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Scripture Reading: Mark 1:14-18; 4:26; 9:1-8; 10:23-25; Rom. 14:17
It is helpful in our reading of the Gospel of Mark to have an understanding of the situation when the Lord Jesus was on earth. Man’s culture had been in existence for over four thousand years. One aspect of this culture was the religion of the Jews, a strong, typical religion formed according to God’s holy Word. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, the devout Jews were very much attached to this religion.
With this as the background, the Lord Jesus came forth in His ministry to sow Himself as a seed into God’s chosen people. Actually, the Lord Jesus lived and ministered in the center of the world’s population. Both geographically and culturally, the Jewish nation was the center of the inhabited earth. It was to that center that the Lord Jesus came to sow Himself.
Have you ever realized that the Lord Jesus came to the center of the inhabited earth to sow Himself as a seed into God’s chosen people? I do not know of any Christian writings that speak of the Lord’s sowing Himself into people. If you would ask Christians what the Lord Jesus came to do, some would probably reply that He came to save sinners, or that He came to die for our salvation. Of course, the New Testament says that Jesus Christ came to save sinners (1 Tim. 1:15). However, in the Gospel of Mark we see that the Lord Jesus came to preach the gospel of God (1:14).
The phrase “the gospel of God” does not simply mean that the gospel is of God in the sense of belonging to God. The main thought is that the gospel is something of God Himself. In the New Testament, expressions such as the life of God, the love of God, and the righteousness of God mean that life, love, and righteousness are actually God Himself. In the same principle, the expression “the gospel of God” indicates that the gospel is God Himself. Therefore, to preach the gospel of God actually means to preach God.
The gospel preached by the Lord Jesus was the gospel of the kingdom of God. What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is God Himself. Then what is the gospel of the kingdom of God? We may answer this question by saying that the gospel is the kingdom, and the kingdom is God. The gospel, the kingdom, and God are not separate; on the contrary, these three are one.
It is of vital importance for us to see that the gospel, the kingdom, and God are one. The gospel is God, and God is the kingdom. Likewise, the gospel is the kingdom, and the kingdom is God. Therefore, according to the New Testament, the gospel of the kingdom of God actually refers to the very God Himself. Here we have God as the kingdom, and the kingdom as the gospel. What should we be preaching today? We should preach God as the kingdom, and the kingdom of God as the gospel.
We should not think that besides the kingdom of God or in addition to the kingdom of God, there is something called the gospel. No, the gospel is the kingdom of God. Neither should we think that besides God there is something called the kingdom. No, the kingdom is actually God Himself. Hence, the Lord Jesus came to preach the gospel of God, which is the gospel of the kingdom of God. Now we must go on to consider how the Lord Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom of God.
At this point I would like to say, by way of reminder, that when we read the Bible, we should not understand it in a natural way. We should not understand any word in the Scriptures in a natural way. The problem among Christians is that, for the most part, they read the Bible according to their natural understanding. Our need is for spiritual understanding. This was the reason Paul says in Colossians 1:9 that he asked on behalf of the saints that they would be “filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” This was also the reason Paul prayed, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him” (Eph. 1:17). Paul knew that in this Epistle spiritual mysteries would be unveiled, and he knew that he had to use human language. He was concerned that the receivers of this Epistle might understand his writing merely in a natural way according to the letters in black and white. Therefore, Paul prayed that the Father would grant us a spirit of wisdom and revelation. This prayer indicates strongly that we should not try to understand the Bible in letter merely according to our natural mentality.
No doubt, since the Bible is something written, we need a proper understanding of the words written. However, the interpretation of what is written should not be according to our natural understanding. Instead, the interpretation must be according to spiritual wisdom and revelation. In particular, we need a spiritual understanding of how the Lord Jesus preached the gospel.
Mark 1:14 tells us that Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God. According to verse 15, He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe in the gospel!” The Lord’s word here is brief. There is no record in this chapter of a lengthy message given by Him. When He came to Galilee to preach the gospel, He did not say, “You all must realize that you are sinners. You became fallen in Adam. Now you need to repent and believe in Me as the One who has come to die for your sins. If you do not repent and believe, you will go to hell.” In Mark there is not such a message given by the Lord.
Only one chapter in the Gospel of Mark is devoted to the Lord’s preaching, and this is chapter four. Chapter four contains the only message of the Lord Jesus recorded in Mark. He did not give a message in chapters one through three; neither did He give a message in chapters five through sixteen. His one message recorded in Mark was not preached to sinners. Taking a boat as His Holy of Holies, He preached the gospel to His disciples.
What is the central thought of the Lord’s message in Mark 4? The central thought is that the Lord is the Sower sowing Himself into us as a seed. He opened His preaching in chapter four with these words: “Behold, the sower went out to sow.” Later, in 4:26, He said, “So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed on the earth.” Here we have the Lord as the Sower sowing Himself as the seed into God’s chosen people.
Some may question why we say that the Lord Jesus came to sow Himself into people. They may wonder why we do not say that Jesus came to preach the gospel. The reason we emphasize the Lord’s sowing is that the proper understanding of preaching the gospel has been spoiled. Yes, the New Testament says that the Lord Jesus came to preach the gospel. However, He did not preach the gospel according to our understanding of the way the gospel is preached. On the contrary, in Mark 4 we see that the Lord preached the gospel by sowing Himself as a seed into people.
