Mark 4: 26-29 Context

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This paper addresses the historical, cultural, and literary contexts of the New Testament passage Mark 4:26-29. It examines the context of the parable in the time of Christ and the literary context of the passage and the significance of its literary genre. The paper provides context for the interpretation of Mark 4:26-29, and an examination of its meaning relative to teaching regarding the spiritual growth process. It provides approaches to the growth of the Kingdom of God and offers applications from the Biblical text to Christian life and the promotion of Christianity. Mark 4:26-29 illustrates that once the seed of the word of God is sown, people’s faith will grow and develop by the spreading God’s message by the faithful.
Historical Context …show more content…

Traditionally, they were bound to the land and a particular temple for worship. The traditions of the Jews were transforming from a land-based society to a more portable one that follow them to wherever they wandered. As Jesus’ ministry advanced and as crowds gathered to hear his words, he taught them on parables, such as the one examined in this paper. These were short stories from everyday events with a deeper, spiritual meaning. By speaking in parables Jesus prevented his enemies from directly accusing him of false teaching and challenging his ministry. This parable described in Mark 4:26-29 would have offered encouragement to Christians facing persecution from the Romans. They would have been re-assured that God was coming, even though, as the seed is first small. While it may have seemed to the early Christians that change was slow, the parables of Jesus offered hope and encouragement that they were on the right …show more content…

The word “parable” has a many meanings. Its basic definition is “a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle.” It may mean a similarity or resemblance to an illustration. “It may refer to a proverb, riddle, anecdote, fable, or allegory.” Jesus used parables to convert a philosophical concept into a term or story that hos followers would be familiar with. In the Mark 4:26-29 parable, Jesus uses something very familiar to those he preached to and converted it to a real-life story to one of divine