Mark 4:14

4:14 The sower sows the word.

Mark 4:3

4:3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow. ¹ 

Mark 4:15

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.

Mark 4:18

4:18 Others are the ones sown among thorns: They are those who hear the word,

Mark 4:4

4:4 And as he sowed, some seed ⁴  fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

Mark 4:16

4:16 These are the ones sown on rocky ground: As soon as they hear the word, they receive it with joy.

Mark 4:31

4:31 It is like a mustard seed ⁵  that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground –

Mark 4:20

4:20 But ⁶  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.”

Mark 4:32

4:32 when it is sown, it grows up, ⁷  becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and grows large branches so that the wild birds ⁸  can nest in its shade.” ⁹ 

[4:3]  ¹ sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through which a well worn path runs. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots (Isa 55:10-11). The point of the parable of the sower is to illustrate the various responses to the message of the kingdom of God (cf. 4:11).

[4:15]  ¹ 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]  ² 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.

[4:4]  ¹ tn Mark’s version of the parable, like Luke’s (cf. Luke 8:4-8), uses the collective singular to refer to the seed throughout, so singular pronouns have been used consistently throughout this parable in the English translation. However, the parallel account in Matt 13:1-9 begins with plural pronouns in v. 4 but then switches to the collective singular in v. 5 ff.

[4:31]  ¹ sn Mustard seeds are known for their tiny size.

[4:20]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[4:32]  ¹ 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]  ² 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]  ³ 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.