Mark 4:13 (NKJV): 13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
There can be no doubt that Jesus expected His disciples to exercise some discernment in understanding this parable, and, that it is a pivotal parable in understanding others. Without reading into the text too much, permit me to explain. As I have already said, parables have a symbolic meaning. But, lest we allow our imaginations to run wild, we must consider that Jesus is always teaching a principle of eternal life, for this is what He came to bring. And so as we shall see in the next several verses, this parable is about those who hear the gospel and what they do with what they hear. Many today interpret the parable differently, and that seems to depend on their theology. Calvinism interprets it one way, while Arminianism interprets it another. But Jesus did not present the parable against a backdrop of a predetermined theological position, He simply spoke the parable and gave the interpretation, and one does not need to be a scholar to understand it. But as we go forward in this gospel, may we remember that we are not allowed to have a private interpretation of the scripture, but must understand it and interpret it the way Jesus intended, regardless of our theological positions.