Mark 4

The Parable of the Sower

1Once again Jesus began to teach by the sea, and a alarge crowd was gathered around him. So he got into bthe boat and sat in it on the sea, while the entire crowd was beside the sea on the shore. 2Then he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them, 3“Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4As he sowed, some seed fell calong the path, and the dbirds came and devoured it. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up immediately because it had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no fruit. 8But other eseed fell into good soil, and as the seeds grew and increased, they produced fruit and bore fthirty, sixty, or even a hundred times more than what was sown.” 9Then he gsaid, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of Speaking in Parables

10When he was alone with the twelve and the others who were around him, they asked him about the hparable. 11So he said to them, “To you iit has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything is spoken in parables, 12so that

‘they may see but not perceive,

and hear but not understand,

lest they should turn back and be forgiven jof their sins.’ ”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

13Then he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the other parables? 14The sower sows the word. 15Now some people are like the seed along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in ktheir hearts. 16Likewise, some people are like the seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17Yet they have no root in themselves, but are only temporary. When tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, they immediately fall away. 18Others are like the seed sown among the thorns. lThey hear the word, 19but the cares of mthis world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20But others are like the seed sown on the good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and bear nthirty, sixty, or even a hundred times more fruit than was sown.”

A Lamp Under a Basket

21He also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed? Is it not brought in to be set on a lampstand? 22For there is nothing hidden othat will not be made manifest, nor has anything been made secret except to come to light. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24Then he said to them, “Consider what you hear. With the measure you use it will be measured to pyou, qand more will be added to you who hear. 25For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26He also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. 27He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he does not know how. 28rFor the earth produces a crop by itself: first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29When the crop is ready, the man immediately sends in the sickle, for the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30Then Jesus said, “To what scan we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use to tdescribe it? 31It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth. 32Yet when it is sown, it grows and becomes larger than all the garden plants and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.”

The Use of Parables

33With many similar parables he spoke the word to them, to the extent that they were able to understand it. 34He did not uspeak to them without using a parable, but privately he explained everything to vhis disciples.

Jesus Calms a Storm

35On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36So they left the crowd and took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other wlittle boats were also with him. 37Now a great windstorm arose, and the waves were beating against the boat, so that xit was nearly swamped. 38But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do yoʋ not care that we are perishing?” 39Then he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” So the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40Then he said to them, “Why are you yso afraid? zHow is it that you have no faith?” 41And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”