Look at Verse 11!

[seekeroftruth]

Mark 4:1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”​

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9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”​

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10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that,​

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“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”​

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13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”​

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So, Jesus was on a boat once again. The people were all along the shoreline. The disciples are with Him. There is no direct mention of the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, Zealots, or teachers of the law, in these verses. Jesus taught a story, but the disciples didn't get the meaning. So, they asked Jesus to explain. There has to be a seed before there can be a plant.

Satan will disguise the message. He will fill the mind and heart with worries, lack of faith, lack of self-confidence. and hate. Satan will show humans shiny objects and fill their mind with the lust of wealth and power. Some will even laud that power in church or synagogue, ruining the sermon, ruining the message for anyone who enters a church. Some will sugar coat their perverted version of Salvation and lure the babies in faith away from their newfound joy. Satan plants seeds too. There has to be a seed before there can be a plant.

Some will understand though. Some humans will break through all the hazards put out by Satan and his minions to receive the message. All who received the message in its clear form will find Salvation and pass it on. Move the minions and the morons out of the way and the Word will multiply. Not everyone will have the same evangelical impact, but those who enjoy Salvation share the news and others hear the message and enjoy Salvation as well. There have to be plants before there can be a harvest. There has to be seed before there can be plants.

Now check out verse 11. Jesus says the disciples have been given some kind of secret or understanding the regular, unchosen, don't have! Forgiveness isn't something we are given willy nilly. Apparently, we have to learn we want it first. Someone has to show us there is something poopy before we smell it on our own. If Satan let everyone enjoy Salvation willy nilly, he would have no minions to turn into demons. If Jesus just let everyone enjoy Salvation willy nilly, there would be no reason to want it. It would have no value.

I think this is where Baptists learned they are very special humans. See, we believe the Spirit is in us. We believe we receive the "secret" Jesus is talking about in Verse 11. We believe it's easier for us to understand what Jesus is teaching, once we figure out that we need to listen. Baptists believe there is no real need for a preacher.... we're all capable of deciphering the Word because we already have the Spirit of God in us. Satan tries to skew the Word.... and I have to report that he has succeeded in some brick-and-mortar churches that claim to be Baptist Churches. COVID and the mask debacles made that perfectly clear.

Believers.... we have a special understanding.... the Spirit guides us. The Spirit makes sure the seed we carry gets plenty of sunshine and water.

Verse 11 tells us where the seed comes from.

There has to be seed before there can be plants.

Look at verse 11!