“To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God"

³¹ Then His mother and His brothers *arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. ³² A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” ³³ Answering them, He *said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” ³⁴ Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

Parable of the Sower and Soils

4 He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. ² And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, ³ “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; ⁴ as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. ⁶ And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. ⁸ Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” ⁹ And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

¹⁰ As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, 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 those who are outside get everything 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 be forgiven.”

Explanation

¹³ And He *said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows the word. ¹⁵ These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. ¹⁶ In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; ¹⁷ and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. ¹⁸ And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, ¹⁹ but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ²⁰ And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

²¹ And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? ²² For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” ²⁴ And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. ²⁵ For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

Today's New Testament text from the One Year Bible daily reading begins with Jesus having returned to his home town. The arrival of Jesus mother and brothers was not for the purpose of a happy family reunion. They like the other people of the town who had known Jesus before He began His ministry were skeptical. They couldn't believe that this person they had known all their lives was really the Son of God. Here is what the earlier text in Mark 3 says:

²⁰ And He *came home, and the crowd *gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. ²¹ When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.”

So when Jesus is told that His mother and brothers have arrived He says:  “Who are My mother and My brothers?” ³⁴ Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”     In our own lives we too will have skeptics. As we are changed and walk more and more in the things of God we will have people in our lives who try to remind us where we have come from. Many times these will include some of the people closest to us, family and friends.  They will try to invalidate our faith by reminding us of who we were rather than celebrating who we have become, a new creation in Christ. Jesus words to the people gathered that day should be an encouragment to us today.  "Whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”  We have come into the family of God.   So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,(Glatians 3:26) As God's children we have this promise:  "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name's sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life."(Matthew 19:29)    It can be very difficult when people we love don't understand or accept who we have become or are becoming in Christ. If that is a struggle you are faced with remember it is not our job to convince others that Jesus is the Christ. They like we must be drawn by the love of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit's conviction.

Rather than trying to convince them with our words, we are better to,  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.(Matthew 5:16)   We do also have another promise in regard to our loved ones. Jesus says we will inherit eternal life, but that is only part of our inheritance in Christ as children of God. We also inherit all the rights, privileges and authority of members of God's family. We are kings kids and so have kingdom authority over things on earth. Jesus says "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”Matthew 16:19)   While are actions may speak better than our words in this physical, natural realm, in the spiritual realm our words have power and authority to changes things, to bring earth into alignment with heaven. Speak words of life over your loved ones, binding anything that would hinder them from receiving the love of God in their own lives. Loose the love, mercy, and grace of God into their lives along with the Holy Spirit's revelation of their need of a Savior, Jesus Christ.  

The text then continues with Mark's account of the parable of the sower. We read and looked at this not long ago in our reflection of the same parable in Matthew.  I want to begin with something Jesus says in His explanation of the parable, in verse 13.  And He *said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?  There is something basic and essential about our ability to understand this parable which will enable us to understand Jesus other parables. In part it is that the principle of sowing and reaping is intrincic within the kingdom. It applies to giving,    Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.(2 Corinthians 9:6).    It applies to living in judgment,   "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2"For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.(Matthew 7:1-2).     It applies to our relationships with others, ³¹Treat others the same way you want them to treat you(Luke 6:31) and virtually every aspect of our lives both in the natural world and the kingdom of God.

Here the principle of sowing and reaping is used to describe the Word of God's affect on people's lives. The seed is the Word of God and the soil is the hearts of people. The sower can be viewed as both God Himself who sows His Word into people's lives and us as ones who are called and commissioned by Jesus to share the good news of the kingdom. The soil represents the hearts of people and the condition of their heart will affect the outcome of the word which they hear. When we view this parable from the perspective of us being the sowers we need to understand that our responsibilty is to sow faithfully. We are not responsible for the condition of the soil, people's hearts. That is the work of the Holy Spirt as Jesus says in John 16:  ⁷ But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. ⁸ And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. We are to faithfully sow the word, testifying of God's goodness and speaking His truth without concern for the outcome, not knowing what seed may find the good soil of a heart prepared to receive.

If we look at this parable from the perspective of our own heart's response to the word that has been sown into our lives then I would encourage you today to know that even if you feel as though you have been the seed which falls by the road, if it seems that nothing has been fruitful in your life. I have seen beautiful plants grow by the roadside, even fruitful trees. Allow the continued sowing of the word of God in your life. When satan wants to snatch away the truth,  ⁷ Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.(James 4:7-8) 

If your life has been represented more by the seed on the rocky soil, if it seems that troubles continue to come before you can be established in God. Take courage, 1 Peter 5:7 says we should respond to our troubles and afflictions by  casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. God wants to take away your affliction. That's why Jesus went to the cross. Receive His truth and allow Him to establish you in good soil.

If you are at a place in your life where you are represented by the seed among the thorns. Regardless of whether you have become deceived by the things of the world, too busy with too much day to day life or just discouraged and complacent. The seed that previously grew up in you is still there. God wants to make you fruitful and abundant. His word for you today is 

³¹ Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ ³² For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴ “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Regardless of whether we are the sower or the soil, all the seed, God's Word is good. He has been sowing that seed into your life even today. We are called also to be both hearers and faithful sowers. Knowing  that God says this about His Word: Isaiah 55:11

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Thank You Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit. May it be 30,60 and 100 fold.   Amen