Seed Fallen by the Way Side - Mark 4:4

Mark wrote how Jesus, “began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow”, and in chapter four and verse four of his book, Mark shares how Jesus said,“some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up” where we read:

And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side,

and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

The verse reads, “And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, ...” Mark began with the words, “and it came to pass” or “and it happened and came into being”, “as he sowed” which means “as the sower scattered his seed”, “some fell by the way side” which means “some of the seed was thrust down beside the traveled road, the course of conduct and route”. Mark shared how Jesus said some of the “scattered seed” was thrust down beside the roadway where people traveled.

The verse goes on to say, “... and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.” Mark continued with the words “and the fowls of the air” which means “and the birds and winged animals which fly in the air” “came” or “appeared, came into being and showed themselves” “and devoured it up” which means “consumed it by eating”. Mark shared how Jesus said the “birds” came along and ate the “seed” that was fallen on the roadside.

When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we see the first of four different soils upon which these seeds fell. The first was “by the way side” which means along side of the travelled road, and Jesus reported that “birds”, which are usually a symbol of “evil and wickedness” in the Bible, ate the seeds. Jesus will explain what this means in a few verses, however, for now, let it be known that God sends out the “seed” of His “gospel” throughout the world, and sometimes, the seed doesn't take root at all because “Satan” devours it. Let all who read these words know the importance of the “seed of the gospel” and yield to Jesus Christ as their personal “Savior and Lord”.

Next time Mark shares how Jesus said, “some fell on stony ground”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".