Mark 4 and the practical Jesus

 Mark 4 and the practical Jesus

The Parable of the Sower

Note: I study the Bible to also consider whether a specific passage comports to the perhaps 5,000-year-old Sumerian philosophy probably expressed by Hebrew scholars 3,000 years ago in Genesis 1:28, in my paraphrase:  Female& male-human-being can& may, independent of other entities, constrain political chaos in their way of living. Each person can& may develop responsible-human-independence (RHI) before dying. Jesus affirms Genesis 1 in Matthew 19:4.

I think the next Bible canon should include the law codes of Sumer. In other words, an Ancient Testament, the Old Testament, and the New Testament comprise the message human-being can& may consider.

I perceive that the 10,000-year-old Sumer civilization ought to be considered, in order to increase civic-integrity while appreciating responsible pursuits of individual happiness for 2022 and beyond. In other words, an expanded view of history would benefit the United States intentions of 1787.

The way things are, we continue Judeo-Christian squabble that was recorded 2022 years ago covering 1000 years of Middle-eastern war& God competition, with no regard for whatever constrains the consequences of human choice and action. We, the 2022 "ourselves and our Posterity" can stop this tyranny over the-good any moment enough of us perceive self-interest in the-good. We can develop by transparently discussing the ideas Jesus seems to have shared despite alien news-media& fiction writers about the 1-thousand-years before 2 thousand years ago.

Repeating, we belabor 1600 year-old opinion about political philosophies argued between 3200 years ago and 2200 years ago.

Writers represent Jesus as affirming Genesis 1:26-28’s RHI. For example, in Matthew 19:4-6 Jesus illustrates how far Genesis 1:28 should be taken respecting divorce: a man joins to a woman to become one. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus suggests that in God’s image the human-being can perfect their person. How does Mark-4’s Jesus describe developing  (RHI)?

4 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: ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed [PHB]. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the 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 ¹² so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!” [I think representing God to be so cunning is diabolical. I’d caution Mark to watch what he writes about Jesus, too, but it’s too late. I may be wrong. I think every human-being is a candidate to achieve civic-integrity and responsible-human-independence no matter how imperfectly they may now behave. Even Joe Biden and Donald Trump could reform.]

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word [to develop RHI, as suggested by the practical Jesus and Genesis 1:28]. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil [integrity], hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” [Some adults practice, facilitate, and encourage the young into dependency, some exhort performance without sharing comprehension, others don’t share intentions, some encourage crime or worse by example, some children nourish irresponsibility, and some develop the integrity required for RHI. Only the person who comprehends& intends civic-integrity has a chance to practice, facilitate, and encourage RHI to ourselves and our posterity. I think that’s what Jesus shares.]

A Lamp on a Stand

²¹ He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? ²² For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

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.”

[Genesis 1:28 asserts that the human-being can constrain chaos in their way of living.]

The Parable 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.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰ Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 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.” [The individual who practices Genesis 1:28 RHI observes the benefits being mimicked everywhere.]

³³ With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. ³⁴ He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Jesus Calms the Storm

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 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.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

[I recall poetry in Agathon’s speech in Plato’s “Symposium” (385-387 B.C.)

                        . . . the God who

Gives peace on earth and calms the stormy deep,
Who stills the winds and bids the sufferer sleep.

Did Jesus appear to Agathon before Jesus became a man? Did Mark plagiarize Plato?]