Mark 4:16 Meaning and Explanation
“And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The stony-ground hearers receive the word instantly and with joy.
What Does Mark 4:16 Mean?
Jesus turns to the shallow soil. These hearers are the encouraging ones at first glance: the word comes, and immediately they receive it with gladness. Nothing in the verse is insincere; the joy is real, the welcome is warm, the response is quick.
Yet Jesus places this bright beginning under a quiet warning, for joy at hearing is not yet life. Emotion can greet the word without the will ever yielding to it. Many have wept at a sermon and been unchanged by supper. The verse does not despise glad beginnings; God delights in them. It simply refuses to let a feeling be mistaken for a root. The question the next verse will press is what remains when the gladness meets resistance.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mark 4:16
What does Mark 4:16 mean?
The stony-ground hearers receive the word instantly and with joy.