Mark 4:11
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He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables,
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
Open source ↗In this chapter, we have, I. The parable of the seed, and the four sorts of ground (Mar 4:1-9), with the exposition of it (Mar 4:10-20), and the application of it (Mar 4:21-25). II. The parable of the seed growing gradually, but insensibly (Mar 4:26-29). III. The parable of the grain of mustard-seed, and a general account of Christ's parables (Mar 4:30-34). IV. The miracle of Christ's sudden stilling a storm at sea (Mar 4:35-41).
Open source ↗4:11-12 Jesus’ real followers were permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God—namely, that the Kingdom of God had come (1:14-15) and that Christ, the Son of God, was in their midst (1:1). For outsiders, it all seemed like riddles. • Jesus’ reply to the disciples’ question suggests that the parables were intended to prevent outsiders from understanding them, so that they would be unable to repent and be forgiven. The quotation from Isa 6:9-10 (Greek version) suggests that it was an intentional judgment on the hearers. Jesus’ teaching in parables, and the resultant unbelief of outsiders, fulfilled what the Scriptures had predicted. The sensitive nature of Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God (a theme that would have made Roman authorities very uneasy) made teaching in parables useful in defusing this issue.
Open source ↗Cross-references
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At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.
Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ
Furthermore, he must have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the snare of the devil.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.