Discovery BoxMark 4:10-32
Context4:10 When he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 4:11 He said to them, “The secret 1 of the kingdom of God has been given 2 to you. But to those outside, everything is in parables,
4:12 so that although they look they may look but not see,
and although they hear they may hear but not understand,
so they may not repent and be forgiven.” 3
4:13 He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? Then 4 how will you understand any parable? 4:14 The sower sows the word. 4:15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: Whenever they hear, immediately Satan 5 comes and snatches the word 6 that was sown in them. 4:16 These are the ones sown on rocky ground: As soon as they hear the word, they receive it with joy. 4:17 But 7 they have no root in themselves and do not endure. 8 Then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away. 4:18 Others are the ones sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word, 4:19 but 9 worldly cares, the seductiveness of wealth, 10 and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, 11 and it produces nothing. 4:20 But 12 these are the ones sown on good soil: They hear the word and receive it and bear fruit, one thirty times as much, one sixty, and one a hundred.”
4:21 He also said to them, “A lamp 13 isn’t brought to be put under a basket 14 or under a bed, is it? Isn’t it to be placed on a lampstand? 4:22 For nothing is hidden except to be revealed, 15 and nothing concealed except to be brought to light. 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!” 16 4:24 And he said to them, “Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, 17 and more will be added to you. 4:25 For whoever has will be given more, but 18 whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” 19
4:26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground. 4:27 He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 4:28 By itself the soil produces a crop, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 4:29 And when the grain is ripe, he sends in the sickle 20 because the harvest has come.” 21
4:30 He also asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to present it? 4:31 It is like a mustard seed 22 that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground – 4:32 when it is sown, it grows up, 23 becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and grows large branches so that the wild birds 24 can nest in its shade.” 25
[4:11] 1 tn Grk “the mystery.”
[4:11] 2 tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).
[4:12] 3 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.
[4:13] 4 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[4:15] 5 sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Matt 13:19 has “the evil one,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.
[4:15] 6 sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.
[4:17] 7 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[4:17] 8 tn Grk “are temporary.”
[4:19] 9 tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[4:19] 10 tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”
[4:19] 11 sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.
[4:20] 12 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[4:21] 13 sn The lamp is probably an ancient oil burning lamp or perhaps a candlestick. Jesus is comparing revelation to light, particularly the revelation of his ministry.
[4:21] 14 tn Or “a bowl”; this refers to any container for dry material of about eight liters (two gallons) capacity. It could be translated “basket, box, bowl” (L&N 6.151).
[4:23] 16 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8, 14:35).
[4:24] 17 tn Grk “by [the measure] with which you measure it will be measured to you.”
[4:25] 18 tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[4:25] 19 sn What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.
[4:29] 20 tn The Greek word εὐθύς (euqus, often translated “immediately” or “right away”) has not been translated here. It sometimes occurs with a weakened, inferential use (BDAG 406 s.v. 2), not contributing significantly to the flow of the narrative. For further discussion, see R. J. Decker, Temporal Deixis of the Greek Verb in the Gospel of Mark with Reference to Verbal Aspect (SBG 10), 73-77.
[4:29] 21 sn Because the harvest has come. This parable is found only in Mark (cf. Matt 13:24-30) and presents a complete picture of the coming of God’s kingdom: (1) sowing; (2) growth; (3) harvest. Some understand the parable as a reference to evangelism. While this is certainly involved, it does not seem to be the central idea. In contrast to the parable of the sower which emphasizes the quality of the different soils, this parable emphasizes the power of the seed to cause growth (with the clear implication that the mysterious growth of the kingdom is accomplished by God), apart from human understanding and observation.
[4:31] 22 sn Mustard seeds are known for their tiny size.
[4:32] 23 tn Mark 4:31-32 is fairly awkward in Greek. Literally the sentence reads as follows: “As a mustard seed, which when sown in the earth, being the smallest of all the seeds in the earth, and when it is sown, it grows up…” The structure has been rendered in more idiomatic English, although some of the awkward structure has been retained for rhetorical effect.
[4:32] 24 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
[4:32] 25 sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.
