The parables of Jesus have great relationship to the definition of the kingdom which is one of the most debated issues in Synoptic scholarship. The parables obscured the truth from those who have rejected Him and blasphemed against the Holy Spirit while for His disciples He opened the understanding to the mysteries of His spiritual kingdom, a kingdom not of this world, but was to be set up in the hearts of men. In the gospel according to Mark chapter 4, there are four parables and one story of Jesus on boat.【Mark4:2-8, He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times."】 The main point of this soil parable is to make the listeners to examine the hearts to see what kind of soil they are. Later He continued to explain the parables:【Mark4:14-20, The farmer sows the word. 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. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 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. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 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. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."】 So now we can connect the parables to the specific thing Jesus was referring to. First type of soil: wayside/path, birds came and ate the seed on this type of soil. Attention, birds, later Jesus refer it to Satan who comes and takes away the seeds. Second type is rocky places, this type of people receive the Word with joy, and later fall away quickly. Why then the person received gospel with joy fall away so quickly? Because it’s not a normal reaction that the Lord expects, the reaction our Lord expects when we truly received the seed is a brokenness inside, a pain in the heart for the sins, a sense of repentance! Totally not like what the glamoring prosperity gospel promised of health and wealth to replace cross.The last type is the good soil, which can produce crop. The crop is a new life that Jesus can be manifested in it.
Now we proceed to the parable of the mustard seed. 【Mark4:30-32,What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."】 According to the trace of the first type of soil where birds came to ate up the seed, we can relate birds with Satan. Now this Satan birds came again to perch in the shade of the big plants. Why birds of the air can perch in its shade? Christianity is a miraculous faith started from 12 people, its beginning is as small as that mustard seed. As it grows and becomes the largest of all, the birds came. I remembered a preacher once said “the falling of Christianity was when Constantine the Great made Christianity the State religion of Roman Empire.” When a living faith grows into a big religion by the power of men instead of the working of the Holy spirit, is like a mustard seed grows to that big plants, Satan(the bird as stated above) is definitely flying to attack it,and able to perch in it. This is revealed by all kinds of immorality and abominations in many big churches. The nature of the faith has changed into a degenerated big religion.The living spiritual things became dead religious rituals,legalistic practice etc.But the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow;it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the hearts.
马可福音中的许多比喻都与神的国有关。主耶稣说对于那些拒绝祂和亵渎圣灵的人，祂就隐藏了比喻的奥妙，他们读比喻时有眼不能看懂，有耳不能听明。所以要读懂耶稣比喻的一个重要条件就是相信神，带着虚心求道的心来向主寻求真理。马可福音的第四章讲到了4个寓言和一个耶稣平静风浪的故事。【马可福音4：2-8，耶稣就用比喻教训他们许多道理．在教训之间、对他们说：“你们听阿．有一个撒种的．出去撒种。撒的时候、有落在路旁的、飞鸟来吃尽了。有落在土浅石头地上的、土既不深、发苗最快．日头出来一晒、因为没有根、就枯干了。有落在荆棘里的、荆棘长起来、把他挤住了、就不结实。又有落在好土里的、就发生长大、结实有三十倍的、有六十倍的、有一百倍的。】这个关于不同土壤的比喻就是要让我们先检查下自己的心是什么样的土壤。祂接着解释道：“【马可福音4：14-20，撒种之人所撒的、就是道。那撒在路旁的、就是人听了道、撒但（魔鬼）立刻来、把撒在他心里的道夺了去。那撒在石头地上的、就是人听了道、立刻欢喜领受．但他心里没有根、不过是暂时的、及至为道遭了患难、或是受了逼迫、立刻就跌倒了。还有那撒在荆棘里的、就是人听了道．后来有世上的思虑、钱财的迷惑、和别样的私欲、进来把道挤住了、就不能结实。那撒在好地上的、就是人听道、又领受、并且结实、有三十倍的、有六十倍的、有一百倍的。】第一种我们可以把飞鸟和魔鬼联系起来，这个飞鸟立即就夺走了撒的种；第二种撒在石头上的，人听了道就欢喜领受，但是他很快就会跌倒。这有什么问题呢？问题就在于，欢喜领受主耶稣的道，并不是祂所期望看到的。耶稣所期望的反应是心里的破碎，灵里为罪的忧伤，和悔改的心情。一个听到福音就欢喜接受的人是心里没有根，不过是暂时的，主耶稣清楚地预言了此类人以后的光景：及至为道遭了患难、或是受了逼迫、立刻就跌倒了。最后一个落到好土中的，这个土和其他的土不同在，他可以结出果子，这个果子就是听道之人有了新的生命，一个耶稣可以被彰显出来的新生命。
现在看看关于芥菜种的比喻。【4章31-32又说，神的国、我们可用甚么比较呢．可用甚么比喻表明呢。好像一粒芥菜种、种在地里的时候、虽比地上的百种都小，但种上以后、就长起来、比各样的菜都大、又长出大枝来．甚至天上的飞鸟、可以宿在他的荫下。】为什么天上的飞鸟又出现了呢？为什么可以宿在他的荫下呢？基督教起初是一个由耶稣的12门徒所开始的信仰，他就如芥菜种那么小，后来长得比各样的菜都大，天上的飞鸟就来宿在他的荫下。前面的比喻我们得出这个飞鸟就是魔鬼，当这个信仰变得大了，魔鬼就来攻击。记得一个牧师说过，基督教开始堕落，就是在君士坦丁大帝把基督教定为罗马帝国的国教那时起。当一个活的信仰变成了普世的宗教，就是他开始死亡的时候了，属灵的东西变成了死板的仪式。然而神的道是活泼的，是有功效的，比一切两刃的剑更快，甚至魂与灵、骨节与骨髓都能刺入剖开，连心中的思念和主意都能辨明。并且被造的没有一样在他面前不显然的。
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