15

Fruitful Hearers
(Mark 4:21–34)

And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples. (4:21–34)

Nothing remotely compares to the wonder of the good news that God gave His Son to die as a sin offering so that unworthy rebels might be reconciled to Him through Christ (2 Cor. 5:18–21). The fact that salvation is entirely a work of God’s grace apart from any self-righteous effort only adds to the wonder. As the apostle Paul explained in Ephesians 2:8–9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” John Chrysostom, the fourth-century preacher, compared that remarkable reality to a dream that was so amazing it seemed too good to be true. As he explained:

Such is the magnificent nature of the gospel. The utterly underserving are elevated to a position of highest privilege through no merit of their own (cf. Eph. 2:4–7). God rescues former slaves of sin from the kingdom of darkness and transfers them “to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13). They become citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), heirs of eternal life (Titus 3:7), and the adopted and beloved children of God Himself (Rom. 8:14–17).

Given that no news can compare to the good news of salvation, the fact that most refuse to embrace it is both shocking and tragic. Jesus Himself illustrated that truth by telling the parable of the soils (Mark 4:3–20). Some people reject the gospel as soon as they hear it. Jesus compared their hardness of heart to the impenetrable, pavementlike soil by the road (v. 15). Others respond with superficial exuberance. When times of hardship and persecution arise, and the initial emotionalism fades, they fall away. The Lord likened such individuals to shallow, rocky ground, in which true faith never takes root (vv. 16–17). A third type of soil also looks good on the surface but is actually infested with thorns. The people in this category also react to the gospel with initial interest. But the cares of the world and the pursuit of riches, like suffocating weeds, choke out a genuine love for Christ (vv. 18–19). By contrast, the good soil represents those who embrace the gospel and bear varied amounts of fruit, “thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold” (v. 20).

In differentiating the good soil from the bad, Jesus highlighted a critical difference between the two. The good soil is comprised of those who “hear the word and accept it and bear fruit” (v. 20). In other words, those who truly hear the gospel are those who accept it and bear fruit. Many may profess to “hear” the message of salvation, but true hearers are invariably characterized by fruitful obedience. The theme of hearing runs throughout the parables recounted in Mark 4:1–34. In verse 9, Jesus told His audience, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” He underscored the importance of that phrase by repeating it in verse 23. His point was simple: true disciples listen eagerly and obediently. As those whose hearts and minds have been opened to the truth by the Holy Spirit, genuine disciples of Jesus love to hear and obey His Word (John 8:32; cf. 10:3–4, 27). Divine truth has found a home in their hearts. They delight in it, submit to it, and bear fruit by putting it into practice and by proclaiming it to others.

The parable of the soils emphasized the importance of being a fruitful hearer by distinguishing the good soil from the bad. In this passage (4:21–34), Jesus articulated three additional parables that expand on that theme. The Lord indicated that understanding the parable of the soils was key to understanding these later parables (v. 13). These parables, then, should not be regarded as disconnected stories. Rather, they are interrelated illustrations carefully arranged by Jesus to make a divine truth clear. Having identified His disciples as those who are both able to perceive divine truth and equipped to proclaim that truth to others, Jesus used these parables to identify four characteristics of fruitful hearers: they witness obediently, work expectantly, wait dependently, and walk confidently.

FRUITFUL HEARERS WITNESS OBEDIENTLY

And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” (4:21–23)

In the parable of the soils, Jesus used good soil to represent believers who hear the gospel, receive it, and consequently bear lasting fruit. Christians demonstrate spiritual life by repenting and turning from sin (Matt. 3:8) to live in obedience to God through the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18). Paul delineated the elements of spiritual attitudes in his letter to the Galatians, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (5:22–23). The apostle similarly addressed the behavior of believers in his command to the Colossians: “Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:10). Jesus Himself taught that those who abide in His love and submit to His Word will be fruitful (John 15:4–10). Though it can take many forms, spiritual fruit always consists of both joyful attitudes and acts of obedience to the Lord (cf. John 1:16; Eph. 1:3–8; 2:7–10; Phil. 1:11).

In this passage, the Lord’s specific emphasis was on the fruit that comes from being a faithful witness to Him. The parable of the soils focused on the recipients of the gospel, distinguishing between those who would ultimately reject the message and those who would genuinely embrace it. By contrast, these subsequent parables (in vv. 21–32) highlight the responsibility of the faithful hearer as an evangelist. As those who had received the gospel and accepted it, Jesus’ disciples would now be called to bear fruit by obediently proclaiming the message of salvation to others (cf. Rom. 1:13; Col. 1:3–6).

