1. Same Seed, Different Result
When the winds of change blow, some build walls and others build windmills Chinese Proverb
Same Seed, Different Result
Mark 4:1-20

2. Two roads diverged

3. Two Questions Asked
Why does Mark use this parable as the first recorded teaching in his gospel?
How did the soils come to be different?

4. One Action Taken
Eugene Burnand, The Sower, 1908, charcoal on paper

5. Four Results Achieved

6. One Interesting Development
Parables are told so that not everyone will “get it”
They are a type of riddle that requires perseverance and an explanation
They are part of the separation of old and new; family from family; Israel from Israel

7. Two Questions to Answer
What is the major application of this parable to 1) us as individuals, 2) us as a congregation?
Is it appropriate to spend time conditioning the soil?