Inductive Bible study (SOAP) is an approach to God’s Word focusing on three basic steps that move from a focus on specific details to a more general, universal principle. Through these three steps, we apply inductive reasoning, which is defined as the attempt to use information about a specific situation to draw a conclusion. The steps are observation (what does it say?), interpretation (what does it mean?), and application (what does it mean for my life?). Inductive Bible study is a valuable tool in understanding and applying the principles of God’s Word. In an inductive study everyone participates. We will be working through as much of a chapter of Marks Gospel each week, taking turns to do the following:
SOAP Meathod
S: SCRIPTURE: Read a section of scripture, then summarise in your own words (What does it say? What verse stuck out to you most?).
O: Observation: Read the related Companion material below, then summarise one point/observation in your own words (Is their an issue being addressed?)
A: Application: How do you apply this truth to your life? What does it mean for us today?
P: Prayer: Following the study we will spend time in small groups praying. How do you implement this verse into your life? finish with the quiz below.
As we turn to chapter 4, we notice this chapter contains a group of parables devoted to the explanation of the Kingdom of God. As pointed out earlier, the corrective teaching by Jesus on this common Jewish expectation is a major theme and purpose of his ministry.
However, Jesus deliberately doesn’t make it easy for us to understand what he means. While Mark has grouped five parables of the Kingdom, only one of them is given an interpretation. Mark comments on the teaching of Jesus by saying in verse 34, “He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.”
In saying this, Mark shows that even his disciples failed to understand the meaning of the Kingdom parables without personal tutoring from Jesus. And in verses 9 and 23 there is the enigmatic statement from Jesus; “If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.” This reveals that the understanding of the Kingdom will require specific attention.
It is best to understand these parables of the Kingdom were not taught by Jesus in seriatim. But Mark and probably Apostle Peter shared these parables as a group when recounting the teaching ministry of Jesus on the topic of the Kingdom of God. Further, Mark allowed these parables to stand on their own without attempting to interpret them for their first century audience. Clearly, the first century audience had a far better understanding of the cultural background behind each parable than we do. Yet they still struggled to comprehend the specifics of what Jesus was teaching. So, it is with some hesitation that I make comment and readily allow you to disagree with my thoughts.
Perhaps we should begin with a comment about the interpretation of parables, for they are not a common contemporary western genre of literature. There is some debate among experts as to how many parables there are in the gospels, and this is because some parables are so brief that some experts don’t call them parables. Parables are usually stories of varying length with an agricultural theme. In our Chapter 4, there is a long story about the parable of the sower and a very short story about what measurement you should use. Parables are also distinguished because they teach a spiritual truth about the Kingdom of God.
Mark 4: 1 – 20 Parable of the Sower
The first of these parables is routinely referred to as The Parable of the Sower although many prefer the title: The Parable of the Soils. It is the only parable in this group that Jesus interprets.
It is a straight forward story of a farmer who sowed his field by hand. He scattered the seed and the seed fell on four different types of soils: hard soil trodden into a path, soil with lots of rocks, soil with lots of weeds, and well-tilled or good soil. Jesus then noted what happened to the seed in each of the soil types. Only the good soil produced the result the farmer wanted: up to 100 times the increase.
In verse 11 Jesus says “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you (meaning the disciples) “But to those on the outside everything is said in parables.” Because Jesus explains the meaning of this parable to his disciples, clearly it is a teaching of an aspect of the Kingdom of God.
This was the explanation Jesus gave: The seed is the Word of God and the soils are different types of responses that people have to the Word.
“Pathway soil” are people who, when they hear the Word, do not respond to the Word of God at all. It’s as though a raven comes and immediately eats the seed.
“Rocky soil” are people who respond to the Word with great joy. But like seed without root, these people fall away as soon as their life becomes difficult, especially when they are persecuted for responding to the Word of God.
“Weedy soil” are people who respond to the Word, but they continue to enjoy the life of the world with its riches and pleasures, so they became unfruitful. And unfruitful seed are of no use to the farmer.
“Good soil” are people who respond to the Word and who produce a crop of varying productivity; thus, the farmer is happy because this was the purpose for the effort of sowing the seed.
But what does this teach us about the Kingdom of God?
