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Commentary on the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. Mark – Chapter 4

St. Mark, the disciple and interpreter of St. Peter (as noted by St. Jerome.) according to what he heard from St. Peter himself, wrote at Rome a brief Gospel at the request of the Brethren (fellow Christians), about ten years after our Lord's Ascension; which when St. Peter had heard, he approved of it, and with his authority he published it to the Church to be read. Baronius and others maintain, that the original was written in Latin: but the more general opinion is that the Evangelist wrote it in Greek.

First, Christ tells parables: first, about the sower; second (v. 21), about the lamp placed upon the lampstand; third (v. 26), about the seed; fourth (v. 31), about the mustard seed. Second (v. 37), while He is sleeping a storm arises at sea; awakened by His disciples, He commands the winds and the sea and calms the storm.

And again he began to teach by the sea side; and a great multitude was gathered together unto him, so that he went up into a ship, and sat in the sea; and all the multitude was upon the land by the sea side. 2 And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his doctrine: 3 Hear ye: Behold, the sower went out to sow. 4 And whilst he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate it up. 5 And other some fell upon stony ground, where it had not much earth; and it shot up immediately, because it had no depth of earth. 6 And when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And some fell upon good ground; and brought forth fruit that grew up, and increased and yielded, one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred. 9 And he said: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10 And when he was alone, the twelve that were with him asked him the parable. 11 And he said to them: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but to them that are without, all things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand: lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. 13 And he saith to them: Are you ignorant of this parable? And how shall you know all parables? 14 He that soweth, soweth the word. 15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown, and as soon as they have heard, immediately Satan cometh and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 And these likewise are they that are sown on the stony ground: who when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but are only for a time: and then when tribulation and persecution ariseth for the word they are presently scandalized. 18 And others there are who are sown among thorns: these are they that hear the word, 19 And the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts after other things entering in choke the word, and it is made fruitless. 20 And these are they who are sown upon the good ground, who hear the word, and receive it, and yield fruit, the one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred. 21 And he said to them: Doth a candle come in to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? And not to be set on a candlestick? 22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be made manifest: neither was it made secret, but that it may come abroad. 23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. 24 And he said to them: Take heed what you hear. In what measure you shall mete, it shall be measured to you again, and more shall be given to you.

25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, that also which he hath shall be taken away from him. 26 And he said: So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the earth, 27 And should sleep, and rise, night and day, and the seed should spring, and grow up whilst he knoweth not. 28 For the earth of itself bringeth forth fruit, first the blade, then the ear, afterwards the full corn in the ear. 29 And when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come. 30 And he said: To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or to what parable shall we compare it? 31 It is as a grain of mustard seed: which when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that are in the earth: 32 And when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the birds of the air may dwell under the shadow thereof. 33 And with many such parables, he spoke to them the word, according as they were able to hear. 34 And without parable he did not speak unto them; but apart, he explained all things to his disciples. 35 And he saith to them that day, when evening was come: Let us pass over to the other side. 36 And sending away the multitude, they take him even as he was in the ship: and there were other ships with him. 37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that the ship was filled. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, sleeping upon a pillow; and they awake him, and say to him: Master, doth it not concern thee that we perish? 39 And rising up, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea: Peace, be still. And the wind ceased: and there was made a great calm. 40 And he said to them: Why are you fearful? Have you not faith yet? And they feared exceedingly: and they said one to another: Who is this (thinkest thou) that both wind and sea obey him?

Commentary: Saint Mark - Chapter 4

Verse 10. And when he was alone. In Greek καταµόνας, the Vulgate, singularis, i.e., “solitary, by Himself”. The Arabic translates it “alone, away from the crowd”; Syriac, “when He was alone.” Thus the idea of alone and “separated from others” is expressed in Latin by the word singulus, derived from sine angulo, “without angle,” because things that are solitary and alone cannot constitute an angle. From the word singulus then comes singularis, meaning solitary and alone. Hence Cicero says (Academ. quaest. lib. 4), “I omit Aristotle, who in philosophy is almost singular [without peer].” Compare Cæsar(lib. 4 de Bello Gallico): “When they saw individuals [singulares] coming (alone) off the boat, they attacked those who were hindered by baggage on horses at full gallop.” Hence, too, the psalm verse, For thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope (Ps. 4:10).

