ANCHOR DEVOTIONS (DECEMBER 21, 2012)

Sowing Seed

Mark 4:1-20



. ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!"
(MARK 4:12)

On the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee is a little cove with amazing acoustics. Near the best fishing on the lake, the place where Jesus called most of the disciples, one can speak from a boat and be clearly heard up on the hillside. Before Jesus started talking to the huge crowd gathered, He stepped into Peter's fishing boat and pushed out into the water here to keep from being trampled on.

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." He had just shared the parable of the scattered seed and then explained the meaning privately to the disciples. Satan would come and take away some of the seed before it took root. For some, the seed would be received with joy, yet when trouble and persecution would come, they'd quickly fall away. With others, the word would be choked out by the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and worldly desires. When the seed does grow, however, it will reproduce 30, 60, or even 100 times what was scattered. Our great Savior is still sowing seeds in His people today!
INSIGHT
LORD, MAY THE WEEDS OF LIFE NOT SUFFOCATE YOUR WORD OF LIFE IN ME, BUT MAY IT GROW FREELY AND BEAR MUCH FRUIT.

READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Numbers 14-15
Psalm 68
John 9

Mark 4:1-20

New International Version (NIV)

The Parable of the Sower

4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ² He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables ¹² so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’^[a]”

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Footnotes:

1. Mark 4:12 Isaiah 6:9,10

PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO YOURSELF
with Milton Vincent

After preaching for 10 years he realized he was striving to please God through his works. Milton had forgotten the good news that Jesus was pleasing to God on his behalf.