Mark 4:13--5:11

4:13 He said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? Then ¹  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 ²  comes and snatches the word ³  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 ⁴  they have no root in themselves and do not endure. ⁵  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 ⁶  worldly cares, the seductiveness of wealth, ⁷  and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, ⁸  and it produces nothing. 4:20 But ⁹  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.”

The Parable of the Lamp

4:21 He also said to them, “A lamp ¹⁰  isn’t brought to be put under a basket ¹¹  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, ¹²  and nothing concealed except to be brought to light. 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!” ¹³  4:24 And he said to them, “Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive, ¹⁴  and more will be added to you. 4:25 For whoever has will be given more, but ¹⁵  whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” ¹⁶ 

The Parable of the Growing Seed

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 ¹⁷  because the harvest has come.” ¹⁸ 

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

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 ¹⁹  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, ²⁰  becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and grows large branches so that the wild birds ²¹  can nest in its shade.” ²² 

The Use of Parables

4:33 So ²³  with many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear. 4:34 He did not speak to them without a parable. But privately he explained everything to his own disciples.

Stilling of a Storm

4:35 On that day, when evening came, Jesus ²⁴  said to his disciples, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” ²⁵  4:36 So ²⁶  after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat, ²⁷  and other boats were with him. 4:37 Now ²⁸  a great windstorm ²⁹  developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. 4:38 But ³⁰  he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” 4:39 So ³¹  he got up and rebuked ³²  the wind, and said to the sea, ³³  “Be quiet! Calm down!” Then ³⁴  the wind stopped, and it was dead calm. 4:40 And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?” 4:41 They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, “Who then is this? ³⁵  Even the wind and sea obey him!” ³⁶ 

Healing of a Demoniac

5:1 So ³⁷  they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. ³⁸  5:2 Just as Jesus ³⁹  was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit ⁴⁰  came from the tombs and met him. ⁴¹  5:3 He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 5:4 For his hands and feet had often been bound with chains and shackles, ⁴²  but ⁴³  he had torn the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5:5 Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 5:6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him. 5:7 Then ⁴⁴  he cried out with a loud voice, “Leave me alone, ⁴⁵  Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I implore you by God ⁴⁶  – do not torment me!” 5:8 (For Jesus ⁴⁷  had said to him, “Come out of that man, you unclean spirit!”) ⁴⁸  5:9 Jesus ⁴⁹  asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “My name is Legion, ⁵⁰  for we are many.” 5:10 He begged Jesus ⁵¹  repeatedly not to send them out of the region. 5:11 There on the hillside, ⁵²  a great herd of pigs was feeding.

[4:13]  ¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[4:15]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[4:17]  ⁴ tn Grk “are temporary.”

[4:19]  ⁴ tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[4:19]  ⁵ tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”

[4:19]  ⁶ sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.

[4:20]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[4:21]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ 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).

[4:22]  ⁷ tn Or “disclosed.”

[4:23]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Grk “by [the measure] with which you measure it will be measured to you.”

[4:25]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[4:25]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹² sn Mustard seeds are known for their tiny size.

[4:32]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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.

[4:33]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[4:35]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:35]  ¹⁶ tn The phrase “of the lake” is not in the Greek text but is clearly implied; it has been supplied here for clarity.

[4:36]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response to Jesus’ request.

[4:36]  ¹⁷ tn It is possible that this prepositional phrase modifies “as he was,” not “they took him along.” The meaning would then be “they took him along in the boat in which he was already sitting” (see 4:1).

[4:37]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[4:37]  ¹⁸ tn Or “a squall.”

[4:38]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[4:39]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[4:39]  ²⁰ tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).

[4:39]  ²¹ sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Ps 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea he was making a statement about who he was.

[4:39]  ²² tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[4:41]  ²⁰ sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (Who then is this?). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.

[4:41]  ²¹ sn This section in Mark (4:35-5:43) contains four miracles: (1) the calming of the storm; (2) the exorcism of the demon-possessed man; (3) the giving of life to Jairus’ daughter; (4) the healing of the woman hemorrhaging for twelve years. All these miracles demonstrate Jesus’ right to proclaim the kingdom message and his sovereign authority over forces, directly or indirectly, hostile to the kingdom. The last three may have been brought together to show that Jesus had power over all defilement, since contact with graves, blood, or a corpse was regarded under Jewish law as causing a state of ritual uncleanness.

[5:1]  ²¹ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate a summary and transition in the narrative.

[5:1]  ²² tc The textual tradition here is quite complicated. Most later mss (A C ˹³ Ï sy^p,h) read “Gadarenes,” which is the better reading in Matt 8:28. Other mss (א² L Δ Θ Ë¹ 28 33 565 579 700 892 1241 1424 al sy^s bo) have “Gergesenes.” Others (א* B D latt sa) have “Gerasenes,” which is the reading followed in the translation here and in Luke 8:26. The difference between Matthew and Mark (which is parallel to Luke) may well have to do with uses of variant regional terms.

[5:2]  ²² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:2]  ²³ sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.

[5:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “met him from the tombs a man with an unclean spirit.” When this is converted to normal English word order (“a man met him from the tombs with an unclean spirit”) it sounds as if “with an unclean spirit” modifies “the tombs.” Likewise, “a man with an unclean spirit from the tombs met him” implies that the unclean spirit came from the tombs, while the Greek text is clear that it is the man who had the unclean spirit who came from the tombs. To make this clear a second verb, “came,” is supplied in English: “came from the tombs and met him.”

[5:4]  ²³ tn Grk “he had often been bound with chains and shackles.” “Shackles” could also be translated “fetters”; they were chains for the feet.

[5:4]  ²⁴ tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[5:7]  ²⁴ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[5:7]  ²⁵ tn Grk “What to me and to you?” (an idiom). The phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί (ti emoi kai soi) is Semitic in origin, though it made its way into colloquial Greek (BDAG 275 s.v. ἐγώ). The equivalent Hebrew expression in the OT had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his own, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). These nuances were apparently expanded in Greek, but the basic notions of defensive hostility (option 1) and indifference or disengagement (option 2) are still present. BDAG suggests the following as glosses for this expression: What have I to do with you? What have we in common? Leave me alone! Never mind! Hostility between Jesus and the demons is certainly to be understood in this context, hence the translation: “Leave me alone….”

[5:7]  ²⁶ sn Though it seems unusual for a demon to invoke God’s name (“I implore you by God”) in his demands of Jesus, the parallel in Matt 8:29 suggests the reason: “Why have you come to torment us before the time?” There was an appointed time in which demons would face their judgment, and they seem to have viewed Jesus’ arrival on the scene as an illegitimate change in God’s plan regarding the time when their sentence would be executed.

[5:8]  ²⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:8]  ²⁶ sn This is a parenthetical explanation by the author.

[5:9]  ²⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:9]  ²⁷ sn The name Legion means “thousands,” a word taken from a Latin term for a large group of soldiers. The term not only suggests a multiple possession, but also adds a military feel to the account. This is a true battle.

[5:10]  ²⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:11]  ²⁸ tn Grk “mountain,” but this might give the English reader the impression of a far higher summit.