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1–9. Introduction to the section on parables and the parable of the sower. – 10–20. The reason why the Lord communicated His teaching in parables, and the explanation of the parable of the sower. – 21–23. Students should shine with their knowledge like lamps. – 24–25. The more a person strives for knowledge, the more he grows in it. – 26–29. A seed that grows and ripens by itself. – 30–32. The Kingdom of Heaven from the point of view of its insignificance at the beginning and greatness at the end. – 33–34. Concluding remarks on the parables. – 35–41. Calming the storm at sea. Mark 4:1. And again he began to teach by the sea; and a great crowd gathered to Him, so that He entered into a boat and sat on the sea, and all the people were on the land by the sea. "And again". This is already the third time that Christ offers His teaching on the seashore (cf. Mark 2:13, 3:7). Lots of people. The crowd increased greatly in number, as shown by the superlative adjective πλεῖστος attached to the word “crowd” (so according to Tischendorf; in our text only πολύς is a positive degree), so that Christ was forced, for convenience, when delivering the sermon, to sit in a boat that stood near the shore. “And all the people were on the land by the sea.” The crowd, apparently, is not looking for miracles, but for teaching, and is very favorable towards the Great Teacher. This crowd gathered with extreme speed (Tischendorf put συνήχθη - an aorist, as in the Textus Receptus, obviously to designate precisely this rapid rush of the crowd after Christ). Consequently, according to the Gospel of Mark, Christ first taught only His disciples at the sea, and then a whole crowd of listeners gathered here, while according to the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 13:1), the Lord began to teach after a crowd of people had gathered on the shore. Mark 4:2. And he taught them in many parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “And he taught them in many parables.” Evangelist Mark, however, further cites only three parables spoken by Christ at the sea (Evangelist Matthew - seven: Matthew 13). He views the parables themselves as a special kind of teaching. “And He spoke to them in His teaching.” The word “teaching” (διδαχή) means, undoubtedly, not the act of teaching itself, not the process (then the expression would be ἐν τῷ διδάσκειν), but the teaching of the Savior itself as a known system. Mark 4:3. Listen: behold, a sower went out to sow; Mark 4:4. and while he was sowing, it happened that some things fell along the road, and birds flew in and devoured them. Mark 4:5. Some fell on a rocky place where there was little soil, and soon sprang up because the soil was shallow; Mark 4:6. when the sun rose, it withered and, as if it had no root, withered away. Mark 4:7. Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew, and choked the seed, and it did not bear fruit. Mark 4:8. And some fell on the good ground and produced fruit, which sprang up and grew, and brought forth some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred. Mark 4:9. And he said to them: He who has ears to hear, let him hear! The first parable - about the sower, which is given in these verses, is a repetition of what is contained in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 13: 3-9). But the Evangelist Mark is here more generous than other weather forecasters (cf. Luke 8:4–8) in reporting the details of the parable. Thus, he alone has the expressions: “and it did not bear fruit” (verse 7), the fruit “sprouted and grew” (verse 8), etc. Mark 4:10. When he was left without people, those around Him, along with the twelve, asked Him about the parable. Mark 4:11. And he said to them: it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God, but to those outside everything happens in parables; Mark 4:12. so they look with their own eyes and do not see; They hear with their own ears and do not understand, lest they convert, and their sins be forgiven. The explanation that the Lord gives to His disciples and closer followers from the people (“those around Him”) is placed here by the Evangelist Mark not because it was actually given after the parable of the sower, but because it seemed necessary to him to explain to the readers of his Gospel the purpose with which the Lord clothed His teaching addressed to the people in the form of parables. In fact, Christ has just spoken His parable of the sower, sitting in a boat near the shore and addressing those who stood on the shore, and He will speak the following parables in the same position, only in the evening He will cross to the other side of the sea (verse 35). If now the Evangelist Mark says that Christ and his disciples were “left without a people,” then it is clear that he here had in mind precisely the situation in which Christ found himself after the end of His sermon at the sea. Here, in the presence of the people, the disciples could not address their question to Christ, and Christ could not answer in such a way as not to be heard by those standing near Him on the shore. Then, according to Tischendorf’s text, the disciples asked Christ about the meaning of not only the parable of the sower (for us - “about the parable”, verse 10), but about “parables” in general. Consequently, the explanation that Christ gave about the purpose of teaching in parables was undoubtedly transferred here by the Evangelist Mark from another place. "They asked". According to Tischendorf - “asked” (ἠρώτουν – imperfect past tense). By this the evangelist shows that it was the custom of the disciples to ask Christ about