There are three remaining parables in Mark 4: parable of the lamp (4:21-25), parable of the growing seed (4:26-29), and the parable of the mustard seed (4:30-32). Each of them is a brief teaching where Jesus used earthly objects to teach a spiritual lesson to His followers. In the parable of the lamp, Jesus begins by asking two questions, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand?” The lamp seems to represent the teachings of Jesus. Since Jesus’ teachings are truth, they were not meant to be hidden but to be visible to all who would hear and receive (4:23). As a person receives and obeys the truth, they will be entrusted with more (4:25). Obedience to Jesus’ teachings will result in more spiritual fruit.
The parable of the growing seed is only mentioned by Mark. It is very similar to the parable of the soil which is recorded earlier in Mark 4:1-20; however, this parable focuses on the result of the seed which falls on good ground. The seed is the gospel and the ground represents the heart. When people receive the gospel through repentance and faith, it will grow into spiritual fruit. Jesus’ teaching here also seems to imply that the gospel sometimes takes time to work in the heart of a man. Mark writes, “For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come” (4:29).
The final parable in Mark 4 is Jesus’ description of the kingdom of God. “It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade” (4:21-32). As people accept the truth, it begins to grow from a small influence to a very large influence upon others, which provides protection and blessings upon many.
Each of these parables holds a simple truth which needs to be taken to heart and applied in our daily lives. The parable of the lamp challenges us to consistently apply the truth of Jesus. The parable of the growing seed reveals the results of a heart which is sensitive to truth. Lastly, the parable of the mustard seed teaches us that even a small influence of good can grow to affect many.
Dear God, help me to apply the truth I have learned today.
