Mark 4: 1-12
(Kenneth S. Wuest New Covenant Translation)
And again He began teaching along the seashore. And there gathers together to Him a crowd , the largest one up to that time, so that He entered a ship in order to occupy a place on the sea. And the whole crowd was on the land facing toward the sea. And He was teaching them many things by means of illustrations, and was saying to them in His teaching, Be listening. Give attention to this. The sower went out to sow. And it came to pass that while he was sowing, some indeed fell alongside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. And other seed feel upon ground full of rocks, where it was not having much earth. And immediately it sprang up because it was not having any depth of earth. And when the sun arose, it was burnt, and because it did not possess rootage, it withered. And other seed fell into the midst of thorns and the thorns sprang up and utterly choked it, and it did not give fruit. And other seeds fell on ground that was good, and it kept on yielding fruit, growing up and increasing, and it kept on bearing, up to thirty-fold and to sixty, and to one hundred. And He was saying, He who has ears to be hearing, let him be hearing.
And as soon as He was alone, those about Him, with the twelve, went to asking Him concerning the illustrations. And He was saying to them, to you the mystery of the kingdom of God has been given, and it is in your possession. But to those who are outside, in the form of illustrations, are all the things given, in order that seeing they may be seeing and may not perceive, and hearing, they may be hearing and may not understand, lest haply they turn again and it should be forgiven them.
And as soon as He was alone, those about Him, with the twelve, went to asking Him concerning the illustrations. And He was saying to them, to you the mystery of the kingdom of God has been given, and it is in your possession. But to those who are outside, in the form of illustrations, are all the things given, in order that seeing they may be seeing and may not perceive, and hearing, they may be hearing and may not understand, lest haply they turn again and it should be forgiven them.
FIRST GROUND
THE ROAD : The birds came and ate it up.
SECOND GROUND
FULL OF ROCKS : Where it was not having much earth.
Not having any depth of earth.
Because it did not possess rootage.
THIRD GROUND
MIDST OF THORNS :The thorns sprang up and utterly choked it.
It did not give fruit.
FORTH GROUND
GOOD GROUND : It kept on yielding fruit, increasing, and it kept on bearing, up to thirty-fold and to sixty
and to one hundred.
Which ground would you like to be--the road, the one full of rocks, in the midst of thorns, or the good ground...?
EXPLANATION
Remember the illustration was given for a purpose (verse 1)..."there gathered together to Him a crowd [unbelievers]." The crowd was represented by these three grounds that are not proper for fruits, which does not belong to salvation. The three grounds refer to three different reasons to remain unbelievers and not be converted and three different hearts' conditions:
THE ROAD
THE ROCKS
THE THORNS
Now the last ground, the good one, refers to those who receive it [the message] and bear fruit.
"Those about Him, with the twelve, represent the fourth ground which yields fruit." (Mark 4:10) [Group of believers: good ground]
"The Lord says to them [the twelve], to you the mystery of the kingdom of God has been given, and it is in your possession. But to those [the crowd of unbelievers: first, second, and third grounds] who are outside, in the form of illustrations are all the things given, in order that seeing they may be seeing and may not perceive, and hearing, they may be hearing and may not understand, lest haply they turn again and it should be forgiven them." (Mark 4:11-12)
Conclusion
Only the ground that produces fruit has LIFE because the effects and evidence of LIFE are: yielding fruit, growing up and increasing... The last ground is the only one that represents all the believers.
This illustration is making clear that to become a believer, the word of God needs to fall on the good ground that in return will produce fruit. The only mention of LIFE [fruit] in this illustration is on the last ground. Everything else is outside, blind, deaf, and unforgiven (verse 12). This study teach us that it is not what you believe [a mere belief, mean professing] or what you think you believe or how happy you are that matters to God, (verse 16) but it is the fruit --a true, genuine believer (verse 8).