Mark 4

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered round him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the water, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge.

He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching he said:

“Listen. A farmer went out to sow his seed.

As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

Some fell on rocky ground, where it didn't have much soil. It came up quickly, because the soil was shallow.

But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so they didn't bear grain.

Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop — some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.

And he told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything comes in parables,

so that they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding — otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.”

And he said to them, “Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?

The farmer sows the word.

Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once take it in with joy.

But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word,

but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it bears nothing.

Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, take it in, and produce a crop — some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

And he said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Don't you put it on a stand?

Because whatever is hidden is meant to be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up is meant to be brought to light.

If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

And he said to them, “Think carefully about what you hear. With the measure you use, it'll be measured to you — and more.

Whoever has will be given more. Whoever doesn't have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

And he said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground.

Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he doesn't know how.

All by itself the soil produces grain — first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head.

As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

And he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?

It's like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.

Yet when it's planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with branches so big that the birds can perch in its shade.”

With many parables like this Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could take in.

He didn't say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let's go over to the other side.”

Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were other boats with him too.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so it was nearly swamped.

Jesus was down the back of the boat, head on a cushion, sound asleep. They woke him and said, “Boss, don't you care that we're about to drown?”

He got up, told the wind off, and said to the waves, “Quiet. Settle down.” Then the wind died away and it was completely calm.

And he said to his disciples, “Why are you so frightened? Have you still got no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him.”