Mark 4:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

NIV: When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.

NASB: As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve disciples, began asking Him about the parables.

CSB: When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve asked him about the parables.

NLT: Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.

KJV: And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

NKJV: But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.

In Mark 4:1–9, Jesus illustrates why people have such different reactions to His message. One real-world demonstration of this came in the incidents described in Mark chapter 3. Here, the twelve core disciples, as well as others, stay with Jesus after His public teaching to learn the deeper spiritual message. Jesus typically speaks to great crowds with parables (Mark 4:34), and the disciples make a habit of asking Him for clarification. Matthew 13:10 says that after the parable of the sower, the disciples specifically ask Jesus why He teaches the crowd in parables. Fittingly, the parable of the sower is the story of how listeners react to the parables Jesus uses. This also explains how people respond to the Word of God, in general. In addition to clarifying the story of the sower, Jesus tells several other parables in Mark 4 to refine their understanding of what He is saying.

A parable is an invitation. It provides a peek at a spiritual truth. For the person intrigued by the story and trusting of the storyteller, it draws them to discover the deeper meaning. It also allows the teacher and students to discuss subtle nuances. Like the disciples, we have to be willing to dive in to the point of view of the storyteller in order to really understand the story.

Mark 4:10–20 follows Jesus' telling of the parable of the sower, and now and the disciples would like to understand the deeper truths in the story. Jesus made a habit of explaining parables to those who wanted to know more than the general crowd. The fact that they are curious proves that they are the good soil that will produce much fruit. Jesus explains how the growth of the seeds represent why people react differently to His message (Mark 3). The subsequent parables will go deeper into what it will take for the gospel to spread successfully. You can also find this account in Matthew 13:10–23 and Luke 8:9–15.

Jesus speaks in parables to the assembled crowd, giving them an opportunity to decide how much spiritual truth they want to absorb. The disciples, wanting to learn more, ask Jesus to explain the meaning of the parables He has taught. As Jesus explains these ideas, He demonstrates that a person's spiritual knowledge is based on their willingness to pursue truth. After describing Jesus' teaching in some detail, the Gospel of Mark describes how Jesus calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee.

Mark 3 explores the different ways people react to Jesus' teaching and miracles. They either follow Him, use Him, hide Him, or destroy Him. In Mark 4, Jesus explains why people react the way they do. He uses parables to explain who is serious about learning from Him. The softer a person's heart is, the more truth God will reveal. Soon, the twelve will also spread Jesus' message, although they will not be responsible for the spiritual growth of those who believe. The following chapter returns to depicting Jesus' miracles, including two of His most famous.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.