Bible study: Mark 4
Chapter 4 includes several parables as Jesus teaches. Parables are short stories that carry a lesson, kind of like a fable. But they are also complicated, and meant to be thought-provoking, revealing depth that is not evident at first glance. They seem simple, but mean so much more. Jesus explains them sometimes (which I often think defeats the purpose of a parable, and is regarded as editorializing by the composer or a later editor rather than original to Jesus). In this chapter, he even suggests that there are some people who are not meant to grasp them, but that they are intended for those who are “inside”. Parables often begin with “The Kingdom of Heaven is like…”, as a way for us to comprehend an abstract idea by comparing it to something that is right before our eyes. The irony, of course, is that the kingdom of heaven is like Jesus, who is standing right before the eyes of those who listen to him. Through parables and through his very living Jesus shows us what the kingd...