goes to the lake, sits in a boat, and speaks to "a great multitude". The Pulpit Commentary notes that "the Greekadjective, according to the most approved reading, is πλεῖστος, pleistos, the superlative of πολὺς, polus, and should be rendered 'a very great' multitude. The room and the little courtyard no longer sufficed for the multitudes that came to him."
The Sower
The first parable Mark relates is the Parable of the Sower, with Jesus speaking of himself as a sower or farmer and his seed as his word. Much of the seed comes to no account but "still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." His disciples do not understand why he is teaching in parables or even what the meaning of the parables are. Later, after the crowds have left and Jesus tells them "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, 'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'", with Jesus quoting Isaiah . Early Christians used this passage from Isaiah "...to explain the lack of a positive response to Jesus and his followers from their fellow Jews." He rebukes them for not understanding him, and explains his meaning, and that those who accept his word, i.e. his teaching are the ones who will produce the large "crop". This is also found in Luke and Matthew . It is also saying of the Gospel of Thomas.
Lamp on a Stand
Jesus then speaks of a lamp on a stand, that one does not put it under concealment but allows to shine. He says, "For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear," the last sentence being, judging from all available texts, a favorite saying of Jesus. This is also in Luke and perhaps in Matthew . "'Consider carefully what you hear,' he continued. 'With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.'" The Scholars Version translates these verses like such: "...The standard you apply will be the standard applied to you, and then some. In fact, to those who have, more will be given, and from those who don't have, even what they do have will be taken away!" Mark 4:25 also occurs in the Parable of the Talents and,, Thomas 41. Mark 4:24 also occurs in and.
The Growing Seed
The parable of the Growing Seed and the parable of the Mustard Seed follow, each showing analogies with nature and small beginnings yielding much more in the end. They are both illustrations of the growth of the kingdom of God. In the Seed Growing Secretly Jesus used the metaphor of a man planting a seed and then paying it no attention until "As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." This is partially replicated in Thomas The mustard seed, says Jesus, is like the kingdom of God because it starts out as the smallest seed and yet "...becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade." This is in Matthew and Luke . It is also saying of Thomas.
Great Miracles
From to the end of chapter 5, "four striking works follow each other without a break". These accounts of miracles raise the stakes over miracles which have been reported before. Mark probably intends to demonstrate the greatness of Jesus' authority. Chapter 4 ends with an account of Jesus calming the stormat sea. He is sleeping while crossing the lake in a boat with his disciples. Mark notes that they left a large crowd, that they took Him "just as He was", and that other boats were with Him. A storm comes up and they frantically wake him: The Σιώπα in verse 39 means "silence", and is so translated in the New Living Translation and the Holman Christian Standard Bible. Dr. R. A. Cole, author of the commentary on Mark in the Tyndale New Testament Commentary series, writes: '' by Ivan Constantinovich Aivazovsky 1817-1900 The story of the calming of the sea and the miracles which follow demonstrate Jesus' authority over nature. Jesus has authority over not only men but even an untamable man, delivering the demoniac from not merely one demon but a whole army of demons. At the climax of these miracle accounts, Jesus does not merely heal the sick, but he raises the dead girl, all of which sets the reader up for a greater contrast when Jesus is rejected in his home town of Nazareth in Mark 6.
