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Begin Section 1: Mark 4 Text
& Questions
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========================
Verses 1-8 The Parable of the
Sower
========================
1Again 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.
2He taught them many things
by parables, and in his teaching said:
3“Listen! A farmer went out
to sow his seed.
4As he was scattering the
seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5Some fell on rocky places,
where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was
shallow.
6But when the sun came up,
the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7Other seed fell among
thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.
8Still other seed fell on
good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some
sixty, some a hundred times.”
----------------------------------------
1)
Why did Jesus use
farming as the backdrop of his parables, given that farming was the mainstay of
society in his time?
========================
Verses 1-8 The Parable of the
Sower
========================
========================
Verses 9-25 The Parable of
the Sower Explained and The Parable of a Lamp on Its Stand
========================
9Then Jesus said, “Whoever
has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10When he was alone, the
Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
11He told them, “The secret
of the
12 so that,
“‘they may be ever seeing but
never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and
be forgiven!’”
13Then Jesus said to them,
“Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
14The farmer sows the word.
15Some 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.
16Others, like seed sown on
rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17But since they have no
root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of
the word, they quickly fall away.
18Still others, like seed
sown among thorns, hear the word;
19but the worries of this
life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and
choke the word, making it unfruitful.
20Others, 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.”
21He said to them, “Do you
bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on
its stand?
22For whatever is hidden is
meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out
into the open.
23If anyone has ears to hear,
let them hear.”
24“Consider carefully what
you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to
you—and even more.
25Whoever has will be given
more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
----------------------------------------
2)
What do verses 9
and 23 have to do with one another?
3)
What literary
device is being employed in verses 9 and 23?
4)
According to
verse 11 did Jesus intend for the crowd to understand the parable by explaining
the parable to them and why?
5)
In accordance
with verse 11 what kind of parable can we classify the parable of the sower as?
6)
In accordance
with what Jesus said in verse 13 what parable must the disciples understand first
in order to understand other parables of the kingdom?
7)
How does the
sower exercise their judgment of the productivity of the recipients when sowing
the word?
8)
What do the birds
stand for if we take into account verses 4 and 15?
9)
In accordance
with verse 15 what is the response of people who are like seed sown along the
path upon hearing the word?
10)
What does the
scorching of the sun stand for if we take
into account verses 6 and 17?
11)
What happens to
those who are like seed sown on rocky places, being subjected to the scorching
of the sun and withered?
12)
Do worries of
this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things consume
our emotion?
13)
What personal
resource is squandered when we succumb to the worries of this life, the
deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things?
14)
How do the
worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other
things choke the word, given that our emotional resource provides the drive for
us to take action in obedience to the word?
15)
Are people who
are like seed sown on good soil subject to all the problems faced by
unproductive recipients of the word?
16)
What qualities of
people who are like seed sown on good soil enable them to be productive for the
word, given that they need to overcome all the problems faced by unproductive
recipients of the word?
17)
What can we
conclude about the sower’s knowledge of the productivity of the recipients of
the word both at the time of sowing and at harvest time?
18)
What is the the
sower’s motivation for sowing far and wide and indiscriminately?
19)
In accordance
with verse 8 does the parable refer to one single sowing only, given that one
single sowing would only bring about one single crop yield in the parable?
20)
What conclusion
about the degree of availability of the good soil can we draw from the parable?
21)
What conclusion
about the degree of availability of unproductive recipients of the word can we
draw from the parable?
22)
When we take into
account applicability, continuity of context and inclusio mentioned earlier, to
what should the parable of a lamp on its stand referred to in verses 21 and 22
be applied?
23)
What did Jesus
intend for the disciples to do with the explanation of the parable of the sower
when he taught them the parable of a lamp on its stand?
24)
How had the
disciples told the explanation of the parable of the sower to the world, given
that they wrote the gospel accounts?
========================
Verses 9-25 The Parable of
the Sower Explained and The Parable of a Lamp on Its Stand
========================
========================
Verses 26-29 The Parable of
the Growing Seed
========================
26He also said, “This is what
the
27Night and day, whether he
sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
28All by itself the soil
produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the
head.
29As soon as the grain is
ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
----------------------------------------
25)
What does the
seed sprouting and growing indicate, given that the seed is the word a person
hears?
26)
What does the
grain eventually becoming ripe indicate, given that the word becoming fully
grown in a person leads the person to repent and believe the good news?
27)
What does the
crop being harvested indicate, given that new disciples being formed into a
church do not fall away just as harvested crop does not rot in the field?
========================
Verses 26-29 The Parable of
the Growing Seed
========================
========================
Verses 30-34 The Parable of
the Mustard Seed
========================
30Again he said, “What shall
we say the
31It is like a mustard seed,
which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.
32Yet when planted, it grows
and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the
birds can perch in its shade.”
33With many similar parables
Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.
34He did not say anything to
them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he
explained everything.
----------------------------------------
28)
What does the
parable of the mustard seed tell us about how much the
29)
What do the birds
of the air perching in the shade of the mustard plant signify, given that birds
represent Satan and that the church is the
========================
Verses 30-34 The Parable of
the Mustard Seed
========================
========================
Verses 35-41 Jesus Calms the
Storm
========================
35That day when evening came,
he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”
36Leaving the crowd behind,
they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats
with him.
37A furious squall came up,
and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
38Jesus was in the stern,
sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t
you care if we drown?”
39He got up, rebuked the wind
and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and
40He said to his disciples,
“Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41They were terrified and
asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
----------------------------------------
30)
What kind of trouble
did the disciples find themselves in when they followed Jesus’ order to go over
to the other side?
31)
Were the
disciples questioning Jesus’ ability to save them or Jesus’ goodness when they
asked him if he did not care if they drowned?
32)
When he asked them
if they still had no faith, was Jesus asking the disciples if they still had no
faith in his ability to save them or no faith in his goodness?
33)
In what way did
the disciples get to know Jesus better from this episode?
34)
What is the kind
of circumstance in which we can get to know Jesus better, given that the
disciples in a calm boat ride would not have gotten to know him better?
35)
How did Jesus
practice his own teaching about putting a lamp on its stand concerning hidden
reality about himself?
========================
Verses 35-41 Jesus Calms the
Storm
========================
#######################################
End Section 1: Mark 4 Text
& Questions
#######################################
#######################################
Begin Section 2: Mark 4
Questions & Answers
#######################################
========================
Verses 1-8 The Parable of the
Sower
========================
Concerning the parable of the
sower,
----------------------------------------
1)
Why did Jesus use
farming as the backdrop of his parables, given that farming was the mainstay of
society in his time?
o
People would
readily understand what Jesus meant.
========================
Verses 1-8 The Parable of the
Sower
========================
========================
Verses 9-25 The Parable of
the Sower Explained and The Parable of a Lamp on Its Stand
========================
Concerning the parable of the
sower explained and what to do with it,
----------------------------------------
2)
What do verses 9
and 23 have to do with one another?
o
Both
§
Are almost
identical.
§
And refer to
Jesus’ admonition for anyone who has ears to hear.
3)
What literary
device is being employed in verses 9 and 23?
o
The literary
device is called inclusio.
o
It creates a
frame using verses 9 and 23 to highlight the writer’s intent for the enclosed
verses 10-22 that contain
§
The explanation
of the parable of the sower.
§
And the parable
of the lamp on its stand.
o
To be interpreted
as one unit.
4)
According to
verse 11 did Jesus intend for the crowd to understand the parable by explaining
the parable to them and why?
o
No, because Jesus
told the disciples
§
That the secret
of the
§
When
§
He explained the
parable to them.
§
And that to those
on the outside everything was said in parables.
5)
In accordance with
verse 11 what kind of parable can we classify the parable of the sower as?
o
We can classify
the parable of the sower as a parable of the
6)
In accordance
with what Jesus said in verse 13 what parable must the disciples understand first
in order to understand other parables of the kingdom?
o
They must
§
First understand
the parable of the sower.
§
In order to
understand other parables of the kingdom.
7)
How does the sower
exercise their judgment of the productivity of the recipients when sowing the
word?
o
They do not
exercise any judgment when sowing the word.
8)
What do the birds
stand for if we take into account verses 4 and 15?
o
The birds stand
for Satan.
9)
In accordance
with verse 15 what is the response of people who are like seed sown along the
path upon hearing the word?
o
They simply
reject it.
10)
What does the
scorching of the sun stand for if we take
into account verses 6 and 17?
o
The scorching of
the sun
stands for trouble or persecution that comes
because of the word.
11)
What happens to
those who are like seed sown on rocky places, being subjected to the scorching
of the sun and withered?
o
They fall away.
o
When
o
Trouble or
persecution comes because of the word.
12)
Do worries of
this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things consume
our emotion?
o
Yes.
13)
What personal
resource is squandered when we succumb to the worries of this life, the
deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things?
o
Our emotional
resource is squandered.
14)
How do the worries
of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things
choke the word, given that our emotional resource provides the drive for us to
take action in obedience to the word?
o
They choke the
word by chronically depleting our emotional resource.
o
Such that
o
We lack the drive
to take action in obedience to the word.
15)
Are people who
are like seed sown on good soil subject to all the problems faced by
unproductive recipients of the word?
o
Yes.
16)
What qualities of
people who are like seed sown on good soil enable them to be productive for the
word, given that they need to overcome all the problems faced by unproductive
recipients of the word?
o
They are productive
for the word because they
§ Hear the word and accept it.