the meaning of this or that parable. “It has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God.” According to Tischendorf, who in this case follows the most respected codes, this passage reads: “to you the secret of the Kingdom of God has been given.” In Mark, according to this reading, the mystery of the Kingdom of God is not only an object of knowledge, but also a work entrusted by the Father to the Heavenly disciples of Christ - a work already underway. The Kingdom of God is not a theory, but a fact that is about to be revealed in all its greatness, and the mystery and power to carry out this revelation are given only to the disciples of Christ. The word “mystery” (μυστήριον), thus, here means God’s plan hidden from people about the economy of human salvation, about the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth (cf. Dan. 2:28 et seq.). “And to those outside, everything happens in parables.” Others who do not belong to this composition of the people surrounding Christ are unworthy of such high mercy from God and receive teaching from Christ through parables. The word “external” (οἱἔξω) does not have the meaning of a derogatory epithet here, but simply indicates a certain degree at which people stand in knowledge of the secret. Some are completely entrusted with this secret, while others gain some understanding of it through parables. Still, a parable, as an indirect way of revealing thought, cannot fully illuminate such a dark subject as the mystery of the Kingdom of God, especially if the parable is not explained. “Everything” - of course, not in the literal sense, but only “everything” relating to the mystery of the Kingdom of God. “So they look with their own eyes and do not see...” (ἵνα βλέποντες βλέπωσιν). In common language, the conjunction ἵνα often has the same meaning as the conjunction ὅπως - “so” or even simply means “that”, but usually there are verbs with the meaning “to ask” in front. Without these verbs, the conjunction ἵνα can only mean “to” (goal). Therefore, here too the entire expression should be translated as it is translated in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 13:15: “let them not see with their eyes”). It is obvious that the evangelist Mark takes here a passage from the 6th chapter of the book of Isaiah, like Matthew, but shortens the beginning and end of this passage (Is. 6: 9–10). The meaning of this passage in Mark is this. Christ does not directly communicate to the crowd the secrets of the Kingdom of God because this crowd is in the same moral state as the contemporaries of the prophet Isaiah were in. Christ speaks parables to them not so that they do not understand, but because it is not given to them to understand (“it is not given to them” - Matt. 13:11). They should not receive an extraordinary gift - the secret of the Kingdom of God - obviously because they are unable to use it and prove this inability by remaining outside the circle of Christ's disciples. Thus, according to the presentation of the Gospel of Mark, the parables of Christ had a double meaning. For the crowd listening to Christ, they somewhat, in general terms, lifted the veil of the mystery of the Kingdom of God, as if inviting them to enter into the depth of understanding of this mystery, and for the disciples they were the starting point for going further and further along the path of accepting this “mystery.” The bitterness of the people did not occur because the Lord taught in parables, but because the people had previously been disposed in a certain way towards Christ by their leaders and refused to go through the door of understanding that had opened before them. Moreover, we must remember that the most important point in Christ’s teaching about the Kingdom of God was the end of the Messiah - the death of Christ, a thought that even the apostles could not come to terms with. It is clear that directly preaching this idea to the whole people would then be completely useless (cf. article by Prof. Bogdashevsky about the purpose of parables. Proceedings of the Kiev Theological Academy, 1910, 3). Mark 4:13. And he says to them: Do you not understand this parable? How can you understand all the parables? Mark 4:14. The sower sows the word. Mark 4:15. Those sown by the way signify those in whom the word is sown, but to whom, when they hear, Satan immediately comes and snatches away the word sown in their hearts. Mark 4:16. In like manner, those sown on rocky ground signify those who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy, Mark 4:17. but they have no root in themselves and are impermanent; then, when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they are immediately offended. Mark 4:18. Those sown among thorns are those who hear the word, Mark 4:19. but in which the cares of this age, the deception of wealth and other desires, entering into them, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Mark 4:20. And what was sown on good soil means those who hear the word and receive it, and bear fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, some a hundredfold. For an explanation of the parable of the sower, see comments on Matthew 13:18–23. “Don’t you understand this parable?” (verse 13). According to the Evangelist Mark, the disciples’ question (verse 10) related only to the parable of the sower, and so the Lord could really understand their question, because they asked Him “about parables,” and whoever asks about the meaning of parables in general naturally wants to know the meaning of the first parable. Then in the words of Christ there is no reproach to the disciples for not understanding the parable of the