Sabbath School - Meat In Due Season Advanced Commentary - SS-Q3-L4: Parables-July 20-26, 2024

Sabbath School - Meat In Due Season Advanced Commentary

Sabbath Afternoon - July 20, 2024

Scripture Reading for the Week:
Mark 4:1-34; James 1:21; Isaiah 6:1-13; Psalms 104:12; Daniel 4:10-12.

Thought for Meditation:
The Scripture says, "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; . . . that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." Matthew 13:34, 35. Natural things were the medium for the spiritual; the things of nature and the life-experience of His hearers were connected with the truths of the written word. Leading thus from the natural to the spiritual kingdom, Christ's parables are links in the chain of truth that unites man with God, and earth with heaven. {COL 17.2} Christ's Object Lessons, 1900

Memory Text:

“Then He said to them, ‘Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him’ ” (Mark 4:24-25).

This week's SS Lesson will examine how Jesus uses the parable to portray spiritual truth and its counterpart in the other gospel writers. This letters includes the specific parables presented in the Book of Mark. (Note: There are just 5 parables, namely; the Sower, the lamp, the measure, the growing seed, and the mustard seed)

Study Outline:

The Reason of Existing of Parables - Mark 4:10-12

Sunday - July 21, 2024

The Parable of the Sower - The Sower Went Out to Sow

Mark 4:1-9.

Monday - July 22, 2024

Jesus' Interpretation - The Explanation of the Parable

Mark 4:13-20; James 1:21

Other Parables

Tuesday - July 23, 2024

The Reason for the Parables - The Lamp and the Measurement - Mark 4:21-25

Mark 4:10-12; Mark 3:5-6; Mark 3:22-30; Mark 3:35; Mark 12:1-12; Mark 4:1-41; Isaiah 6:1-13.

Wednesday - July 24, 2024

Lamp and Measuring Basket

Mark 4:21-23; Mark 4:24-25.

Thursday - July 25, 2024

Parables of Sowing Seed - Growth and Mustard - Mark 4:26-32

Mark 4:26-29; Mark 4:30-32; Psalms 104:12; Daniel 4:10-12; Psalms 104:1-35; Daniel 4:1-37; Matthew 24:14.

Friday - July 26. 2024

Insights and Further Study

From the Pen of Inspiration

Points to Ponder Upon

The Reason of Existing of Parables - Mark 4:10-12

“they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!” (Mark 4:12)

Jesus' preaching revolved around the Kingdom of Heaven (Mark 1:14-15). Many of his parables were told to explain the nature of said Kingdom (Mark 4:30).

Interestingly, the reason Jesus himself gave for using parables is truly astonishing: lest they understand, or be converted, or be forgiven! (Mk. 4:12; Is. 6:9-10).

He who hungers for the Word of God will hear the truth and rejoice. But those who do not want to hear, no matter how simple this truth is presented, will refuse to understand, to change, and to achieve salvation.

Sunday - July 21, 2024

The Parable of the Sower - The Sower Went Out to Sow

Mark 4:1-9.

“He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed” (Mark 4:2-3)

Lesson Given by Jesus, Four Kinds of Heart Where the Seed will be Sown

Jesus had given the lesson concerning the sower and the seed. He had said, "Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up; some fell upon stony places," and made a pretentious show of life, but "because they had no root, they withered away." And some fell among thorns and briers, and the rank growth of the thorns choked out the seed, and it yielded no fruit; but some fell upon soil prepared for its reception, and it sprang up and increased, and bore fruit, some an hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, some thirty-fold. {ST, March 27, 1893 par. 1} The Signs of the Times

Christ's Ministry Brought Pure Principles of Truth

"The sower soweth the word." Christ came to sow the world with truth. Ever since the fall of man, Satan has been sowing the seeds of error. It was by a lie that he first gained control over men, and thus he still works to overthrow God's kingdom in the earth and to bring men under his power. A sower from a higher world, Christ came to sow the seeds of truth. He who had stood in the councils of God, who had dwelt in the innermost sanctuary of the Eternal, could bring to men the pure principles of truth. Ever since the fall of man, Christ had been the Revealer of truth to the world. By Him the incorruptible seed, "the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever," is communicated to men. 1 Peter 1:23. In that first promise spoken to our fallen race in Eden, Christ was sowing the gospel seed. But it is to His personal ministry among men and to the work which He thus established that the parable of the sower especially applies. {COL 37.1} Christ Object Lesson, 1900

Pleasant Associations Connected with Abraham's Earthly Life

His servants in like manner must go forth to sow. When called to become a sower of the seed of truth, Abraham was bidden, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." [Genesis 12:1.] "And he went out, not knowing whither he went," [Hebrews 11:8.] as God's lightbearer, to keep His name alive in the earth. He forsook his country, his home, his relatives, and all the pleasant associations connected with his earthly life, to become a pilgrim and a stranger. {GW 112.1} Gospel Workers, 1915

Consider the Following

— On the way: In a few days, the seed dies (Mark 4:4)

— Between stones: In a few weeks, the seed dies (Mark 4:5-6)

— Among thorns: In a few months, the seed dies (Mark 4:7)

— On good soil: At the end of the season, the seed bears fruit (Mark 4:8)

— The sower and the seed do not vary. However, the result is totally different for each of the four terrains. It all depends on the way the seed is received.