In Mark 1 we are told that the Lord Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of God. But how did He preach the gospel, and what is the gospel the Lord preached? We should not understand either the gospel itself or the preaching of the gospel in a natural way. Concerning this, many Christians are covered by a thick veil of tradition. They take for granted that they know what it means, according to the New Testament, to preach the gospel. As we have seen, chapter four of Mark reveals that to preach the gospel is to sow the seed. As we have pointed out in previous messages, the seed sown in Mark 4 is the seed of the kingdom.
If we want to have a proper understanding of the gospel and of the preaching of the gospel, we need to consider what is revealed in the Gospel of Mark. First, in 1:14 we see that the Lord preached the gospel of God. In verse 15 He spoke of the kingdom of God and the gospel. In Mark there is no further mention of the kingdom until chapter four. We have seen that 4:26 says, “So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed on the earth.” Therefore, in chapter four of Mark we see what the kingdom of God is, and we also see what it means to preach the gospel. According to this chapter, to preach is to sow.
Mark 1:14 and 15 indicate that the kingdom of God is the gospel. In verse 14 the Lord Jesus preached the gospel of God. In verse 15 He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Repent and believe in the gospel!” Hence, the gospel the Lord preached is the kingdom of God that has drawn near, and the kingdom of God that is near is the gospel. Furthermore, to repent and believe in the gospel is actually to repent and believe in the kingdom of God. Therefore, it is correct to say that the kingdom of God is the gospel.
We have pointed out emphatically that, according to Mark, to preach the gospel is to sow the seed. Mark 1:15 says that the kingdom of God has drawn near. But how does the kingdom of God draw near? The kingdom of God draws near through sowing. Apart from the sowing, there is no drawing near of the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God drew near by Jesus’ sowing, and His sowing was His preaching.
I doubt that many evangelists realize that their preaching of the gospel should be a sowing. To preach the gospel is to sow Jesus Christ as a seed into human hearts.
In Mark 1 we have preaching, and in Mark 4 we have sowing. The sowing in chapter four is equal to the preaching in chapter one. Sowing is preaching, and preaching is sowing. Furthermore, the kingdom of God in chapter four is equal to the gospel of God in chapter one. This means that to preach the gospel of God is to sow the seed of the kingdom of God.
The Lord Jesus not only preached the gospel by sowing, but He is also the seed sown. This means that He Himself is the seed of the kingdom. After this seed is sown into us, it develops into a kingdom. If we read the entire fourth chapter of Mark carefully, we shall see that the seed of the kingdom is Jesus and that the development of the seed in the aggregate of the believers is the kingdom. According to Paul’s Epistles, this aggregate is the church.
Paul’s word in Romans 14:17 indicates that the kingdom of God is the church: “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” If we read carefully chapters twelve through fourteen of the book of Romans, we shall see that the kingdom of God in these chapters is actually the church life. In chapter fourteen Paul speaks concerning the receiving of the saints, a matter related to the church life. This indicates that the church life today is the kingdom of God. This kingdom is the development in the believers of the Lord Jesus as the kingdom seed.
Because of the influence of culture and the religion of Judaism in that day, many people cared for religion, ethics, morality, and the improvement of character. Suddenly there appeared the One who came forth to sow Himself into God’s chosen people. As He was about to begin His ministry of sowing, the first thing the Lord Jesus did was to have Himself baptized. When He was baptized, the things of culture and religion were buried with Him. This means that the Lord Jesus terminated culture and religion. After He came out of the waters of baptism, He began to sow Himself into God’s people.
The Lord Jesus sowed Himself as the seed into the “soil” of God’s chosen people. The Lord’s intention was that He as the real wheat would grow in this soil. We may say that the things of culture and religion are “weeds” that are also growing in the soil. Have you ever thought of religion as a weed, as something that grows in competition with Christ as the wheat? Culture, religion, ethics, morality, philosophy, improvement of character — all these are weeds that are competing with the wheat.
Although we may have been Christians for years, we still may not be clear concerning our situation. We need to see that many things other than Christ as the wheat are still growing within us. All these things are weeds, replacements of Christ, and need to be uprooted. Included among these weeds are the ten matters mentioned in the foregoing messages: culture, religion, ethics, morality, human philosophy, improvement of character, and the effort to be spiritual, scriptural, holy, and victorious. These things should not be allowed to replace Christ; instead, they all should be replaced by Christ. As we have pointed out, Christ is the entire, universal replacement. Nevertheless, in our actual living these ten items may become a replacement of Christ within us.
In this message we have seen that the things of culture and religion were terminated when the Lord Jesus was baptized. We have also seen that in His ministry He sowed Himself into God’s people for the development of the kingdom of God. This kingdom fulfills God’s eternal purpose, which is to build up the church for the eternal expression of the Triune God. The kingdom of God is also for our enjoyment. Therefore, the kingdom of God fulfills God’s purpose and also satisfies us with the divine enjoyment. According to the Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus came to the center of the inhabited earth to sow Himself into God’s chosen people in order to develop into a kingdom for God’s purpose and our enjoyment.