sower; the metaphor that Christ used here to designate the fate of the Kingdom of God was not at all so commonly used that the disciples themselves were able to unravel its meaning. With his question, Christ only wants to arouse the attention of the disciples, showing them how much they still need teaching (cf. Mark 8:17). The fact that they receive the divine mystery as a gift does not make Christ’s instructions superfluous for them; on the contrary, it is through His explanations that this gift is communicated to them (cf. verse 34). “How can you understand all the parables?” The Lord wants to say by this that on the basis of many parables (all) the disciples will have to form a complete picture of the Kingdom of God. This will be incomparably more difficult than unraveling the meaning of the parable of the sower, which only depicted the sermon about the Kingdom of God, its course in the world, and not this Kingdom itself. Mark 4:21. And he said to them: Is a candle brought for this purpose, to put it under a bushel or under a bed? Is it not for putting it on a candlestick? "And he told them." The parable of the candle was probably told at a different time - the Evangelist Mark himself seems to hint at this by separating it from the previous one with the expression “and said.” But, nevertheless, he considered it necessary to place this parable here, because it explains in the best possible way the fate of Christ’s teaching about the Kingdom of God. This teaching, as the parable of the candle shows, is still hidden by Christ from the people and communicated only in an undisguised form to His disciples, but over time it should be open to everyone, and therefore the disciples should treat it as carefully as possible in order to subsequently pass it on to others. See also comments on Matthew 5:15. Mark 4:22. There is nothing secret that would not become obvious, and nothing hidden that would not come out. If the idea of ​​this verse were isolated, then it could be taken as a separate parable: it has the form of a separate comparison in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 10:26). But here it represents a justification for the previous one: for (in the Russian translation “for” is omitted) “there is nothing secret” ... Thus, it is explained here that above the “candle” meant the doctrine of the mystery of the Kingdom of God. Mark 4:23. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear! This saying seemed more natural when applied to the whole people, and not to the disciples. But here it makes sense. The Lord calls on His disciples to pay close attention to the thought that He has now expressed in the parable of the candle. The disciples must understand that Christ’s teaching about the mystery of the Kingdom of God must eventually be offered to the whole world, that it was given to them by Christ for this purpose. Mark 4:24. And he said to them, Take note of what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you, and more will be added to you who hear. “Notice what you hear.” This translation represents only a repetition of the earlier call (verse 23). Meanwhile, the evangelist hardly needlessly began to repeat the same thing. It is most natural to see here a call on the disciples to carefully memorize everything that Christ will tell them about the mystery of the Kingdom of God: the more attentively they treat this teaching, the more and more understanding they will be given from God. So the prophet Elisha filled all the vessels that were brought to him with oil, and when there were no more empty vessels, the oil stopped flowing (2 Kings 4:1-6). In Matthew this saying is given in a different connection (see Matthew 7:2). Mark 4:25. For whoever has, to him will be given, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. The same idea is being conveyed here as in the previous verse. The disciples should be as attentive as possible to the words of Christ in order to deserve even greater enlightenment with the light of truth. Otherwise, they will lose what they now have (cf. Matt. 13:12). Mark 4:26. And he said: The kingdom of God is like if a man sows seed in the ground, Mark 4:27. and sleeps and rises night and day; and how the seed sprouts and grows, he does not know, Mark 4:28. for the earth itself produces first greenery, then an ear, then a full grain in the ear. Mark 4:29. When the fruit is ripe, he immediately sends in the sickle, because the harvest has come. The second parable - about a seed that, having been thrown into the ground, then grows without the participation of the farmer - obviously depicts the gradual, correct maturation of the Kingdom of God in the soul of an individual person who has accepted the teachings of Christ. Preachers of the Gospel, who sow seeds of faith into the souls of people, cannot in the future accurately monitor how these seeds grow into whole ears of corn, which will eventually be harvested and gathered into the Kingdom of God. Any concern on the part of the farmer while the seed is in the ground is completely unnecessary. Likewise, the apostles, who for the most part were Galileans and therefore were inclined to use special measures on their part to expand the Kingdom of God, should be calm and not worry at the thought of what would happen to the teachings of Christ they preached. In due time, with the help of God, it will bear fruit and be beneficial - this is the main idea of ​​the parable. But at the end the parable takes on the character of an allegory. There is no doubt that the “harvest” in verse 29 refers to the last gathering of believers in Christ, which will be accomplished by Christ Himself, now