Monday - July 22, 2024

Jesus' Interpretation - The Explanation of the Parable

Mark 4:13-20; James 1:21

“The farmer sows the word” (Mark 4:14)

Faith Receives the Word, the Very Life and Character of God

The word of God is the seed. Every seed has in itself a germinating principle. In it the life of the plant is enfolded. So there is life in God's word. Christ says, "The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life." John 6:63. "He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life." John 5:24. In every command and in every promise of the word of God is the power, the very life of God, by which the command may be fulfilled and the promise realized. He who by faith receives the word is receiving the very life and character of God. {COL 38.1}

Every seed brings forth fruit after its kind. Sow the seed under right conditions, and it will develop its own life in the plant. Receive into the soul by faith the incorruptible seed of the word, and it will bring forth a character and a life after the similitude of the character and the life of God. {COL 38.2}

The teachers of Israel were not sowing the seed of the word of God. Christ's work as a teacher of truth was in marked contrast to that of the rabbis of His time. They dwelt upon traditions, upon human theories and speculations. Often that which man had taught and written about the word, they put in place of the word itself. Their teaching had no power to quicken the soul. The subject of Christ's teaching and preaching was the word of God. He met questioners with a plain, "It is written." "What saith the Scriptures?" "How readest thou?" At every opportunity, when an interest was awakened by either friend or foe, He sowed the seed of the word. He who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Himself the living Word, points to the Scriptures, saying, "They are they which testify of Me." And "beginning at Moses and all the prophets," He opened to His disciples "in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself." John 5:39; Luke 24:27. {COL 38.3} Christ's Object Lesson, 1900

Called to Unite with Christ Leave All to Follow Him

His servants in like manner must go forth to sow. When called to become a sower of the seed of truth, Abraham was bidden, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." Genesis 12:1. "And he went out, not knowing whither he went." Hebrews 11:8. So to the apostle Paul, praying in the temple at Jerusalem, came the message from God, "Depart; for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles." Acts 22:21. So those who are called to unite with Christ must leave all, in order to follow Him. Old associations must be broken up, plans of life relinquished, earthly hopes surrendered. In toil and tears, in solitude, and through sacrifice, must the seed be sown. {COL 36.2}

For further information about this study, please visit the following links:

Meat In Due Season - 8. The Harvest of Matthew 13 (google.com)

Meat In Due Season - 9. The Ceremonial Harvest (google.com)

Present Truth Lessons 2020 - Lesson 5 Last Workers in the Vineyard (google.com)

Consider the Following

— The seed is the Word of God, and the sower is anyone who transmits it.

— On the way: They have no interest, and Satan leads them astray (Mark 4:15)

— Between stones: They receive the word, but they do not endure the tests (Mark 4:16-17)

— Among thorns: They receive the word, but they become comfortable (Mark 4:18-19)

— In good soil: They resist tests and do not settle. They bear fruit (Mark 4:20)

— What type of soil am I? What should I do to be fruitful?

Other Parables

Tuesday - July 23, 2024

The Reason for the Parables - The Lamp and the Measurement - Mark 4:21-25

Mark 4:10-12; Mark 3:5-6; Mark 3:22-30; Mark 3:35; Mark 12:1-12; Mark 4:1-41; Isaiah 6:1-13.

“He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? (Mark 4:21)

Higher Criticism, Dissecting, Conjecturing, Reconstructing Destroying Faith in the Bible As Divine Revelation

To many the Bible is as a lamp without oil, because they have turned their minds into channels of speculative belief that bring misunderstanding and confusion. The work of higher criticism, in dissecting, conjecturing, reconstructing, is destroying faith in the Bible as a divine revelation. It is robbing God's word of power to control, uplift, and inspire human lives. By spiritualism, multitudes are taught to believe that desire is the highest law, that license is liberty, and that man is accountable only to himself. {AA 474.1} The Acts of the Apostles, 1911

Commercial Work Not to Stand First

Commercial work should in no case become all-absorbing. The Lord would have the truth go forth as a lamp that is trimmed and burning.... The commercial work should bring the believers in connection with the unbelievers, that the truth, by being lived, may be as seed sown, and its influence touch the ends of the earth.--Lt 137, 1898. {PM 161.1} In no case are the publishing institutions to be devoted chiefly to commercial work. When this work is given the first place, those connected with the publishing houses lose sight of the purpose for which they were established, and their work deteriorates. {PM 161.2} The Publishing Ministry, 1983

Consider the Following

— The parable of the lamp:

▪ Visualize the conversation: “Do you bring in…?” "No!"; "don’t you put it…?" "Well of course!" (Mark 4:21).

