Big Idea: Jesus has sown his kingdom truths among the crowds, the leaders, and his disciples. They are the soil in which his gospel seed is placed, and God holds them responsible for their receptivity to the message of the kingdom.

Understanding the Text

This parable discourse (chap. 4) is one of two extensive teaching sections (with chap. 13) in Mark, and it interprets the action and mission of Jesus in chapters 1–3. These are “kingdom parables” describing the implications of the arrival of the kingdom in this world. Jesus has challenged three groups in two cycles: the disciples who have committed to him (1:16–20; 3:13–19), the crowds who are enamored of him but not committed (1:21–45; 3:7–12), and the leaders who have rejected him and plotted his death (2:1–3:6; 3:22–30). The four soil…