Mark The Growing Seed

Transcript

1 Mark The Growing Seed 26 Καὶ ἔλεγεν οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς NAU And He was saying, "The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; NET He also said, "The kingdom of God is like someone who spreads seed on the ground. He also said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, KJV And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; DRA And he said: So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the earth, NJB He also said, 'This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the land. TNIV He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. NLT Jesus also said, "The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. MSG Then Jesus said, "God's kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man Note that the use of βαλλω is typical, but it means that the person "throws, casts, scatters" the seed. (He does not "plant" the seed.)

2 27 καὶ καθεύδῃ καὶ ἐγείρηται νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, καὶ ὁ σπόρος βλαστᾷ καὶ μηκύνηται ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν αὐτός. NAU and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows-- how, he himself does not know. NET He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. KJV And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. DRA And should sleep, and rise, night and day, and the seed should spring, and grow up whilst he knoweth not. NJB Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. TNIV Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. NLT Night and day, while he's asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. MSG who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows--he has no idea how it happens. Note that βάλῃ in v26 is AOR tense while καθεύδῃ καὶ ἐγείρηται are PRES tense. > He doesn't keep sowing but he does keep sleeping and rising ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν αὐτός. >> Note that the αὐτός could be referring back to the person in v26 (who is the subject of the first 2 verbs in v27) OR to the ὁ σπόρος >> And the seed sprouts and grows, though it itself doesn't know how!

3 28 αὐτομάτη ἡ γῆ καρποφορεῖ, πρῶτον χόρτον εἶτα στάχυν εἶτα πλήρη[ς] σῖτον ἐν τῷ στάχυϊ. NAU "The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. NET By itself the soil produces a crop, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. KJV For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. DRA For the earth of itself bringeth forth fruit, first the blade, then the ear, afterwards the full corn in the ear. NJB Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. TNIV All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. NLT The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. MSG The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain.

4 29 ὅταν δὲ παραδοῖ ὁ καρπός, εὐθὺς ἀποστέλλει τὸ δρέπανον, ὅτι παρέστηκεν ὁ θερισμός. NAU "But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come." NET And when the grain is ripe, he sends in the sickle because the harvest has come." But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come." KJV But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. DRA And when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. NJB And when the crop is ready, at once he starts to reap because the harvest has come.' TNIV As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." NLT And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come." MSG When the grain is fully formed, he reaps--harvest time!

5 Text Critical Matters From Willker's Textual Commentary: NA 27 Mark 4:26 Καὶ ἔλεγεν οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ add αὐτοῖς: 124, 1071 Metzger's Commentary states: 4.28 πλήρη[ς] σῖτον {C} Among the several variant readings, the reading πλήρη σῖτον (a A C 2 L Δ 1 13 ) is the most classical, with σῖτον in apposition to the preceding accusatives, while in colloquial Hellenistic Greek πλήρης is frequently used as an indeclinable adjective (so Bauer- Arndt-Gingrich-Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon, s.v.). In view of the strange confusion of readings among the manuscripts, the Committee considered πλήρης (C* vid Σ 28 al) as probably the true reading, but decided to enclose the final sigma within square brackets in deference to the weight of the witnesses that support πλήρη.

6 Parallel and OT Texts Matthew's parable of the wheat and weeds is not strictly a parallel, but it does occur in the spot where Mark's parable occurs and shares vocabulary with it. Matthew 13:24 Ἄλλην παραβολὴν παρέθηκεν αὐτοῖς λέγων ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ σπείραντι καλὸν σπέρμα ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ αὐτοῦ. 25 ἐν δὲ τῷ καθεύδειν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἦλθεν αὐτοῦ ὁ ἐχθρὸς καὶ ἐπέσπειρεν ζιζάνια ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σίτου καὶ ἀπῆλθεν. 26 ὅτε δὲ ἐβλάστησεν ὁ χόρτος καὶ καρπὸν ἐποίησεν, τότε ἐφάνη καὶ τὰ ζιζάνια. 27 προσελθόντες δὲ οἱ δοῦλοι τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου εἶπον αὐτῷ κύριε, οὐχὶ καλὸν σπέρμα ἔσπειρας ἐν τῷ σῷ ἀγρῷ; πόθεν οὖν ἔχει ζιζάνια; 28 ὁ δὲ ἔφη αὐτοῖς ἐχθρὸς ἄνθρωπος τοῦτο ἐποίησεν. οἱ δὲ δοῦλοι λέγουσιν αὐτῷ θέλεις οὖν ἀπελθόντες συλλέξωμεν αὐτά; 29 ὁ δέ φησιν οὔ, μήποτε συλλέγοντες τὰ ζιζάνια ἐκριζώσητε ἅμα αὐτοῖς τὸν σῖτον. 30 ἄφετε συναυξάνεσθαι ἀμφότερα ἕως τοῦ θερισμοῦ, καὶ ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ θερισμοῦ ἐρῶ τοῖς θερισταῖς συλλέξατε πρῶτον τὰ ζιζάνια καὶ δήσατε αὐτὰ εἰς δέσμας πρὸς τὸ κατακαῦσαι αὐτά, τὸν δὲ σῖτον συναγάγετε εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην μου. Matthew 13:24 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' 28 He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" Another possible parallel is: John 12:24 ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σίτου πεσὼν εἰς τὴν γῆν ἀποθάνῃ, αὐτὸς μόνος μένει ἐὰν δὲ ἀποθάνῃ, πολὺν καρπὸν φέρει. John 12:24 Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

