Sharper Iron From Kfuo Radio

Rev. Andy Wright, pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Keystone, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Mark 4:1-20. As the crowds continue to gather around Him, Jesus’ ministry of teaching takes Him into a boat to begin to speak in parables. His first parable calls those around Him to listen. He tells about a sower who casts his seed indiscriminately on four different types of soil. Only in the final soil is any fruit produced. Jesus explains privately to His disciples and those around Him that His parables serve to confirm the secret of the kingdom of God to those who believe. To those who do not believe, as St. Mark has recorded in the previous chapters, the parables serve as God’s judgment for unbelief, even as He desires to bring them to salvation. Jesus’ explanation of the parable helps us to interpret it centered around Him and the Word He proclaims. In each of the first three types of soil, He illustrated different obstacles to the hearing of His Word. Through each of these, He provides a warnin