departing from the earth, but then must come in order to gather the fruits of His sowing (cf. Rev. 14:14). Of course, it would be inconvenient to apply all the details of the parable to Christ, for example, verse 27, where it is said that the sower does not know how the seed he sows grows. But after all, the particular parables for the most part are not designed to necessarily interpret them all in relation to Christ and the Kingdom of God; they serve only, as in other parables, “to decorate and enliven speech” (Bishop Michael). From this parable we gain confidence that the work of God, which began in relation to human hearts at the moment when the preaching word of the apostles sank into them, will not stop in its development and will go further and further along unknown paths until the human heart is finally ripe for a new blissful life in God. Mark 4:30. And he said: What shall we compare the Kingdom of God to? or by what parable shall we depict it? Mark 4:31. It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; Mark 4:32. and when it is sown, it sprouts and becomes larger than all the grains, and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can take refuge under its shadow. The third parable is about the mustard seed (see comments on Matthew 13:31–32). “To what let us compare”... The Lord here speaks as a Teacher, Who thinks of Himself on the same level with His disciples, in order to encourage them to also take part in His mental work, to force them to think seriously about what occupies the Teacher. The Lord here means all the people surrounding Him, and not just the apostles. Mark 4:33. And he preached the word to them in many parables, as far as they could hear. Mark 4:34. He did not speak to them without a parable, but explained everything to his disciples in private. The Evangelist concludes the parable section with three remarks about the indirect method of Christ’s teaching. First of all, he reports that “as such”, i.e. In parables of this kind the Lord usually spoke to “them,” i.e. people (cf. verse 1). At the same time, the Lord took into account the ability of His listeners to listen and understand His teaching - He spoke in such a way and for as long in parables as the people could listen to Him without fatigue. Secondly, the evangelist notes that the Lord always connected each of His sermons with some kind of parable or clothed it in figurative expressions. Thirdly, the evangelist notes that the Lord “privately” later explained everything to His disciples. From this it is obvious that the people did not understand as they should the innate teachings of Christ about the Kingdom of Heaven and saw in Christ a simple moral teacher, similar to those rabbis who often resorted to various kinds of parables to illustrate their positions. Mark 4:35. In the evening of that day he told them: let's cross to the other side. In the story of the calming of the storm, the evangelist Mark deviates somewhat from Matthew. So Mark notes that the crossing of the sea took place in the evening on the same day when the Lord spoke so much to the people in parables. Mark 4:36. And they sent the people away, and took Him with them, just as He was in the boat; There were other boats with Him. The disciples of Christ “dismissed the people” who surrounded Christ, i.e. convinced the people that the Teacher was extremely tired and needed rest. Then they took Him with them into a boat (and not “in a boat,” as translated in Russian Gospel 12 “as He was,” that is, they took Him tired and in need of rest. At the same time, the Evangelist Mark notes that after all, they did not go alone to the eastern shore of the sea, but were accompanied by boats of those who had come from that shore to listen to Christ and now formed, so to speak, the retinue of Christ during His crossing of the sea. Mark 4:37. And a great storm arose; the waves beat on the boat, so that it was already filling with water. Mark 4:38. And He slept at the stern at the head. They wake him up and say to him: Teacher! Do You really not need that we perish? Mark 4:39. And, getting up, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea: be silent, stop. And the wind died down, and there was great silence. Mark 4:40. And he said to them: Why are you so fearful? How do you have no faith? Mark 4:41. And they were afraid with great fear and said among themselves: Who is this, that both the wind and the sea obey Him? In general, Evangelist Mark conveys the very calming of the storm in agreement with Matthew, but still he has some special details. He notices that Christ slept “at the head,” i.e. on the helmsman's pillow. Then the disciples turn to Christ not in a tone of request, as in Matthew’s Gospel, but in a tone of reproach (“Teacher”; in Matthew – “Lord”). Next, the Lord addresses the sea with orders and reproaches the disciples for their weakness of faith. As for the question of who was “afraid” and reasoned about the greatness of Christ, then, based on the above comment about the people who swam after Christ (verse 36), we can assume that these people, along with the disciples, learned about the miracle performed by Christ and also marveled at His miraculous power. But the miracle itself had in mind mainly the disciples of Christ, who needed to be instilled with confidence that their Teacher, Who was soon to send them to preach the Gospel, could always protect them from the greatest dangers. The preposition ἀνά ., found here, is equivalent to the preposition εἱς (cf. Matt. 10:16; Luke 8: 7, 9, 46, etc.). It should be translated as follows: “they take Him, as He was, into the ship with them.” You might be interested in: