According to Mark 4:1, Jesus left his home with his disciples to walk along the shore of the Sea of Galilee once again, where he entered a boat in order to teach the multitude, so that he would be just out of their reach. While it seems apparent that the word, again, refers to Jesus’ teaching at the shore of the Sea of Galilee, just as he had done before (Mark 3:7-9), I believe it actually refers to the time of year. In other words, the great multitudes (Mark 4:1), which were out of every city (Luke 8:4), indicates Jesus’ preaching of the Parable of the Sower occurred during the fall holy days, as he began his second year of public ministry, just as he had done the previous year (Mark 3:7-8).[1]
Notice Mark tells us Jesus taught the people in parables (Mark 4:2). Although Jesus replied in parables to the Jewish authorities’ slander toward him (Mark 3:22-23), this is the first time the text claims Jesus taught the people in parables, and his disciples wondered why (Matthew 13:10). Some folks today try to say that Jesus taught in parables in order to get his point across to the people, explaining his Gospel in terms they could understand. Nevertheless, this conclusion really doesn’t agree with the scriptures’ own reason for Jesus’ teaching in parables. Jesus told his disciples the reason he taught in parables was, because the secrets of the Kingdom were given the disciples, but not so to the people (Matthew 13:11). In other words, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God was hidden from some folks, but revealed to others (cp. Mark 4:34). One might say the parable acted like the cloud in the wilderness. To those on one side it was darkness, but on the other side it was light (Exodus 14:19-20).
According to Thayer’s Lexicon, a parable is a literary tool that places two things alongside one another for comparison. It can be called a similitude, a proverb, a dark saying or even a riddle (cp. Ezekiel 17:2). The Greek word is parabole (G3850) and the Hebrew equivalent is mashal (H4912). The Psalmist says: “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old” (Psalm 78:2). It was used by Nathan against David to expose his sin (2Samuel 12:1-4), but when David didn’t understand, the prophet had to tell him the evil man in the parable was David, the king (2Samuel 12:7). Ezekiel, the prophet, complained to the Lord that the people wouldn’t take him seriously, because he spoke in parables. They took comfort in explaining away their judgment by saying it was nothing but a myth and not symbolic of punishment for their sin (Ezekiel 29:49).
Jesus taught in parables (Mark 4:2) in order not to disturb the people’s chosen blindness (cp. John 12:34). They refused to take Jesus seriously concerning the inner Kingdom of God (Luke 17:20-21). In doing so, they expressed their desire not to know the truth of the Lord’s judgment against their hard heartedness in the last days of the Old Covenant age (Hebrews 1:1-2; cp. Romans 1:28-32; Mark 1:15). Choosing darkness over Light (John 3:19) will cause Jesus to hide himself from those who make such a choice (John 12:36). Refusing to repent brings the inevitable judgment of God upon the ungodly.
No one, including Jesus’ disciples understood the parables, and the disciples’ ignorance may have come as a surprise to Jesus (Mark 4:13). Nevertheless, the secrets of the Kingdom of God were given them (Mark 4:11), even though they were ignorant of its meaning. Understanding would come later, but only to those who were with Jesus and not to the folks who didn’t believe him. In other words, the Jewish authorities and the people who respected their opinions about Jesus understood Jesus from the plainness of his speech during the first year of his ministry. However, they refused to glorify him for the great and mighty works he did. Therefore, their foolish hearts were darkened. When they professed themselves to be wise and pronounced Jesus mad, they became fools (cp. Romans 1:21-22).
Finally, because the Gospel was hidden from those who refused to believe in Jesus, we don’t find the demonic folks exposing him in the next two years of his ministry. If they understood Jesus was the Messiah, they didn’t derive that understanding from what Jesus taught, because he taught in parables and unveiled the meaning of those parables only to his disciples, when they were alone with him (Mark 4:34).
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[1] See my earlier studies: The Clueless Multitude and Was Jesus’ Family Believers?
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