Mark 1:1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah.
Although anonymous, the gospel according to Mark was likely written by John Mark (Acts 12:12), who was associated with the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 5:13), and from whom he received his information. It was probably written around AD 50, primarily to Gentile readers. Nearly all of Mark’s material is also found in Matthew or Luke, so little is covered here.
Mark 4:26-27 This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
This parable is found only in Mark’s gospel, and teaches that God’s kingdom comes from spreading God’s word, (Luke 8:11), just as a harvest comes from scattering seed. Three things should be noticed.
First, unless the seed is planted, there can be no harvest. This is why the most important work of the church is to preach God’s word. If the church doesn’t start hospitals, someone else will. If the church doesn’t build orphanages, someone else will. If the church doesn’t feed the poor, someone else will. But if the church doesn’t preach God’s word, no one else will. The word of God must be planted into the hearts of people everywhere.
Notice second, the seed has power in itself. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. The farmer can stay awake if he wants to, but it won’t help the seed grow. He can wring his hands if he wants to, but that won’t help the seed grow either. He can shout at the seed, or sing to it, but that won’t help it grow either. The seed has the power to grow in itself, and doesn’t need the farmer’s help once it has been planted. God’s word has power, and is able to grow on its own.
Notice third, the harvest can’t be rushed. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head (Mark 4:28). Many were hoping the kingdom of God would appear at once, but Jesus taught it would take some time (Luke 19:11-27). The return of Christ could happen at any moment (Luke 12:40), but it could also be a thousand years from now. Christians should be ready to greet the Lord today, but be willing to wait as long as necessary.
Mark 4:29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.
The harvest is an image of the consummation of God’s kingdom. Here it refers to the righteous, but elsewhere to the wicked. The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles (Revelation 14:19-20), wrote John. God’s sickle is coming to earth. The righteous will be harvested for heaven, and the wicked will be harvested for hell.
*****
Mark 7:21-22 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
Many to whom Christ preached were concerned about what they ate, for fear it would make them unclean before God. But Jesus taught that it’s not what goes into our mouths that makes us unclean, but what comes out of our hearts.
Many believe their hearts are good, no matter what their hands have done. They imagine that deep inside every sinner, is a little part that’s pure, and that’s what God sees. He knows the wicked things we’ve done, of course, but he also knows that, deep inside, is goodness and love. Unfortunately, that’s never taught in the Bible.
According to Christ, the heart is the source of all our sins: sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. The heart isn’t a holy place, but a sin-factory that never shuts down. Day and night it manufactures every abomination under heaven. The persuasion that our hearts are good only shows that our wicked hearts have deceived us. The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9), wrote Jeremiah.
During the second world war, Nazi doctors conducted experiments on Jewish prisoners. Identical twins were sown together to see if they could be conjoined. Muscles and nerves were removed from others without medication. Head trauma was studied by bludgeoning a man’s skull with a hammer until he went insane. After the war, some of these doctors were brought to trial and appeared to be normal, decent, educated people who loved their families. They weren’t better or worse than most. They were just ordinary people.
This is the human condition, and the reason we need to be saved. Since our hearts are wicked and deceitful, what we really need is a new heart. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), said God. This begins when we believe in Jesus Christ, and continues throughout our lives.
Reflection and Review
How can ordinary Christians spread God’s word?
Are unbelievers able to do anything good?
How has God changed your heart?
Although anonymous, the gospel according to Mark was likely written by John Mark (Acts 12:12), who was associated with the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 5:13), and from whom he received his information. It was probably written around AD 50, primarily to Gentile readers. Nearly all of Mark’s material is also found in Matthew or Luke, so little is covered here.
Mark 4:26-27 This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
This parable is found only in Mark’s gospel, and teaches that God’s kingdom comes from spreading God’s word, (Luke 8:11), just as a harvest comes from scattering seed. Three things should be noticed.
First, unless the seed is planted, there can be no harvest. This is why the most important work of the church is to preach God’s word. If the church doesn’t start hospitals, someone else will. If the church doesn’t build orphanages, someone else will. If the church doesn’t feed the poor, someone else will. But if the church doesn’t preach God’s word, no one else will. The word of God must be planted into the hearts of people everywhere.
Notice second, the seed has power in itself. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. The farmer can stay awake if he wants to, but it won’t help the seed grow. He can wring his hands if he wants to, but that won’t help the seed grow either. He can shout at the seed, or sing to it, but that won’t help it grow either. The seed has the power to grow in itself, and doesn’t need the farmer’s help once it has been planted. God’s word has power, and is able to grow on its own.
Notice third, the harvest can’t be rushed. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head (Mark 4:28). Many were hoping the kingdom of God would appear at once, but Jesus taught it would take some time (Luke 19:11-27). The return of Christ could happen at any moment (Luke 12:40), but it could also be a thousand years from now. Christians should be ready to greet the Lord today, but be willing to wait as long as necessary.
Mark 4:29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.
The harvest is an image of the consummation of God’s kingdom. Here it refers to the righteous, but elsewhere to the wicked. The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles (Revelation 14:19-20), wrote John. God’s sickle is coming to earth. The righteous will be harvested for heaven, and the wicked will be harvested for hell.
*****
Mark 7:21-22 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
Many to whom Christ preached were concerned about what they ate, for fear it would make them unclean before God. But Jesus taught that it’s not what goes into our mouths that makes us unclean, but what comes out of our hearts.
Many believe their hearts are good, no matter what their hands have done. They imagine that deep inside every sinner, is a little part that’s pure, and that’s what God sees. He knows the wicked things we’ve done, of course, but he also knows that, deep inside, is goodness and love. Unfortunately, that’s never taught in the Bible.
According to Christ, the heart is the source of all our sins: sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. The heart isn’t a holy place, but a sin-factory that never shuts down. Day and night it manufactures every abomination under heaven. The persuasion that our hearts are good only shows that our wicked hearts have deceived us. The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9), wrote Jeremiah.
During the second world war, Nazi doctors conducted experiments on Jewish prisoners. Identical twins were sown together to see if they could be conjoined. Muscles and nerves were removed from others without medication. Head trauma was studied by bludgeoning a man’s skull with a hammer until he went insane. After the war, some of these doctors were brought to trial and appeared to be normal, decent, educated people who loved their families. They weren’t better or worse than most. They were just ordinary people.
This is the human condition, and the reason we need to be saved. Since our hearts are wicked and deceitful, what we really need is a new heart. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26), said God. This begins when we believe in Jesus Christ, and continues throughout our lives.
Reflection and Review
How can ordinary Christians spread God’s word?
Are unbelievers able to do anything good?
How has God changed your heart?