Mark 4:10-12 (NASB)
10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve disciples, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but for those who are outside, everything comes in parables, 12 so that while seeing they may see, and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear, and not understand, otherwise they might return and it would be forgiven them.”
In last week’s sermon, we read the Parable of the Sower. This passage immediately follows that parable. It’s important to keep that parable in mind as we look at these verses today. To many people, verse 12 of this text is a very confusing. Like all passages of the Bible, in order to understand this verse in Mark, we need to look to the Bible to understand the Bible. As they say, we need to let Scripture interpret Scripture. To start with, we must ask ourselves if what this passage seems to say, at first reading, lines up with the rest of Scripture. Does Jesus want all people to come to salvation, or does He not?
The New Testament clearly makes the case that God desires all people to be saved. The most obvious verse being John 3:16, which says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” Another clear example is 2 Peter 3:9, which says, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.”
In the Old Testament, it is also evident that God desires all people to worship Him. Starting in the beginning, when God makes His covenant with Abram, Genesis 12:3 says, “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
God wanted the children of Abram to grow into a people who, by obeying God, would be a witness to the whole world of God’s faithfulness. In Exodus 7:5, God says, “Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I extend My hand over Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.”
Our proper understanding of this basic truth, that God desires all people to know Him, is part of the foundation of how we approach all other parts of the Bible. Whether it’s theology, science, politics, or any other subject we want to research or study, our foundational beliefs form all our conclusions. For example, in science, whether a scientist is an atheist or believes in God, will influence and form all the theories of science he or she proposes. If an atheist is studying the origins of the universe, he or she will not bother to look at the evidence that proves the universe was created by Intelligent Design. That scientist will be starting from the position that there is no Creator and so he or she has to come up with some other theory. For the atheist, it is more than a strong bias, their beliefs rule out all possibilities of the supernatural.
In the same way, the foundation we approach the Bible from forms our understanding of individual verses. With this passage in Mark, if we are working from the proper understanding that God wants all people to be saved, then we know that Jesus cannot mean that He is trying to prevent people from repenting and getting saved. Since we know Jesus desires all people to be saved, what else could He be saying in this passage?
For clues, the next place to look is at any other Gospels which recount this event. Matthew 13:10-17 says, “And the disciples came up and said to Him, ‘Why do You speak to them in parables?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘You shall keep on listening, but shall not understand;
And you shall keep on looking, but shall not perceive;
For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their heart, and return,
And I would heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.’”
This is very different, is it not? Mark 4 did not mention that Jesus was quoting from Isaiah. This gives us more information: the people cannot understand Jesus’ parables because their hearts have become dull. Other translations say, this people’s heart has become calloused, or stubborn, hardened, or waxed gross. According to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word for dull is pachunó, and it means, “to thicken, to fatten, fig. to make dull.” We will come back to that word in a moment.
The other important thing to do is read this passage in context. We already know the Parable of the Sower was told before this passage, so now let’s read what was spoken immediately after. Reading from the account in Luke 8:9-15, it says, “Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable meant. And He said, ‘To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are told in parables, so that while seeing they may not see, and while hearing they may not understand. Now this is the parable: the seed is the word of God. And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky soil are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and yet these do not have a firm root; they believe for a while, and in a time of temptation they fall away. And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity. But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with perseverance.’”
The people cannot understand Jesus’ parables because their hearts are not “good soil.” They are not able to receive the seed, which is the Word of God. Their hearts are dull or waxed gross, and so the seed of God’s Word cannot take root and grow. I was pondering what that Greek word pachuno means, for another definition of waxed gross is overly fat. I think I’ve come up with a modern equivalent. Have you heard the insult “fathead” before? I wonder if that word isn’t a derivative of waxed gross. If someone is a fathead, it means they are stupid or dull of mind.
In Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers, he says, “The words point to the obstinate, willful ignorance which refuses to look on the truth, lest the look should lead to conviction, and conviction to conversion—the ignorance of those who love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil (John 3:19).” John 3:19 says, “And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil.” Instead of wanting to learn and know the truth, like a stubborn fathead, they refuse to listen.
That all seems logical and straightforward. But we still haven’t answered the question of why Jesus would speak in parables. Especially since we know from other verses in Scripture, that the Gospel message already makes little sense to the world. 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” It’s already confusing enough, so why speak in parables?
There are multiple answers we could give for that question, all dependent on which parable we are referring to. In this instance, it seems that part of why Jesus is speaking in parable is because He must fulfill prophesy, just as Matthew 13:14 says: “in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled.”
The reason it was prophesied is not without purpose. As N.T. Wright says in his book, Mark for Everyone, “Jesus wasn’t being deliberately difficult for the sake of it. His message was so explosive that this was the only way He could say it.”
I think Wright is saying that Jesus wasn’t speaking in parables so that the people would not get saved, He was speaking in parables because He didn’t want the wrong people to hear the plan. It wasn’t time yet to reveal everything. This is consistent with Jesus’ behavior all throughout the Gospels. Remember the times when He would heal someone and He would tell them to not tell anyone? After Jesus healed a man of leprosy, Mark 1:43-45 says, “He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, and He said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’ But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.” Jesus wanted the man to keep it secret, for He knew other people wanting to be healed would mob him. He needed to stick to His plan. If He spent all His time healing people, that could have hindered His greater mission.
Even when His disciples understood who He was, He told them to keep it to themselves. Mark 8:29-30 says, “And He continued questioning them: ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered and said to Him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And He warned them to tell no one about Him.” It wasn’t time yet to reveal Himself to everyone.