The Lord used a simple analogy to make this point. He was saying to them, “A lamp is not to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand?” Terracotta lamps consisted of a small pitcher or saucer with a handle on one end. The pitcher would be filled with oil and a floating wick would be placed atop the oil. In order to maximize their radiance, lamps were set on lampstands or on shelves protruding from the wall, where their glow could radiate throughout the room unobstructed. For obvious reasons, no one would place a lamp under a basket or under a bed, thereby negating its purpose.

The point of Jesus’ analogy is clear: Those who have received the light of the gospel are not to conceal it; rather they are to let is shine for others to see. Throughout Scripture, light is variously used as a metaphor for truth (Pss. 36:9; 119:105, 130; Prov. 6:23; Acts 26:23; Eph. 5:9; 1 Thess. 5:5), holiness (Rom. 13:12), and spiritual life in Christ (John 1:4). In this analogy, however, Jesus used light to illustrate the message of the gospel. Faithful hearers have an obligation, beyond heeding the gospel themselves, to proclaim it to the world of sinners. Those who have been transformed by the good news are themselves to present that truth to others (cf. Rom. 1:8; 16:19; 1 Thess. 1:8). As Jesus explained in the Sermon on the Mount,

The Lord’s words served as a mandate for the disciples, who may have wondered if the proclamation of the gospel was still part of Jesus’ strategy for reaching the world. Though Jesus had earlier gone throughout Galilee plainly preaching the gospel (cf. Mark 1:14, 38), He was now speaking in parables. As He told His disciples, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven” (4:11–12). As noted earlier, Jesus’ parables were an act of divine judgment against the obstinate unbelief of the people, including the outlandish claim made by the religious leaders that He was empowered by Satan (3:22; cf. John 10:20). Recognizing the finality of their rejection, Jesus cut them off from any further truth by speaking to them in unexplained riddles and enigmas.

Perhaps the disciples, observing the shift in Jesus’ preaching strategy, wondered if they were also to obscure the gospel message as a judgment on Israel’s unbelief. That was not what the Lord planned for them to do. In a short time, He would send them out in pairs to preach the gospel (Mark 6:7–13; cf. Luke 9:1–6). Such was part of the preparation for their full commissioning after His resurrection (Matt. 28:18–20). As Jesus told His disciples before He ascended, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

That the Lord did not intend for the gospel to be permanently obscured is made clear from verse 22. As the Lord told His disciples, “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light.” In other words, there was an occasion when the truth was hidden and obscured from some obstinate rejecters; there was coming an era when the hidden things were to be revealed, and the secret things disclosed to the world. That era of unveiling mysteries would commence with the preaching ministry of the apostles (starting while Jesus was still with them—cf. Matt. 10:26), continue on the other side of the Great Commission, and last until His return (Matt. 24:14).

Jesus’ words in verse 22 may have also included an admonition about the reality of spiritual hypocrisy. In Luke 12:1–2, Jesus used this same expression as a warning against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.” In the parable of the soils, Jesus described two types of people who initially respond enthusiastically to the gospel but later prove to be false converts. The Lord compared those individuals to soil that was either rocky or infested with thorns. As the disciples considered their evangelistic task, they may have wondered how they would be able to distinguish between spiritual hypocrites and genuine believers. Jesus’ words assured them that, given enough time, the truth would come to light. In the short term, false converts might be undetected, but eventually the hidden reality of their hearts would become evident.

Whatever the response to their gospel proclamation, the disciples were to faithfully disseminate the message. The seed of saving faith in their hearts was to produce the fruit of gospel witness. That evangelistic mandate did not end with the apostles. It began with them and has fallen on all believers, in every generation of church history. Christians are called to eagerly “proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called [them] out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Jesus’ statement, “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear,” repeated the truth of Mark 4:9 and underscored the importance of what He had just said. It was imperative that the disciples carefully consider the implications of being a diligent and, therefore, fruitful hearer.

FRUITFUL HEARERS WORK EXPECTANTLY

And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” (4:24–25)

Pressing the theme of being attentive hearers, Jesus was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to.” Another way to say that is, “Pay close attention to what you hear.” The truths He was explaining to them were to be established in their minds.

Having articulated their evangelistic responsibility, Jesus highlighted the importance of serious dedication to the task because of the promise of eternal reward for their faithfulness. As He explained to His followers, “By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.” At harvesttime, the farmer could expect to get back from his field only what he had put into it. He would reap what he had sown (cf. 2 Cor. 9:6; Gal. 6:7). If he had been lazy or negligent, his harvest would be minimal. If he had been diligent and faithful to the task, he could expect a fruitful crop. His efforts as a sower would be rewarded by the size of his harvest.

Jesus’ point was that those who faithfully preach the gospel can similarly expect to be rewarded eternally by God for their diligent efforts. Eternal rewards are privileges that last forever (cf. 1 Cor. 9:24–25; 1 Thess. 2:19–20; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 22:12). What incomparable motivation that should be for all believers. Jesus promised that God would bless their work, not only in accordance with their level of effort (their standard of measure) but even far beyond (more will be given you besides). As they scatter the seed of the gospel, all believers work expectantly, knowing that their faithfulness to the task will be fruitful and abundantly rewarded in heaven (cf. Luke 6:38).

