(c)2023 M. Christine Wildman

Marching into Mark Registry,
the collection of these studies
(First 100 days of 2023, day 69, March 10 )

On Facebook, you can join us at Itty Bitty Bible Study Group.

Passage
Mark Chapter Four

It doesn’t matter which version you choose. It can be digital or paper. You can use one of those fancy coloring bibles and do a page or coloring along with the passage.

I will mostly do Holman Christian Standard Bible because of their copyright freedoms.

The Images that I use are from Knowing Jesus and are available as downloads in every format that I can imagine for screen savers and wallpapers.

• Mark 4 (cross reference Matthew 5, 7 and 8, mostly Matthew 13)
  • Mk 4:1-2
    • Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ² He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said:
    • Mk 4:¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?
  • Mk 4:11-12 & 33-34 the reason for parables
    • ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
    • “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
          and ever hearing but never understanding;
      otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’
    • 
    • ³⁴ He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
  •  Mk 4:3-8 and 14-20 The Parable of the sower and interpretation
    • 3 & 14 farmer sows seed – seed is the Word of God.
    • 4 &15 birds steal seed – satan steals word
    • 5-6 & 16-17 rocky places scorched – received with joy, but no root
    • 7 & 18-19  Thorns choke seed – worries of this life choke out  Word of God
    • 8 & 20 good soil, hears, accepts, and does therefore produces fruit.
  • Mk 4:21-23 Lampstand Parable
  • Mk 4:24-25
    • ²⁴ “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. ²⁵ Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
  • Mk 4:26-29Parable of the Growing Seed
    • ²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.
    • ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 
    • ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.
    • ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
  • Mk  4:30-31 Parable of the Mustard seed
    • ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. ³² Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”
  • Mk 4:35-39 Jesus calms the storm – the Prince of Peace
    • 
    • Jesus and a bunch of boats start out to go to the otherside
    • ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
    • ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
    • ³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
  • Mk 4:40-  The rebuke,
    • ⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
  • Mk 4:41 Shock and Awe
    • ⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

For other references and thoughts – Meditating in Matthew 8, and MMM13

A place to see the four gospels compared is from Synoptic Gospel Parallels.

Mindful Meditating

1. choose a verse,
2.  set a timer for 5 minutes, or whatever works for you.
3.  example: Mark 4:39
4. repeat to yourself, and at each word, enunciate the next word in the sentence starting with the first word…

example:

• And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
• PEACE! Be still! and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
• Peace! BE still! and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
• Peace! Be STILL! and the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
• Peace! Be Still! AND the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

and so on.  This will cause you to look at the verse more intently, and may have you memorize it before your five minutes are done.

Songs for Meditation

Peace Be Still – Hope Durst

This is the Kingdom – Elevation Worship

We Declare that the Kingdom of God is Here – Ron Kenoly

Coloring – I use coloring to help me focus on the fullness of a verse.

Mark Coloring page – Ministry to Children – simple enough to finish in an hour or less

Several Jesus Calms the Storms coloring pages – Connect us

Quick Questions – if  you have time, or to think about over the course of the day, and jot down thoughts later.  Some thoughts to dig deeper.

1. How do you think that Mark 4: 26-29 applies to us if we are not farmers?
   1. GotQuestions discusses the growing seed well.
2. How do you react to the storms?
   1. Cry out to Jesus? Forget that He’s there?
   2. Deuteronomy 31 – He will never leave us nor forsake us.
   3. Heb 13:⁵ Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
   4. Matthew 28²⁰ Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

• Got Questions provides a detailed explanation of The Roman’s Road.
• Billy Graham’s version of the Plan of salvation.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,
~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

• Naomi’s Heart Ministries
• Obed’s House Ministries
• The son of a friend will be interning with CRU – previously known as Campus Crusades for Christ. If you’d like to support someone I can vouch for in this area, please consider going to Matthew Plant’s donation page.