The twelve that were with him (Jesus) asked him. The Greek, Syriac and Arabic have “with the “twelve,” meaning that the seventy disciples, who, with the twelve Apostles, were followers of Jesus, asked Him what was the meaning of the parable of the sower and the seed. Thus Euthymius.

Verse 21. Doth a candle come in (i.e., is it brought into a house or a room), to be put under a bushel or under a bed? That it should be hidden under a vessel? No! but that it should be set out in public, and give light to all. By this parable Christ signified that it was not His will that the mysteries of this parable and the other doctrines of the gospel should be concealed and hidden, but rather that His disciples should unfold them at the proper time, and communicate them to others who at that time were not yet able to receive them. It was His will that they should not keep them secret, but rather publish and preach them openly. Thus S. Jerome, S. Bede, and others, and this is plain from what follows.

Verse 22. For there is nothing hid, which shall not be made manifest (Latin,manifestetur, a categorical use of the subjunctive): neither was it made secret, but that it may come abroad. This is the Greek and Latin reading. “Although the doctrine of the gospel and My deeds and words are as yet hidden and secret, I do not wish them always to remain so. At the opportune time they must be openly proclaimed by you, O My disciples, and presented and preached to all.” So SS. Jerome and Bede. This is what Christ says in Matthew 10:27, That which I tell you in the dark, speak ye in the light: and that which you hear in the ear, preach ye upon the housetops.

Verse 24. And he said to them: take heed what you hear. The meaning, says Euthymius, is, “Attend to the things which ye hear of Me, that ye may understand them, and commit them to memory, that when the proper time shall arrive ye may put them into practice and communicate them to others.” And He gives the reason: “That none of My words may escape you,” says Theophylact. Hear Bede, “He teaches us carefully to hear His words, in such manner that we should carefully digest them in our hearts, and be able to bring them forth for the hearing of others.”

In what measure you shall mete, it shall be measured to you again, and more shall be given to you. Meaning: If you widely and abundantly communicate and preach My doctrine to others, I also will abundantly impart to you far more understanding and greater wisdom, grace and glory, as a recompense and reward to you. Thus fountains, the more they pour out above, the more they receive from below.” Therefore, let teachers, catechists, preachers, etc. learn from this saying and promise of Christ, that the more pains they bestow in teaching others, the more grace and wisdom they will receive from Christ themselves, according to the words, He who soweth sparingly shall also reap sparingly: and he who soweth in blessings, i.e., bountifully, shall also reap in blessings (2 Cor. 9:6). (See commentary.)

Verse 25. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, that also which he hath shall be taken away from him. Hath, that is, “uses,” and shows that he hath by using. For such a one hath indeed, but he who useth not a gift or grace hath it but in name only. This is what theologians say, that he who uses his grace hath it in a second act; but he who uses it not hath it only in the first act, that is, in power and possession. (See commentary on Matth. 13:12 and Matth. 25:29.) The meaning, therefore, is, to him who uses learning given him by God, by study or by imparting it to others, an increase of learning shall be given; but from him who uses not his learning, shall God take it away, as something idle and useless. For Christ here is urging the Apostles to preach the gospel diligently and fervently, promising them, if they do so, a greater influx of His wisdom and grace.

Verse 26. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the earth. This is another parable, different from that of the sower, which precedes it (v. 3). Both, however, are derived from seed, but differently applied and explained. Moreover, by the seed, as S. Chrysostom, S. Bede and the Scholiast in Jerome’s works rightly explain, both here and in chapter 13 of Matthew, is signified evangelical doctrine; by the field, hearers; by the harvest is meant the end of the world or each one’s death.

