Mark 4:1-9 – Have a receptive heart

In Mark 4:1-2 we see Jesus by the shore of Galilee again. This time He was teaching to a very large crowd that was gathered there. It was so large that in order for the Lord to have eye contact with the audience, He got into a boat, sat down and taught from it. The crowd, with a diverse mix of people, was probably seated in an arc by the shore listening to Him. As Jesus scan through their faces, He must have seen in that wide range of people different levels of understanding and receptivity. His teaching on the parable of the Kingdom and its mystery had to be worked out in each life. Yet here was a mix of people, some with openness ready to enter into a life of faith, and others with hardened hearts, and not quite ready for a faith life.  

However, the Lord’s desire was for each one to have a receptive heart. So He told this earthly story with a heavenly truth, lifted from an agricultural scene. His audience must have been very familiar with what he was saying. This parable explained in Mark 4:13-20 is about a sower who went out and randomly scattered the seed. Seed is an accurate and powerful image of God's Word. It has within it vast and infinite potential for unlimited life in Christ when rightly received. The crux of this parable is a call to stay receptive to God’s Word and grow.

In this parable, the one who went out to sow is primarily depicting Christ our Lord and secondarily, it also refers to every one of us who preaches or shares the Word of God. And in any given audience, there invariably will be the four kinds of receptivity symbolized by the four kinds of soil Jesus referred to. They are: the wayside, the rocky ground, the thorny ground and the good ground.

The wayside is the ground where seed does not even have time to take root because the birds would come and steal it away. The rocky soil refers to ground where the seed quickly sprouts but could not take root because of the withering sun. The thorny soil refers to ground that chokes up the plant in its growth process. And finally the good ground allows the seed to germinate and grow into a fruitful plant producing thirty, sixty and hundred fold fruit. Jesus was using these four types of soil to symbolize the differing levels of receptivity of man’s hearts. 

In every preaching or sharing situation, bear in mind that there are four types of receptivity. There will be people who would give the Word little or no attention, so the message is lost. Then there would be those with hardened hearts where the message cannot take root. Then there would also be those who pay attention to the Word superficially. But their concern with the things of this life prevent them from growing further in the Word and soon they will be drawn away by the worldly desires and temptations. The Lord's desire is for hearers who are ready and full of anticipation, like the fourth type of soil. This kind of people come with an expectant heart and life that is ready to participate in the Word. They will experience growth to a varying degree and become a blessing. 

The point is this: all of us who draw near to Christ had varying degrees of receptivity. So when we draw near to God, come with a heart that is ploughed through and loosened. Do a pre-sowing conditioning of the heart. Remove all hindrances and be ready to wait patiently. Above all we must learn to listen carefully. For the Lord says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”