7 Visual Representation Καὶ ἔλεγεν οὕτως ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ καθεύδῃ καὶ ἐγείρηται νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν, καὶ ὁ σπόρος βλαστᾷ καὶ μηκύνηται ὡς οὐκ οἶδεν αὐτός. αὐτομάτη ἡ γῆ καρποφορεῖ, πρῶτον χόρτον εἶτα στάχυν εἶτα πλήρη[ς] σῖτον ἐν τῷ στάχυϊ. ὅταν δὲ παραδοῖ ὁ καρπός, εὐθὺς ἀποστέλλει τὸ δρέπανον, ὅτι παρέστηκεν ὁ θερισμός.

8 Word Study 1) σπόρος, ου, ὁ seed 2) v26: σπόρον noun accusative masculine singular common v27: σπόρος noun nominative masculine singular common 3) lemma used 2x in Mark Exo (0.004%: 1 / 24816) Lev (0.016%: 3 / 19082) Deu (0.004%: 1 / 22990) Job (0.015%: 2 / 13561) Sir (0.005%: 1 / 18424) Amo (0.031%: 1 / 3210) Isa (0.007%: 2 / 27075) Mar (0.018%: 2 / 11304) Luk (0.010%: 2 / 19482) 2Co (0.045%: 2 / 4477) 0 0 4) σπείρω; σπορά, ᾶς, ἡ; σπόριμος, ον; διασπορά, ᾶς, ἡ 5) From Louw-Nida Lexicon (cf for more) 3.35 κόκκος, ου m ; σπέρμα, τος n ; σπόρος, ου m: the kernel part of fruit - 'seed.' κόκκος: σπείρεις... γυμνὸν κόκκον εἰ τύχοι σίτου 'you sow... the bare seed, like that of wheat' 1 Cor σπέρμα: καλὸν σπέρμα ἔσπειρας ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ 'you sowed good seed in your field' Mt σπόρος: καὶ ὁ σπόρος βλαστᾷ 'and the seed sprouts' Mk 4.27 (see also for σπορά 'seed' used figuratively of descendants). A number of languages make distinctions between two quite different types of seed: (1) those produced by grasses (that is to say, grains) and (2) those produced by other types of plants, for example, beans, squash, apples, etc. In all passages employing the Greek terms cited here, it is best to use some expression referring to 'grain.' 6) NAU, AV: seed 7) From Friberg ANLEX: σπόρος, ου, ὁ (1) literally seed (MK 4.26); (2) metaphorically; (a) as God's Word, able to produce spiritual life (LU 8.11); (b) as reciprocal benefits from generosity crop, i.e. results of good deeds, much good brought about (2C 9.10)

9 >>> In 4.26, the literal meaning is the obvious one. 8) NA 9)... 10) From Harper's Bible Dictionary seed. 1 The productive unit of a plant in contrast to trees, i.e., grain (Gen. 1:11, 12, 29; Deut. 11:10; 14:22). 2 Human semen (Lev. 15:16-18; 22:4; Heb. 11:11). 3 Human offspring or descendants in general (Gen. 9:9; Lev. 22:4; Mark 12:19-22). 4 The physical (Gen. 12:7; 17:7) and spiritual (Gal. 3:29; Rom. 4:11-12, 16) descendants of Abraham. 5 Jesus Christ as the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:15-18) and David (2 Tim. 2:8). 6 The divine nature implanted in the believer (1 John 3:9). Jesus used seeds as examples in four of his parables: the seed and weeds (Matt. 13:24-30); the sower, seed, and soils (Matt. 13:3-9); the seed growing secretly (Mark 4:26-29); and the mustard seed (Mark 4:30-32). 1 1 Paul J. Achtemeier et al., Harper's Bible Dictionary (1st ed.; San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985), 921.