truth. Otherwise they will lose even what they now possess (cf. Matt 13:12).

Mark 4:26. And He said: the kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the earth, Mark 4:27. and sleeps and rises night and day; and how the seed sprouts and grows, he does not know. Mark 4:28. For the earth of itself produces grain, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. Mark 4:29. But when the fruit ripens, immediately he sends in the sickle, because the harvest has come. The second parable – concerning the seed which, being cast into the earth, then grows without the participation of the sower – evidently depicts the gradual, orderly ripening of the kingdom of God in the soul of an individual person who has accepted Christ’s teaching. The preachers of the Gospel, casting the seeds of faith into the souls of people, cannot precisely track further how these seeds grow into whole ears of grain which will in time be reaped and gathered into the kingdom of God. All anxiety on the part of the sower during the time the seed is in the earth is completely unnecessary. So the apostles, who for the most part were Galileans and therefore were inclined to employ special measures on their part to expand the kingdom of God, should be calm and not troubled by the thought of what will become of the teaching of Christ that they have proclaimed. In its time, with the help of God, it will bear fruit and prove beneficial – this is the main thought of the parable. But toward the end the parable takes on the character of allegory. It is certain that under the “harvest” in verse 29 is understood the final gathering of those who believe in Christ, which Christ Himself will accomplish, now departing from the earth, but destined to come again to gather the fruits of His sowing (cf. Rev 14:14). Of course, it would be unsuitable to apply all the particulars of the parable to Christ, for example, verse 27, where it is said that the sower does not know how the seed he sowed sprouts. But the particulars of the parable for the most part are not designed to have all of them explained in their application to Christ and the kingdom of God; they serve only, as in other parables, “for the embellishment and enlivenment of speech” (Bishop Michael). From this parable comes the assurance that the work of God, begun in relation to human hearts at the moment when the apostolic preaching word falls into them, will not cease in its development and by unknown ways will proceed further and further until the human heart is fully ripened for the new blessed life in God.

Mark 4:30. And He said: to what shall we compare the kingdom of God? Or in what parable shall we set it forth? Mark 4:31. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; Mark 4:32. and when sown, it springs up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the sky can shelter under its shadow. The third parable – concerning the mustard seed (see the commentaries to Matt 13:31-32). “To what shall we compare...” The Lord speaks here as a Teacher who considers Himself on the same level as His disciples, so as to inspire them also to take part in His intellectual work, to make them also think seriously about what occupies the Teacher. The Lord has in mind here the entire people surrounding Him, not only the apostles.

Mark 4:33. And in such many parables He proclaimed the word to them, as much as they were able to hear. Mark 4:34. And without a parable He did not speak to them, but He explained all things to His disciples in private. The evangelist concludes the section on parables with three observations about Christ’s parabolical way of teaching. First, he reports that “in such” parables – that is, of such a kind – the Lord usually spoke “to them,” that is, to the people (cf. verse 1). Moreover, the Lord took into account the capacity of His listeners for listening to and understanding His teaching – He spoke in such manner and for as long as the people could listen to Him without becoming weary. Second, the evangelist notes that the Lord invariably united His every sermon with some parable or clothed it in figurative expressions. Third, the evangelist notes that the Lord “in private,” afterward, explained everything to His disciples. From this it is evident that the people in general did not understand the parabolic teaching of Christ as it should have been understood, and saw in Christ a simple moral teacher, similar to those rabbis who often resorted to various parables to illustrate their assertions.

Mark 4:35. In the evening of that day He said to them: let us cross to the other side. In the account of the calming of the storm, evangelist Mark departs somewhat from Matthew. Thus Mark notes that the crossing of the sea took place in the evening of the same day when the Lord had spoken so many parables to the people.

Mark 4:36. And they, sending away the crowd, took Him with them, as He was in the boat; and there were also other boats with Him. The disciples of Christ “sent away the crowd” surrounding Christ, that is, they convinced the people that the Teacher was extraordinarily tired and needed rest. Then they took Him with them in the boat (not “in the boat,” as translated in the Russian Gospel), “as He was,” that is, they took Him while He was tired and needing peace. In this connection, evangelist Mark notes that they did not go alone to the eastern shore of the sea, but were accompanied by boats of those who had come from that shore to listen to Christ and now formed, so to speak, Christ’s entourage during His crossing of the sea.

Mark 4:37. And a great storm arose; the waves beat into the boat, so that it was now being filled with water. Mark 4:38. And He was sleeping on the stern on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him: Teacher! do You not care that we are perishing? Mark 4:39. And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea: be silent, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:40. And He said to them: why are you so fearful? how is it that you have no faith? Mark 4:41. And they were filled with great fear and said to one another: who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him? In general, the evangelist Mark relates the calming of the storm in accord with Matthew, but still he has some particular details. He notes that Christ slept “on a pillow,” that is, on the cushion of the helmsman. Then the disciples address Christ not in the tone of a request, as in the Gospel of Matthew, but in the tone of a reproach (“Teacher”; in Matthew – “Lord”). Further, the Lord addresses commands to the sea and reproaches the disciples for weakness of faith. As for the question of who “was filled with great fear” and marveled at the greatness of Christ, on the basis of the remark made earlier about those who sailed after Christ (verse 36), one may suppose that these people together with the disciples learned of the miracle performed by Christ and also marveled at His miraculous power. But the miracle itself had in view chiefly the disciples of Christ, who needed to be inspired with confidence that their Teacher, who soon would send them out to preach the Gospel, could always protect them from the greatest dangers. * * * The preposition ἀνά here is equivalent to the preposition εἱς (cf. Matt 10:16; Luke 8:7 and others). It should be translated thus: “they take Him, as He was, with them in the boat.”