This parable concerns the fruitfulness of the Word of God. The Kingdom of God may be considered as the realm where God is King. Because God is Spirit, the realm of the Kingdom of God is Spirit. Even though God is Spirit, he speaks. What he says is his Word. God’s Word is not some idle chitchat. It is not casual, throw away gossip. When God speaks from his throne room in his Kingdom, his Word is his will. It is his command. It is his heart’s desire. This parable, then, is telling us that God has spoken; and he expects what he has said to be taken seriously and acted upon by people. So when people take on board the Word of God and live their lives accordingly, there will be a change and spiritual fruit will result. It will bring about an increase in the spiritual produce of the Kingdom of God.
Another way to view the Kingdom of God is to consider that God’s spiritual realm has its own culture. Just as there are multiple cultures on earth— each with their own language, dress, values, laws, expectations, and so on— so there is a living spiritual culture to be adhered to for those who wish to relocate to the Kingdom of God. Obeying Kingdom culture will also result in changes of language, dress, values, laws and expectations. Failure to make these changes will render the Word unfruitful, similar to what happened in the parable when the seed fell on weedy soil.
Mark 4: 21 – 22 Lamp on its Stand
This second parable of the Kingdom is brief. It highlights the present age in which Jesus was teaching. He was saying the time for exposing the teaching of the spiritual realm of God’s Kingdom was here and that he was doing just that. This wonderful truth of God was not to be hidden from the public but openly declared to all who would listen. By his teaching and his power over the unclean spirits and sickness, he was bringing into the open the spiritual reality of the glorious Kingdom of God.
Mark 4: 24 – 25 Parable of the Measure Used
This is another simple parable, not as difficult as it first may appear. What are we meant to be listening to? We are expected to be listening to the Word of God and to be responding to it. There was an expectation from Jesus that we listen to his teaching and give it very serious consideration. We should not dismiss it.
It also implies there are benefits for us in living in the Kingdom. Those benefits are in some way dependent upon our actions in this world. Think about it. If we are soil that has not responded to the Word, there are no Kingdom benefits available to us. Eventually, we will even lose what we think we have. If we have allowed the Word to change us, the benefits of living in his Kingdom become ours. And to a degree, our willingness to change and embrace Kingdom values will result in the kind of benefits we will receive.
Mark 4: 26 – 29. Parable of the Growing Seed
Again, this is a straightforward teaching story about the Kingdom of God. A man scattered seed on the ground; and the seed grew into a plant, the process of which the man had no idea. It was as if the grain grew by itself. All the man understood was that when the grain was ripe, he reaped it.
If the seed represents the Word of God (and I think it does), the Word of God is intended to grow in a person’s heart. People are expected to respond to the truths concerning God and his spiritual realm. But just as the seed was expected to grow and completely change its form from seed to plant, so the new spiritual life that is planted in a person is expected to radically change the person, which would result in a fruitful harvest in God’s Kingdom.
This change is not to be brought about by the logical will of man following some established tradition or theological protocol but, as it is a spiritual change, it is brought about spiritually by the will of God.
This parable also emphasises the intended result of the Word of God. God expected that when he speaks, his word is received and followed—bringing about a great harvest. The image of the harvest serves a twofold purpose. One purpose is to produce an abundant supply of seed so that more seeding can take place. This idea implies a geometric progression of the rate of seeding and change in the community, ideally bringing about a radically changed spiritual culture on earth as it is in heaven.
Another purpose of the harvest is to show the abundance of grain sustained people with joy. Historically an abundant harvest had always been a time of celebration in an agricultural community. It created confidence that for the next 12 months there would be sufficient food. So, within the context of the Kingdom of God, this parable teaches that those who received the Word of God and allow it to grow in their hearts and lives, will have the confidence that his Word will sustain them through all of life’s experiences.
Mark 4: 30 – 32 Parable of the Mustard Seed
This is the third parable in this chapter with the theme of seeds being planted. But this time Jesus chose the illustration of a mustard seed. It was the smallest of the known seeds and so, metaphorically, the smallest seed on earth. In keeping with the other seed parables, the mysterious growth of the seed into a plant was important. This time it was a large garden herb, sufficient in size for birds to roost.