But as we see in the next couple of verses in Mark 4:21-23, Jesus explains this Himself. It says, “And He was saying to them, ‘A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, or under a bed, is it? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Jesus is explaining to the disciples that this message of salvation is not going to stay hidden for long. His plan is to shine it all over the world, to shout it from the rooftops, and let the whole world know in plain language that He is the Son of God, Savior of the world. And, “if anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
But even when Jesus was using parables, He still invited anyone who could hear Him to come and follow Him. That is what happened with the disciples, after all. They heard Him call to them, and they dropped what they were doing and followed Him.
So it wasn’t that He didn’t want people to follow Him. He needed to fulfill prophecy, and He needed to be crucified. His parables were serving to further those specific purposes. If we study the text and read all the Gospel accounts, and not just one, we realize that everything Jesus says is deliberate.
My son and I were discussing how Jesus is the perfect apologist. Jesus flawlessly defended the truth and could argue with any Pharisee and easily point out the flaws in their thinking. Yet, as my son pointed out to me, when Jesus stood before Pilate, He chose to be silent. If Jesus had argued and made the case for His innocence, He could have easily won Pilate over to His side. I think that ties in with what is happening here in these parables. Words are powerful. People are easily manipulated and won over through propaganda and passionate speeches. How much more powerful and persuasive than anybody else could Jesus be? If He wanted to, He could convince anybody to believe anything He says. Yet, if He wins the argument and they believe Him, but that seed of truth falls onto rocky, unprepared soil, it is not going to take root. The truth they momentarily had will be taken from them. Isn’t that what Jesus is trying to explain to the disciples? He’s saying, if they hear me because I explain it to them but they are not ready to follow Me, then it won’t last. They will lose that temporary understanding of truth.
And, as I mentioned, He couldn’t reveal His entire plan to everybody yet. It wasn’t time. The crowds who wanted to see miracles, they weren’t ready to receive Jesus as their Savior yet. He needed the Jewish leaders to crucify Him, and if they realized who He truly is, would they still have crucified Him? He needed to finish His mission, so He needed to do this secretively and carefully.
So sometimes Jesus spoke in parables in order to conceal the truth from the people who were trying to kill Him. Other times, Jesus spoke in parables in order to communicate to His enemies, the Pharisees, and not to His disciples. We see this example in Matthew 21:45-46, which says, “When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. And although they sought to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, since they considered Him to be a prophet.”
Finally, Jesus’ time to reveal His plan arrived. He was led to the cross and crucified. Then He proved to the whole world that He is the Messiah, the Son of God, by rising from the grave. He came back to life, and His last words to the disciples, as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 say, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Now, we no longer need to keep the truth of who Jesus is secret. We are to share this Gospel message of hope and love with the whole world. But like Jesus explains in the Parable of the Sower, we should be mindful of how we are sowing seeds in people’s hearts and minds.
In a previous sermon, I talk more about this concept, but I will mention it briefly again. Before someone is born again, they must hear the Word of God. They must hear the message of salvation that tells us that Jesus died on the cross to forgive us of our sins. Being sinless, He took our sins upon Himself, bearing the punishment for us. He triumphed over sin and death and rose from the grave. If we believe He is God, and repent of our sins, then He will forgive us of our sins and we will be born again, being adopted into His family. Before we share that Gospel seed or invitation of salvation with unbelievers, we should be mindful of the state of their soil. Is their heart and mind overly fat and closed off to the Gospel? Often times, before an outright invitation is given, we need to lay groundwork of what is called “pre-evangelism,” so that when people do hear God’s Word, they will not outright reject it. How do we do this? Through apologetics, which is the Latin word for defending an idea. In other words, we lay the groundwork for sharing the Gospel by giving reasons for our faith. Many people have objections to Christianity that must be overcome. Other people have false ideas of what Christianity is all about that need to be explained to them. Apologetics overcomes these objections, so people can be ready to hear the Gospel message.
Paul talks about the stages of evangelism in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, which says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.” Not only does pre-evangelism need to happen, but so does post-evangelism, like Apollos was doing: watering the sprouting seeds of faith. As the Parable of the Sower explains, so many people lose their faith in the beginning, either because their hearts were not ready, or the devil snatches the seeds away through temptations, or “they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life.”
Those of who have been born again, we have tasks to do. First, we need to do as 1 Peter 3:15 (ESV) instructs: “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” The only way we will be ready to defend our faith is if we know what God’s Word says. We must study God’s Word and understand it so we can answer people’s questions and overcome their objections. Then we can share the reason for our hope, which is the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, with gentleness and respect, and pray that the Holy Spirit will protect people’s hearts as the beginning of faith begins to grow.
Second, we must pray for ourselves, that the Holy Spirit will grow faith in our hearts and root out any sin that would choke that faith. And we must read God’s Word, so our faith is watered and grows deep, and we will be blessed. As Psalm 1:1-3 so beautifully says, “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the Law of the Lord,
And on His Law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season,
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.”
As Paul said in 1 Corinthians, God is the ultimate gardener, though, causing the growth. We are the underlings, simply doing what the Master Gardener tells us to do. We must follow His lead, and rely on Him to help us know what to say, how to proceed and when to share His message of salvation with others. So that when the people hear God’s Word, they will hear it and understand, and join us in our faith.
Pray: Heavenly Father, we pray that by Your Holy Spirit, You would garden our hearts. Root out sin, and forgive us. Cleanse us and plant the fruit of Your Spirit deep within us. Please prune and shape us so we can bear good fruit for You and Your Kingdom. Please protect us from the devil’s schemes to damage our faith. Help us overcome temptations. Please give us a love for Your Word, so we readily read it. Help us understand it when we hear it, so we can share Your gospel message of love with others. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
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