On Line Bible Study - For the week February 23 - March 1, 2009

Lesson 376
First, a couple final observations with regard to the "Sower" ...

Mark 4: 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.

This is from Jesus' explanation of the parable. Mark uses the "proper name" - Satan. Is this a set-up for the exchange that will happen between Jesus and Peter following Peter's profession of faith? Recall (and you can read it in Mark 8:27-33) that after proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah, upon hearing from Jesus what Christ is going to endure, Peter "rebukes" him. Then, Jesus says Get behind me, Satan! Harsh words indeed ... but no sooner was the "word" on Peter's lips but that he was attempting to dissuade Jesus from his divinely appointed destiny. The truth of the message of Jesus had not taken root in Peter, and Jesus recognizes it as the work of Satan to have come and so quickly plucked the word from him and turned Peter's heart.

In verse 16 we read of seed sown on rocky places . . .. Do you recall what Peter's name means? ROCK. And, as referenced in last week's lesson, recall Jesus' prediction that all his disciples would "fall away"? (As noted last week, the word literally means scandalized.) Do you recall who it is that is first to deny he would ever fall away? Peter. (See Mark 14:29.) Is Mark giving us a "heads-up" on Peter's coming behavior? Seed is sown on the "rock", but as soon as the going gets tough, the "rock" (Peter) crumbles, is scandalized, and runs. (See Mark 14:66-71.)

In so many ways, Mark uses the parable of the Sower to telescope much of what is to come in his Gospel.

Now, lets turn to the other parables in Mark 4 ...

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.

It is important to recall earlier verses in this chapter - Jesus says to his disciples: Mark 4: ¹¹The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.

But the "secret" is not intended to remain a "secret" for long. In fact, the truth cannot remain "under a bowl". Jesus asks in verse 21 what we would call a "rhetorical question" - it assumes a negative response. It is interesting to see how Matthew uses this saying of Jesus - as part of the "Sermon on the Mount" - You are the salt of the earth .... You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16.)

St. Luke will repeat the saying twice, once in the same context as Mark following on the heels of the parable of the Sower (See Luke 8:4-17); but he will use it again in 11:33, and there it doesn't have any specific context. It is more of a wisdom saying - and he doesn't introduce it in the form of a question.

Both Matthew and Luke take the sentence For whatever is hidden . . . and use it in different contexts.

Without getting too technical, scholars point to this as indicating that this "parable" and its attendant "saying" is authentically from the lips of Jesus. That all three of the evangelists use it points to its authenticity; and that it is used in different contexts suggests to us something of the vitality of the emerging Christian Community. It's not that they were picking and choosing from a variety of sayings of Jesus; rather, the teachings of Jesus came to mean different things to them, depending on their political context and their spiritual/theological development.

There are two more "seed" parables in this chapter - they deserve the attention of a full lesson. Next week we will look at Mark 4:26-32.

(Continued thanks to John Donahue and Daniel Harrington and their commentary on The Gospel of Mark in the Sacra Pagina Series.)