§ Have root to withstand trouble and persecution that comes
because of the word.
§
And do not
squander their emotional resource on
Ø
The worries of
this life.
Ø
The deceitfulness
of wealth.
Ø
And the desires
for other things.
17)
What can we
conclude about the sower’s knowledge of the productivity of the recipients of
the word both at the time of sowing and at harvest time?
o
The sower
§
Had no knowledge
of the productivity of recipients of the word at the time of sowing.
§
And secured full
knowledge only at harvest time.
18)
What is the the sower’s
motivation for sowing far and wide and indiscriminately?
o
To ensure getting
at the good soil for a harvest.
19)
In accordance
with verse 8 does the parable refer to one single sowing only, given that one
single sowing would only bring about one single crop yield in the parable?
o
No, the parable
refers to multiple sowings.
o
Because
o
There are
multiple crop yields in the parable.
20)
What conclusion
about the degree of availability of the good soil can we draw from the parable?
o
The good soil
§
Is always there.
§
And constitutes
the minority recipients of the word.
21)
What conclusion
about the degree of availability of unproductive recipients of the word can we
draw from the parable?
o
The unproductive
recipients of the word
§
Are always there.
§
And constitute
the majority recipients.
22)
When we take into
account applicability, continuity of context and inclusio mentioned earlier, to
what should the parable of a lamp on its stand referred to in verses 21 and 22
be applied?
o
The parable of a
lamp on its stand should be applied to the explanation of the parable of the
sower.
23)
What did Jesus
intend for the disciples to do with the explanation of the parable of the sower
when he taught them the parable of a lamp on its stand?
o
Jesus intended
for the disciples to eventually tell the explanation of the parable of the
sower to the world.
24)
How had the
disciples told the explanation of the parable of the sower to the world, given
that they wrote the gospel accounts?
o
They recorded the
explanation of the parable of the sower in the gospel accounts.
========================
Verses 9-25 The Parable of
the Sower Explained and The Parable of a Lamp on Its Stand
========================
========================
Verses 26-29 The Parable of
the Growing Seed
========================
Concerning the parable of the
growing seed,
----------------------------------------
25)
What does the
seed sprouting and growing indicate, given that the seed is the word a person
hears?
o
The seed
sprouting and growing indicates that the word is growing in the person.
26)
What does the
grain eventually becoming ripe indicate, given that the word becoming fully
grown in a person leads the person to repent and believe the good news?
o
The grain
eventually becoming ripe indicates that the person who hears the word eventually
§
Repents.
§
And believes the
good news.
27)
What does the
crop being harvested indicate, given that new disciples being formed into a
church do not fall away just as harvested crop does not rot in the field?
o
The crop being
harvested indicates that new disciples are formed into a church.
========================
Verses 26-29 The Parable of
the Growing Seed
========================
========================
Verses 30-34 The Parable of
the Mustard Seed
========================
Concerning the parable of the
mustard seed,
----------------------------------------
28)
What does the
parable of the mustard seed tell us about how much the
o
The
§
Starts out very
small.
§
But eventually
grows to be very large.
29)
What do the birds
of the air perching in the shade of the mustard plant signify, given that birds
represent Satan and that the church is the
o
The birds of the
air perching in the shade of the mustard plant signify the presence of Satan in
the church.
========================
Verses 30-34 The Parable of
the Mustard Seed
========================
========================
Verses 35-41 Jesus Calms the
Storm
========================
Concerning Jesus calming the
storm,
----------------------------------------
30)
What kind of trouble
did the disciples find themselves in when they followed Jesus’ order to go over
to the other side?
o
They found
themselves in life-threatening trouble.
31)
Were the
disciples questioning Jesus’ ability to save them or Jesus’ goodness when they
asked him if he did not care if they drowned?
o
They were questioning
Jesus’ goodness.
32)
When he asked them
if they still had no faith, was Jesus asking the disciples if they still had no
faith in his ability to save them or no faith in his goodness?
o
Jesus was asking the
disciples.
o
If
o
They still had no
faith in his goodness.
33)
In what way did
the disciples get to know Jesus better from this episode?
o
The disciples got
to know that Jesus
§
Is good.
§
And exercises
power over nature.
34)
What is the kind
of circumstance in which we can get to know Jesus better, given that the
disciples in a calm boat ride would not have gotten to know him better?
o
We cannot get to
know Jesus better.
o
When
o
Things are
well.
o
We can get to
know him better.
o
When
o
We head into
trouble with him.
35)
How did Jesus
practice his own teaching about putting a lamp on its stand concerning himself?
o
Jesus put his
lamp on its stand by revealing hidden reality about himself.
========================
Verses 35-41 Jesus Calms the
Storm
========================
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End Section 2: Mark 4
Questions & Answers
#######################################