Driven by an eagerness to please their heavenly Master (cf. 2 Cor. 5:9–10), fruitful hearers put forth enduring effort, knowing that whoever has, to him more shall be given. The parallel account of Matthew 13:12 adds the phrase “and he will have an abundance.” As believers dispense truth to others, God blesses them with more power, joy, satisfaction, and reward.

False disciples, by contrast, are characterized by fruitlessness (John 15:2, 6). As Jesus warned His listeners, “Whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” The parallel statement in Luke 8:18 makes the intent of Jesus’ statement clear: “Whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has shall be taken away from him.” False converts (as illustrated by the rocky and weedy soils) may claim to have spiritual life, but in reality they do not possess it. They may profess to know God, but through their works they deny Him (Titus 1:16). On the day of judgment, with no foundation, their house will come crashing down (Matt. 7:26–27; cf. Phil. 3:8). The emptiness of their superficial faith will be exposed (cf. James 2:19), and the Lord will say to them “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness” (Matt. 7:23).

Jesus’ words also served as a warning to false teachers, those who scatter corrupted seed. Just as there are false disciples, there are also false evangelists. Both will be judged by God. Conversely, genuine believers delight in proclaiming the truth of the gospel to others, knowing that such obedience brings divine blessing both in this world and in heaven.

FRUITFUL HEARERS WAIT DEPENDENTLY

And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” (4:26–29)

A third characteristic of fruitful hearers is that they have learned to wait dependently on God, who alone can bring results. Though believers are called to witness obediently and work expectantly, they cannot produce life. Only God can give spiritual life (cf. John 3:3–8; 2 Cor. 4:5–7).

Jesus drew another analogy from farming to illustrate His point. This brief parable, unique to Mark’s gospel, complements the illustration of planting in the parable of the soils (cf. Mark 4:2–20) by looking at the way the seed grows. In it, Jesus compared the kingdom of God, a reference to the sphere of salvation, which is advanced through the proclamation of the gospel, to a man who casts seed upon the soil. After he finishes sowing the seed, he goes to bed at night and sleeps. The farmer cannot cause the seed to sprout or new life to form. For that matter, he cannot even fully understand how it comes to life. Yet he plants the seed and waits. And while he waits, entirely apart from his involvement, the seed in the ground comes to life. As the days and weeks pass, while the farmer sleeps at night and gets up by day and goes about his normal routine, little green shoots begin to break through the soil. The seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. The sower is not involved in the mysterious process by which the dormant seed is transformed into a living plant.

In the spiritual realm, the evangelist (represented by the sower) distributes the message of the gospel (the seed). Some of the hearers (the good soil) respond to the gospel in saving faith and exhibit spiritual life. This regeneration and spiritual transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5–8). Clearly, it does not depend on the evangelist but only on God, who imparts life through the power of the gospel (cf. John 6:37–44; Rom. 1:16; 1 Thess. 1:5; 1 Peter 1:23). Human ingenuity, emotional manipulation, man-centered techniques, and market-driven strategies cannot create new life in the heart of a sinner. Regeneration is only by the Spirit of God (cf. Eph. 2:1–4; Titus 3:5). Though believers are all called to faithfully proclaim the message, they can take no credit when unbelievers respond in repentant faith (cf. 1 Cor. 3:6–7).

The point of this parable is simple: in the same way that the farmer is not the power behind the regeneration of the seed, so also the evangelist is not the power behind the regeneration of souls. What a comfort this must have been for Jesus’ disciples to hear. Perhaps they were concerned that the task of saving sinners rested on their shoulders. Jesus countered that notion by reminding them that only God can change the human heart. Their responsibility was to faithfully preach the message. Having done so, they could trust God with the results. The diligent evangelist, whose message corresponds to the true gospel, can sleep soundly at night, knowing that it is God who causes the growth (1 Cor. 3:6). All the evangelist can do is proclaim the Word (cf. Rom. 10:13–17). The rest is God’s work, and believers can fully trust in His sovereign prerogative.

Jesus concluded this illuminating analogy by pointing out that even though the sower did not cause the growth of the grain, he still rejoices in the harvest (cf. 2 Tim. 2:6). When the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. In a similar manner, although the human messenger plays no role in the actual work of regeneration, he is still given the privileged blessing of enjoying the spiritual harvest. One primary aspect of that blessing is the added fellowship that comes every time a new believer is added to the body of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 4:15; 1 Thess. 2:19). The riches of that fellowship will last for all of eternity, as the glorified saints—as one great spiritual harvest—gather around the throne to worship their Savior and King.