So, again, we ask the question, “What did this parable teach about the Kingdom of God?” Similar to the other two parables about seed, we note the repetition of growth, change and fruitfulness. This was a really important truth found in the teaching on the Kingdom of God. For the third time, Jesus taught his disciples that such was the spiritual realm of the Kingdom of God with its inner transforming power of the Spirit, and that fruitful and useful outcome was expected. This gospel message was life transforming. It showed that just giving mental agreement to the facts of the Kingdom of God was not the expected Kingdom outcome. God expects us to change, to live a life that honours him, a life that is completely devoted to his will and to his work.
Mark 4: 33 – 34 Jesus Preached Parables
These verses bring Mark’s collection of Kingdom parables to an end. In doing so, Mark emphasised that Jesus taught Kingdom principles to the crowds only through the use of parables. This was because the self-centred kingdoms of this world under Satan could not grasp the truths of the Kingdom of God through straight teaching that relied only on the exercise of the intellect. Kingdom truths are of the spiritual realm under King God and can be only understood through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of faith. Thus, the use of parables was perfect for Kingdom teaching.
But in the evening when Jesus was alone with his disciples, he was able to teach them more personally. This was important for Kingdom teaching, as a smaller group allowed for interaction between Jesus and his students. Also, the apostles were being trained to replicate Jesus’ teaching in the months and years ahead, so they needed to fully understand the concepts of the Kingdom of God.
Mark 4: 35 – 41 Jesus Speaks to the Storm
The final incident in this chapter is not a parable of the Kingdom. It is the account of Jesus calming a storm. It naturally leads to the question, “Why didn’t Stephen Langton, the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1227, put the chapter break here at the commencement of this incident?” In this way, all the parables of the Kingdom would’ve been a nice unit.
Also, as faith is specifically referred to for the first time in this incident and the following chapter contains two stories about faith, this account could have naturally fall into Chapter 5.
The Archbishop, however, put the chapter break at the end of this section because this incident comes at the end of the day’s teaching which began in Chapter 4:1
So, it is the end of the day. Jesus took his disciples across to the other side of the lake. In 4:1 Mark says Jesus was teaching by the lake. They travel by fishing boat.
In 1986, during a severe drought, two amateur archaeologists discovered the remains of a boat that was subsequently dated within a 100 years of the time of Jesus. It was at the northwest shore of the Lake of Galilee. It was most likely the type that Peter, Andrew, James and John used and in which Jesus travelled from one shore to another on this remarkable day. Briefly, it was a flat-bottomed boat about 8.3 meters long and 2.3 meters wide. It had a mast and was row-able.
It is easy to imagine that after Jesus said, “Let’s go to the other side,” many disciples climbed into the boat. Mark tells us there were other boats sailing in the group. Jesus was tired from the day’s teaching and took a nap on the seat in the stern of the boat. Because the Sea of Galilee is such a low-lying body of fresh water and surrounded by hills, it is known for its sudden and violent storms.They are worse in the centre of the lake. And so, on that remarkable day, a violent storm struck the little fleet.
The surface of the Sea of Galilee is about 200 meters below sea level, making it the second lowest lake on the planet, after the Dead Sea. It is a fresh water lake and, thus, the lowest fresh water lake.
The overcrowded, flat-bottomed boat began to take on water. It would seem neither the increase in boat motion from the waves nor the noise from the wind awaken Jesus. The boat began to founder. Being wooden it probably wouldn’t have sunk, but the disciples were fearful of drowning. They awakened Jesus shouted above the noise of the wind, “Don’t you care if we drown!”
Jesus stood, rebuked the storm and commanded the physical realm to obey his word. The fact that the physical realm obeyed Jesus’ Word brought an astonished involuntary question, “Who is this?” It was in this act we learn more about the identity of Jesus that qualified him to be our means of atonement.
At the same time, Jesus seized the opportunity to teach the importance of faith. Up to now Mark, in his gospel, has not mentioned the centrality of faith in living for Jesus. He has certainly alluded to faith as we have seen, but now Mark notes Jesus’ reaction and his teaching to the disciples for their lack of faith. Keep in mind, that Mark was recounting the Apostle Peter’s recollection of the incidents in the ministry of Jesus. Peter, a fisherman, would always remember the rebuke he felt he personally received on that day. Note what Jesus considered to be the opposite of faith. We might think it would be unbelief but, for Jesus, the opposite of faith was fear! Understanding this is one of the important lessons all Christians need to learn. We can become immobilised or panic stricken by fear when we encounter personal or national events. This fear is the opposite of faith and it was rebuked by Jesus.