Articles
Opposition To Jesus - Mark 4
Opposition To Jesus - Mark 4
Jesus came preaching the gospel of God saying, “"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14-15). Immediately many began following him. The demons proclaimed Him to be the Holy One of God” (1:24). The people are amazed that He can command the Demons and they obey Him (1:27). Many came to him and were healed of various diseases (1:34). He heals a leper (1:40). He heals a paralytic AND forgives his sins (2:1-13) which resulted in ‘all the people coming to Him (2:13). In fact, a great multitude from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, Tyre, and Sidon gather around Him as He continues to heal and cast out demons (3:8-11).
But not everything is well, there are those who oppose Him. He is accused of blasphemy (2:7). He is chastised for eating with tax collectors and sinners ((2:16). He is challenged for not fasting as the Pharisee’s tradition taught (2:18). He is falsely accused of violating the Sabbath (2:24). After rebuking them for their hardness of heart, the Pharisees began conspiring with the Herodians, as to how they might destroy Him. His ‘own people’ were saying “He has lost His senses” (3:22). The scribes from Jerusalem accuse Him of being demon-possessed and in league with Satan (3:22).
If He is the promised King, why are they not seeing a great kingdom being established? If He is the promised Messiah, why is there so much opposition and rejection? With all His teaching and miracles, why doesn’t everyone follow Him? It is at this point Jesus tells the parable of the soils (more often called ‘the sower). It is not the WORD, nor the ‘preacher’, it is the SOIL. Jesus gives four types of soil upon which the same WORD falls. The first three are unproductive for different reasons. Only the good and honest heart hears, receives, and bears fruit. Yet, even here, the amount of fruit produced varies.
With such a parable, Jesus explains the different reactions to His preaching. Not all hearts are good, not all men are honest. Unlike real soil however, men are responsible for the condition of their hearts. Ezra prepared his heart: “For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). We are challenged to ‘keep the heart with all diligence’ for out of it comes the issues of life (Prov. 4:23). We are told to make “your ear attentive to wisdom and incline your heart to understanding” (Prov. 2:2).
To paraphrase Barbara Walters: “what manner of soil are YOU?” Like a tree, the real answer to that question is seen by the fruit it produces. Examine yourself. What fruit is seen in your life?
Hugh DeLong
