Mark 4

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Mark 4:24

4:24 This was another of Jesus' sayings: "Pay attention to what you hear! What you get depends on what you give. What you give you will get back, only more so." In life there is always a balance. A man's getting will be determined by his giving. (i) This is true of study. The more study a man is prepared to give to any subject, the more he will get from it. The ancient nation of the Parthians would never give their young men a meal until they had broken sweat. They had to work before... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Mark 4:25

4:25 To him who already has still more will be given: and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This may seem a hard saying; but the whole lesson of life is that it is inevitably and profoundly true. (i) It is true of knowledge. The more a man knows the more he is capable of knowing. A man cannot enter into the riches of Greek literature before he has ploughed his way through Greek grammar. When he has the basic grammar still more will be given to him. A man cannot... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Mark 4:26-29

4:26-29 He said to them: "This is what the Kingdom of God is like. It is like what happens when a man casts seed upon the earth. He sleeps and he wakes night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows--and he does not know how it does it. The earth produces fruit with help from no one, first the shoot, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. When the time allows it, immediately he despatches the sickle, for the time to harvest has come." This is the only parable which Mark alone relates... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Mark 4:30-32

4:30-32 He said: "How shall we find something with which to compare the Kingdom of God, or what picture will we use to represent it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown upon the ground, is the least of all the seeds upon the earth. But, when it is sown, it springs up and it becomes greater than all the herbs; and it sends out great branches so that the birds of the heaven can find a lodging under its shade." There are in this parable two pictures which every Jew... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Mark 4:33-34

4:33-34 It was with many such parables that he kept speaking the word to them, suiting his instruction to their ability to hear it. It was his custom not to speak to them without a parable; and when they were by themselves, he unfolded the meaning of everything to his own disciples. Here we have a short but perfect definition of both the wise teacher and the wise learner. Jesus suited his instruction to the ability of those who were listening to him. That is the first essential in wise... read more

William Barclay

William Barclay's Daily Study Bible - Mark 4:35-41

4:35-41 When on that day evening had come, he said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." So they left the crowds and took him, just as he was, in their boat. And there were other boats with him. A great storm of wind got up and the waves dashed upon the boat, so that the boat was on the point of being swamped. And he was in the stern sleeping upon a pillow. They woke him. "Teacher," they said, "don't you care that we are perishing?" So, when he had been wakened, he spoke sternly to... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 4:1

And he began again to teach by the sea side ,.... He went out of the house where he was at Capernaum, the same day he had the above discourse with the Scribes and Pharisees, and on which his mother and: brethren came to speak with him; and from thence he went where he had been before, and taught the people; namely, to the sea side, the shore of the sea of Galilee, or Tiberias: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude ; which followed him from the house, and from other parts of... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 4:2

And he taught them many things by parables ,.... As he sat in the ship, and they stood on shore; and said unto them in his doctrine ; as he was teaching them, and delivering unto them the doctrine he had received from his Father: though the Jews say F3 Bereshit Rabba, sect 98. fol. 85. 3. , that "the Israelites will have no need לתלמודו של מלך משיח , "of the doctrine of the king Messiah, in the time to come"; because it is said, "unto him shall the Gentiles seek", and not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 4:3

Hearken, behold, there went out a sower to sow. By whom is meant Jesus Christ, who came forth from God as a teacher, and went out into the land of Judea to preach the Gospel, which is sowing spiritual things among men; and this may be also applicable to any faithful minister of the word. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Mark 4:4

And it came to pass, as he sowed ,.... Whilst he was preaching the, Gospel, casting about the precious seed of the word, he was laden with: some fell by the way side ; the common beaten path: the word was dispensed among some men comparable to it, on whom it lighted, but made no impression; there it lay, though not long, and was not inwardly received, and took no root, and consequently was of no effect: and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up ; the devils, who have their... read more

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