The Seed Among the Thorns - Mark 4:7

Mark wrote how Jesus taught the people around Him, “many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow. 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. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away”, and in chapter four and verse seven of his book, Mark shares how Jesus said,“some fell among thorns” where we read:

And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

The verse reads, “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, …” Mark began with the words, “and some fell” or “and other seeds were thrust down and scattered” “among thorns” which means “into and toward bramble bushes, briars or thorny plants”, “and the thorns” which refers to “and the bramble bushes, briars or thorny plants” “grew up” or “rose, ascended and sprung up”. Mark shared how Jesus said a portion of the “seeds” sown by the “sower” were scattered toward “bramble bushes and thorny plants” and the bushes and the plants “sprung up”.

The verse continues, “... and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.” Mark added the words “and choked it” which means “pressed around or thronged the seed as almost to suffocate it”, “and it yielded no fruit” or “and the seed bore, gave, granted and bestowed no fruit or origination, effect or result from the seed”. Mark shared how Jesus said the “thorns grew up” and “suffocated” the “seeded plant” so that it bore no “fruit”.

When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we can imagine this “seed” that was “scattered” into “bramble bushes or thorny plants”, and as the “thorn bushes” grew alongside the plant from the seed and “surrounded”, they choked off the supply of nutrients from the seeded plant. Jesus will explain what this means in the next few verses, however, let those who read these words understand how God sends the “seed” of His gospel throughout the world, and sometimes it takes root, however other things come in and “choke out” it's fruitfulness. God's desire is to have a relationship with every person who will receive His Son Jesus as their personal “Savior and Lord”, and His promise is that they will not only be “fruitful” in this life, but also receive everlasting life with Him.

Next time Mark shares how Jesus said, “other fell on good 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".