▪ Jesus knew how to get the attention of his audience. Now they were ready to receive the spiritual lesson.

▪ Little by little, Jesus revealed the truth of the gospel so that it would be known to all (Mark 4:22).

▪ That night, as they lit their lamps at home, “those who have ears to hear” (Mark 4:23) undoubtedly remembered the lesson.

Wednesday - July 24, 2024

Lamp and Measuring Basket

Mark 4:21-23; Mark 4:24-25.

“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more” (Mark 4:24).

The Word of Life as a Bright, Shining Lamp

"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me" (John 17:23). Can we comprehend the meaning of these words? Can we take it in? Can we measure this love? The thought that God loves us as He loves His Son should bring us in gratitude and praise to Him. Provision has been made whereby God can love us as He loves His Son, and it is through our oneness with Christ and with each other. We must each come to the fountain and drink for ourselves. A thousand around us may take of the stream of salvation, but we shall not be refreshed unless we drink of the healing stream ourselves. We must see the beauty, the light of God's Word for ourselves, and kindle our taper at the divine altar, that we may go to the world, holding forth the Word of life as a bright, shining lamp. . . . {TMK 172.3}

Consider the Following

The parable of measurement:

▪ On the city streets, merchants sold their products using more or less standard measurements to gauge the amount of product the buyer wanted.

▪ If the seller was good, he would add a little more product to the measure to satisfy his customer.

▪ If someone is receptive to the truth, they will get even more. But if you reject it, even the truth you have will be lost (Mark 4:25).

Thursday - July 25, 2024

Parables of Sowing Seed - Growth and Mustard - Mark 4:26-32

Mark 4:26-29; Mark 4:30-32; Psalms 104:12; Daniel 4:10-12; Psalms 104:1-35; Daniel 4:1-37; Matthew 24:14.

“He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground” (Mark 4:26)

“It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth” (Mark 4:31)

Shut Out Because of Unbelief

The nine disciples were yet pondering upon the bitter fact of their own failure; and when Jesus was once more alone with them, they questioned, "Why could not we cast him out?" Jesus answered them, "Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." Their unbelief, that shut them out from deeper sympathy with Christ, and the carelessness with which they regarded the sacred work committed to them, had caused their failure in the conflict with the powers of darkness. {DA 429.4} The Desire of Ages, 1898

Faith that Nothing is Impossible

"If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed," said Jesus, "ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove." Though the grain of mustard seed is so small, it contains that same mysterious life principle which produces growth in the loftiest tree. When the mustard seed is cast into the ground, the tiny germ lays hold of every element that God has provided for its nutriment, and it speedily develops a sturdy growth. If you have faith like this, you will lay hold upon God's word, and upon all the helpful agencies He has appointed. Thus your faith will strengthen, and will bring to your aid the power of heaven. The obstacles that are piled by Satan across your path, though apparently as insurmountable as the eternal hills, shall disappear before the demand of faith. "Nothing shall be impossible unto you." {DA 431.3} The Desire of Ages, 1898

Consider the Following

The parable of growth:

▪ Jesus remembers the cycle of grain growth (Mark 4:28): Grass; spike; grain.

▪ It is a process that depends on God, not man (Mark 4:27).

▪ This is the seed of the gospel planted in the fertile soil of the believer.

▪ Through the action of the Holy Spirit we grow more and more in the truth... until Jesus comes (Mark 4:29; Mt. 13:39).

— The parable of the mustard:

▪ The Kingdom of Heaven is comparable to a tiny mustard seed (Mark 4:30-31).

▪ After 50 days of sowing, mustard reaches 30-40 cm in height, and is already capable of producing harvestable fruit. It can grow up to 7 meters (23 Ft.)

▪ Small, of course, was the beginning: 120 “unlettered” people hidden in a room in Jerusalem.

▪ But its expansion has reached the entire world, becoming the religion with the largest number of believers.

