Four Soils, Four Hearts, Four Responses

As mentioned before, the book of Mark records Jesus' actions more than His words. In fact, 18 of Jesus' miracles are presented, but only 2 lengthy sections are devoted to His teachings. The familiar parable in today's text can sometimes be assumed to be focused on how people respond to the Gospel. However, this is really a lesson about how we respond...or don't respond...to God's words. It isn't about our ears, but our hearts.