FRUITFUL HEARERS WALK CONFIDENTLY

And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples. (4:30–34)

A fourth characteristic of fruitful hearers is that they proclaim the gospel with confidence. Because God is the one who blesses His Word and creates spiritual life, believers can fulfill their evangelistic calling with the certainty of knowing that they are part of an enterprise that cannot fail (cf. Matt. 16:18). With this final parable, Jesus assured His disciples that the work in which they would engage would produce an abundant harvest far beyond anything they could ever imagine (Eph. 3:20). Speaking of the spread of the gospel, He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?” To the disciples, who were still being trained as preachers, the task may have seemed overwhelming, given such seemingly humble beginnings. But Jesus wanted them to be confident in the final outcome.

To illustrate that point, the Lord gave them another agrarian picture. It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that the birds of the air can nest under its shade.” The Lord Jesus compared the advance of the gospel to a mustard seed that is sown upon the soil, which starts small but grows into a mighty, treelike bush.

When Jesus said that it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, He was not saying that mustard seeds are the smallest seeds on planet earth. Wild orchids, for example, have a seed much smaller than that of the mustard plant. Rather, Jesus was limiting His statement to that with which His audience would have been familiar. Of the plants grown in first-century Israel for agricultural purposes, the mustard plant had the smallest seeds. Moreover, using the mustard seed as a way to refer to things that were very small was a common proverbial expression (cf. Matt. 17:20), one that those listening to Jesus would have immediately recognized. Even though the mustard seed is very small, yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches. Mustard plants in Israel grew to a height of fifteen feet, larger than other garden plants, with branches in which birds could nest.

The point of Jesus’ parable would have been self-evident to the disciples: though the kingdom of heaven at that moment was tiny, like a mustard seed, it would grow to encompass the globe for generation after generation. The Messiah Himself had a humble upbringing—born in a stable, laid in a manger, and raised in an out-of-the-way town in Galilee (cf. John 1:46). None of the twelve disciples were highly educated or members of Israel’s social or religious elite. Far from being spiritual leaders, the disciples were often fearful, slow to believe, and spiritually weak (cf. Matt. 8:26; 14:31; 16:8). When Jesus was arrested, they fled (Mark 14:50). Even after His resurrection and ascension, the group that gathered in Jerusalem numbered only about 120 followers (Acts 1:15), with another five hundred or so in Galilee (1 Cor. 15:6). Those small beginnings would soon grow. Three thousand souls were added to the 120 in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41). Hundreds of millions more have been added since.

The parable of the mustard seed also anticipated the reality that the kingdom of God (a reference to the sphere of salvation) would bless the whole world. The mustard plant, fully grown, provided shelter to the birds of the air who can nest under its shade. In the Old Testament, the image of a tree providing safe haven to the birds was used to illustrate kingdoms that were so mighty they brought stability and blessing to nations around them (cf. Dan. 4:10–12, 20–22; Ezek. 31:3–6). Despite its small beginnings, the kingdom of God would become a mighty tree providing security and blessing to the whole earth.

In the church age, that blessing extends to the nations through the influence of Christians around the globe. When believers walk faithfully, they are a blessing to those around them. The corporate influence of the church has benefited the world in many ways: spiritually, economically, culturally, and morally. Yet, the implications of this parable go beyond the church age to Christ’s future millennial kingdom (cf. Ezek. 17:23). During His glorious reign, the Lord Jesus will rule from Jerusalem over the whole world, extending unparalleled blessings to all the nations.

In spite of numbering so few and facing severe opposition, the disciples could proclaim the gospel in the confidence that they were instruments in building God’s invincible kingdom. What to them seemed hopelessly small would spread in influence until it permeated the earth for centuries. That which was weak and frail, under divine power, was the beginning of the unstoppable and eternal completion of God’s redemptive plan through the church to gather the elect to glory.

Mark concludes this section of Jesus’ parables with a final summary statement: With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples. The unbelief of the crowds was judged by Jesus as He obscured the truth and taught them only unexplained riddles (cf. Matt. 13:3–52). Even their rejection was part of God’s sovereign plan. The parallel passage of Matthew 13:35 explains that Jesus spoke in parables “to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: ‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.’” Those words, written by the prophet Asaph (2 Chron. 29:30) in Psalm 78:2, anticipated both the rejection of the Messiah and His response.

John records similar judgment words from Jesus, drawn out of Isaiah 6:

Jesus’ followers consisted of true hearers who embraced the gospel. What was hidden from the unbelievers, He was explaining … privately to His own disciples. Believers today share that same privilege of knowing the truth. Though the Lord Jesus has ascended to heaven, His Spirit indwells and illuminates the hearts of all who belong to Him (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10–14; 1 John 2:27). Thus, every Christian has the privilege of knowing and understanding the truth, a reality that enables them to be fruitful hearers.