Verse 27. And should sleep (that is to say, the man who sowed), and rise, night and day, and the seed should spring, and grow up whilst he knoweth not. Some refer the words rise night and day to the seed, so that Christ, by way of explanation, would go on to say and (they understand the word and here to be διηγητικὸν [having a narrative sense], explaining what went before; they think that it can be taken to mean “that is”), the seed should spring, and grow up whilst he knoweth not, “he,” meaning the sleeping man.

According to this reading, the seed cast upon the ground by the farmer sprouts and grows continuously, night and day, and even while the farmer is not thinking about it, but is resting and sleeping. Thus Bede, the Scholiast in S. Jerome and the Gloss.

More obviously, S. Chrysostom, Theophylact, Euthymius, Maldonatus, Franz Lucas, and others refer the words, rise, night and day, to the sower, and not to the seed, so that night pertains to the word sleep, day to the word rise. According to this interpretation: As the farmer who has sowed is sleeping idly in the night and, having risen, is employed in various occupations during the day, and thinks not about the seed and the field, nevertheless that seed is germinating by its own innate force, and is growing up whilst the husbandman knoweth it not. So also it puts forth first the blade, then the ear, and then the full corn in the ear. So it is likewise with the doctrine and preaching of the gospel. They were sown by Christ and His Apostles, that is, they were preached from small beginnings. But continuously, by degrees, they grew insensibly into the mature and mighty harvests of the faithful, while Christ was, as it were, unaware and sleeping in heaven, in that He permits the Jews and unbelieving nations and tyrants to rise up against His Apostles and the gospel, and persecute and kill them. It increases, I say, and propagates itself gradually, until it fills the world, when, the harvest being ripe, the corn, that is, the elect, shall be gathered into the granary of heaven, which shall take place at the end of the world on the day of judgment.

By this parable, then, is signified the power of the gospel, which by degrees has pervaded the whole world, and is converting it to itself and to Christ. Tacitly, also, it signifies that apostles and preachers of the gospel must not glory in their preaching, as though they were converting the world by it. For, as the Apostle saith, “Neither he that planteth is anything, nor he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase (1 Cor. 3:7). On the other hand, Christ intimates that preachers ought not to be downcast if they see small and tardy fruits of their preaching, because God will, by the few converted by them, gradually convert many more. So S. James, by means of seven, or, as some say, by nine, whom he converted to Christianity in Spain, converted the whole country.

Verse 28. For the earth of itself bringeth forth fruit; first the blade, then the ear, afterward the full corn in the ear. Arabic, Because the earth alone bringeth forth fruit, first the blade, and after that the ear; then the ear is filled, and when the fruit is perfect, then the sickle is applied, because it is harvest.” So likewise, by the preaching of the gospel, the Faith of Christ and His Church grew by various degrees of increase—grew, I say, both in virtues and also in its propagation throughout all regions.

Morally, expositors adapt these three expressions, blade, ear, full corn, to a three-fold increment of virtues and merits. For the earth of our heart germinates, firstly, the blade, when it conceives and begins good desires and good works within it; secondly, the ear, when it proceeds to earnest working; thirdly, the grain, when it brings its works and virtues and merits to full maturity and perfection. Thus Theophylact says, “The blade is the beginning of good; the ear is when we resist temptations; the fruit is perfect work.”

