Exegetical and Theological Issues: Mark 4:10-12
10 As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, 12 so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.” (Mark 4:10-12 NASB95)
This text sits awkwardly in its present context. The previous context is about Jesus teaching the crowd in a boat (4:1-2). Without further explanation, Mark shifts the narrative that takes place in private with those around his twelve disciples (4:10-12), a small group of disciples. Another textual issue that occurs in the passage is the use of the plural form of “parable,” whereas Jesus completes one parable (4:3-9). The placement of the discourse between Jesus and “those around him” also interrupts the sequence of parables.
Jesus was still on the boat in the sea (4:1-2), but he and “those around him” appear to be in a private setting during the discussion (4:10-12). The clarification of the parable occurs again when he is back in the boat in the sea (4:35-36). At this point, Jesus is again in the public setting with his disciples in the boat. Most scholars believe this passage was not an original part of the text. But this inconsistency is more likely due to tradition, as many ascribed the Markan redaction to traditional material.
The question remains whether Mark inserted his independent tradition unit or borrowed from the tradition within the parable collection. If he borrowed it from pre-Markan tradition, where did he discover it, and what qualified him to apply this text there (4:10-12)? His form, the materials within his redaction, and the context show that he found it in tradition. However, there are still some unanswered questions. Why did Mark quote Isaiah 6 here? Is the text about double predestination, where only the elect or insiders are foreordained to hear the message while outsiders’ ears are divinely closed? Some people believe that verse 7:17 supports the idea of double predestination. But what do we do with 12:12 when outsiders also know that the parable was about them? Robert A. Guelich asserts that the text does not refer to “double predestination,” but rather to the persistent rejection of Jesus and his message. [1]
[1] Guelich, Robert A. Mark 1–8:26. Vol. 34 A. Word Biblical Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998.