Friday - July 26. 2024

Insights and Further Study

We believe fully in church organization, but in nothing that is to prescribe the precise way in which we must work; for all minds are not reached by the same methods. Nothing is to be allowed to keep the working servant of God from his fellow man. The individual believer is to labor for the individual sinner. Each person has his own lamp to keep burning; and if the heavenly oil is emptied into these lamps through the golden pipes, if they empty the golden oil out of themselves, and if it is received into the vessels which have been emptied of self, and so prepared to receive the holy oil, that lamp, well supplied with the holy oil, can to some purpose throw its light on the sinner's path. Very much more light shines from one such lamp onto the path of the wanderer, than would be given by a whole torchlight procession got up for parade and show. O, what a work may be done if we will not stretch ourselves beyond our measure! {RH, May 9, 1899 par. 14} The Review and Herald

From the Pen of Inspiration

“In parables and comparisons, He found the best method of communicating divine truth. In simple language, using figures and illustrations drawn from the natural world, He opened spiritual truth to His hearers, and gave expression to precious principles that would have passed from their minds, and left scarcely a trace, had He not connected His words with stirring scenes of life, experience, or nature. In this way He called forth their interest, aroused inquiry, and when He had fully secured their attention, He decidedly impressed upon them the testimony of truth. In this way He was able to make sufficient impression upon the heart so that afterward His hearers could look upon the thing with which He connected His lesson, and recall the words of the divine Teacher.

EGW ( Fundamentals of Christian Education, 236)

Points to Ponder Upon

How many parables did Jesus mentioned as it was written by Mark, compared to the other Gospel writers?
What are the significant truth that had been portrayed through the kinds of soil mention in the parable (Mark 4:1-9)
What are the four kinds of soil presented in the parable, explain How it works?
Will there'll be hope for each kind of soil, except the good one? How?
Why did Jesus uses parable in His public ministry?
In Isaih 6:1-13, is the message here given was only for the Israel nation or it is also applied to the modern Israel? What's the message then?
Based on the statement above, {RH, May 9, 1899 par. 14}, what's the significance of using parables and comparisons in sharing the truth to the world?

Supplementary Studies: The Parables of Christ

The 40 parables of Jesus recorded in the Gospels can be divided into the following sections:

Divine Mercy, Justice, and Love
The Plan of Salvation
Receiving the truth
The Transformation of Character
Prayer
Humility vs. Pride
Taking Advantage of the Opportunities
The Christian and his Neighbor
Waiting for the Lord's Return
The Last Judgment; Eternal Rewards

Divine Mercy, Justice, and Love

The Pearl of Great Price - Matthew 13:45-46
The Lost Sheep - Luke 15:3-7
The Lost Coin - Luke 15:8-10
The Prodigal Son - Luke 15:11-32
The Barren Fig Tree - Luke 13:6-9

The Plan of Salvation

The Mustard Seed - Matthew 13:31-32
The Tares - Matthew 13:24-30
The Wicked Husbandmen - Matthew 21:33-43

The Reception of truth

The Sower, the Seed, and the Soil - Matthew 13:3-9
The Great Supper - Luke 14:16-24
The Hidden Treasurer - Matthew 13:44
The New Cloth and the New Wine - Mark 2:21-22
The Two Debtors - Luke 7:41-43
The Building of a Tower; A King goes to War - Luke 14:28-33
Seven Unclean Spirits - Matthew 12:43-45
The Two Sons - Matthew 21:28-32
Building on the Rock or on the Sand - Matthew 7:24-27
The Rich Fool - Luke 12:16-21

The Transformation of Character

The Seed that Grows - Mark 4:26-29
Yeast - Matthew 13:33
The Man Without a Wedding Garment - Matthew 22:2-14

Prayer

The Friend Who Calls at Midnight - Luke 11:5-13
The Unjust Judge - Luke 18:1-8

Humility versus Pride

Choosing Honorary Positions - Luke 14:7-11
The Pharisee and the Publican - Luke 18:9-14

Taking Advantage of Present Opportunities

The Nobleman and the Pounds - Luke 19:11-27
The Talents - Matthew 25:14-30
The Unfaithful Steward - Luke 16:1-9
The Rich Man and Lazarus - Luke 16:19-31

The Christian and His Neighbor

The Good Samaritan - Luke 10:30-37
The Servant Who Didn't Forgive - Matthew 18:23-35
Old and new Treasures - Matthew 13:52
The Faithful Steward - Luke 12:42-48

Waiting for the Lord's Return

The Ten Virgins - Matthew 25:1-13
The Watchful Servant - Mark 13:34-37
The Vigilant Servants; The Good man who Watches - Luke 12:35-40
The Laborers in the Vineyard - Matthew 20:1-16
Unprofitable Servants - Luke 17:7-10
The Sheep and the Goats - Matthew 25:31-46

The Last Judgment; Eternal Rewards

The Net - Matthew 13:47-50

All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: Matthew 13:34

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