Listen to S. Gregory (hom. 15 in Ezech. and lib. 22 Moral. cap. 14), “To produce the blade is to hold the first tender beginning of good. The blade develops an ear when virtue conceived in the mind leads to proficiency in good works. The full corn fructifies in the ear when virtue becomes so proficient that it is capable of strong and perfect work.” Therefore, it is not enough for salvation, says Victor of Antioch, that we “put forth leaves by obedience, but [we must] also learn a manly fortitude and, like the stalks of corn, remain upright without minding the winds which blow us about. We must also take heed to our soul by a diligent recollection, that, like the ears, we may bear fruit, that is, show forth the perfect operation of virtue.” Christ here intimates that the Apostles, and those who work for the conversion of souls, ought to await with long-suffering the fruit and harvest of their labors, as farmers do. They ought to cherish those who are tender in the faith, and gradually lead them on to the height of virtue by teaching, admonishing and exercising them. “Let no one, therefore,” says Bede, “who is regarded as being of good purpose in the tenderness of his mind, be despised, because the fruit takes its rise from the blade, and becomes corn. Symbolically, the Scholiast in S. Chrysostom says, “The blade was in the law of nature, the ear in the law of Moses, the fruit in the gospel.”

Verse 29. And when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle. In Greek ὅταν δὲ παραδῷ ὁ καρπὸς, that is, “when indeed the fruit has brought itself forth” or when the fruit shall be produced; for fruit is here in the nominative case. Hence some translate, “when the fruit shall have come forth.” Euthymius: “when it has matured.” The Syriac has, “when it has become fat”; Arabic, “when it is perfect.” This is a Hebraism, for in Hebrew, verbs in the conjugation Hitpael have a passive meaning, or a reflex action, by which the agent receives the action in himself, so that the agent is the same as the recipient of the action. Hence some codices read, “when the fruit has produced itself.” Maldonatus explains it differently, “When the fruit, that is, the seed itself, which was the fruit of former seed, shall have brought forth, that is to say, other seed from itself.”

Verse 33. And with many such parables He spoke to them the word, according as they were able to hear. That is, insofar as they were worthy to hear, as Maldonatus says, citing Bede, Euthymius and Clement of Alexandria (lib. 1 Strom.). According to this reading, Christ spoke clearly, without parables, to the Apostles, who wanted to understand and believe, so that they might understand more and more; but to the scribes and the Jews who did not want to believe and understand, He spoke somewhat obscurely and parabolically, so that, even if they wanted, they nevertheless could not understand. More simply and plainly, Theophylact and Franz Lucas (in loco), as well as S. Chrysostom (in Matth. hom. 45) explain that Christ spoke with such, i.e., common and easy parables, which all could understand, not with abstruse examples unknown to the crowd; so that they might take in their substance, and perceive that there was something heavenly and divine lying beneath the surface, although they did not comprehend each particular. Nevertheless, by what was known of the parable they were inspired and encouraged by Christ to investigate and search out the unknown thing that lay hidden beneath it.

Verse 36. Even as he was in the ship. Meaning: The disciples took up Christ upon the deep sea, that they might cross over it with Him; Christ, I say, as He was in the ship, namely, sitting and teaching the people standing on the shore. This is plain from verse 1, for afterward (v. 38) it appears that He changed His position, sleeping in the ship. It marks the ready obedience of the disciples, and in turn Christ’s easy accommodation of Himself to their promptitude, so as to avoid the tumult of the thronging multitude. Franz Lucas interprets somewhat differently: Even as he was in the ship, he says, means “before anyone got off the ship where He was.” Hence the Syriac translates “when he was in the ship,” and the Arabic, “they took him aboard the ship.”

And there were other ships with him. It happened by the counsel of God that the many persons who were carried in those ships should be spectators and witnesses of the miracle very shortly to be wrought by Christ, namely, the calming of the tempest.

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Quote/s of the Day – 25 April – St Mark Evangelist “For the Son of Man came not to be servedbut to serve and to give His Lifeas a ransom for many …” Mark 10:45 “Go into the whole worldand preach the Gospelto every creature.”Mark 16:15 “You have heard what the Lord saidto His disciples after the Resurrection.He sent them out to preach the Gospeland they did so.Listen: “Through all the earth…

Trg Svetog Marka, Zagreb, February, 2019