Through Jesus’ parable and Mark’s illustrations, we are meant to sober up to the reality of affliction for the sake of Christ. We must never be content with an initial joy of the gospel. The true test comes when the waves of woe crash against us from those who seek to shipwreck our faith. Through the furnace of affliction, will your joy for Jesus fade?

Your suffering tells a story. It tells the story of your soul. How you respond to persecution for the sake of Jesus opens the window to your heart, revealing either the presence or the absence of the Savior. This is what Jesus is driving at with the second ground on which the Sower sowed his seeds. In the previous post, we considered the path as the heart whose seeds are stolen by Satan. No root, no fruit, no growth. Mark not only records Jesus’ parable and interpretation, but throughout his Gospel spotlights the grounds with particular people or groups.

The second ground is the rocky ground. Jesus says that these are “the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away” (Mark 4:16-17). Here’s what makes this ground different from the others. There’s an initial joy, but subsequent suffering (i.e., persecution) reveals rootlessness. The pain shows that the seed had never taken root. Three examples from Mark bear this out: 6:20, 8:34-38, and 11:1-11. I will take them in reverse order.

In Mark 11:1-11, our eyes open to the jubilant crowd during our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. At the sight of the Savior riding on a colt, instantly they rejoiced, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (v. 9). The crowd is off to a good start. However, as we read the rest of the chapter, we notice that our Lord has a low view of who actually believes at the time. He illustrates the people’s unbelief through cursing a fig tree, a tree that bears no fruit. Ask Jesus, “What’s the state of Israel right now?” and his short reply is, “No fruit. No faith.” Follow up, “But, Lord, did you not see the crowd surrounding you with praise, ushering you in Jerusalem as King?” Simply, our Sower replies, “No root.” Granted, there was an initial joy, but the events following his triumphal entry display a rootless tree. For the Jews and the civil magistrate will soon persecute the Christ and seek to kill all who call upon his name. Facing persecution, Israel fades away, withering like the fig tree (11:21).

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