The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-02-11
WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
Jesus Teaching by PARALLELS -Four
Kinds of Hearers
By HIGHT E. MOORE
Sunday, Feb. IL.
NIoL Lin L. on

Sunday, Feb. IL.
Mark 4:1o, 1920.
Golden Text--Hcrein is my Fa-
Their elorified. that yc bear much
fruit; so shall We tc my disciples
John Is IS.
attended by the twelve Apos,
Ties WHOM he had lust chosen
Jesus r1ade his second preaching
tour &C Calilee returning to TIC
city of CaDnrlaur. It was on a
,,rIat DIV Of teaching th"t h" de-
| l;vered his sermon on "The Par
A. les by the Sea" the first o.
which was the Parable Of the
! Sewer OF as implied il our les
son topic. the Parable Of the
-Four finds Of Hearers.
THE TEACHER
The parable waS a method of
Instruction which Jesus now
adopted in the presence Of foe
and friend for the purpose of
concealing truth from the one
and conveying it to the other:
Thus closely are penalty and
privilege associated. A parable
! is not a proverb with its flashing
metaphor, nor fable with its
fictitious elements, nor an allie
CORY with its elaborateness and
variety of application, but rath-
CT a smile limited to the convey
ance Of religious truth. The par
ahles of Jesus were original. Nor
did he adopt them in his ministry
until the autumn of the year %
when his enemies declared him
in league with Bcelzebub. Still
his crowds were growing larger.
Since the house that day was too
small he sought more commodi-
Gus quarters. 1t may have been
but a few rods to the seashore.
Thither Jesus repaired with the
crowds following him. So great
were the throngs that Jesus, at
tended by some or all of the dis
ciples, entered into boat and
pushed off little way. On the
prov we imagine he seated him
self. The multitudes lined the
shore and awaited his instruc-
tons.
THE STORY
The Parable of the Sewer spoken
from the boat to the crowds on
the shore. was a beautiful pic
ture of q familiar scene-a sower
scattering seed broadcast in his
field. Some of the seed fell on
! the hard-trodden path and the
waiting birds swooped down and
ate it. Some fell on rocky ground
where in the thin film of earth
it terminated quickly but could
not stand the heat of the sum-
mer sun. Some fell among bram-
bles which choked it to spindling
stalks and empty heads. And
some fell in prepared soil of
varying fertility with the expec-
tation of commensurate yield.
Had not every hearer seen all
this time and again?
THE INTERPRETATION
The Parable of the Sewer Ex-
planned to the disciples on re-
quest when they were alone en-
abled Jesus to make a model for
the Interpretation of his parallels.
The seed is the word of God. The
sower is any one who designedly
and diligently seatters the good
seed among men. The four kinds
of ground show yividly the four
ways in which men receive and
treat the gospel.
First, the hardened nearer does
not take it in and Satan at once
takes it away.
Second, The superficial nearer
gives it glad but momentary con-
sideration. for the first hot sun
or fierce wind destroys his in
terest.
Third, the preoccupied nearer
assents to its truth, but it is COM
pletely choked by his cares and
cravings for worldly things.
Fourth, the prepared nearer
receives it into the soil of his
heart, deep plowed and fertile
where according to capacity it
reproduces 80, 80 and even a
hundredfold.
HEAR AND HEED THE
WORD OF GOD
First. The Word Is From God.
"Jesus." 1t was he who said, 81