Mark 4

The Parable of the Sower

1 Jesus started teaching again by the sea. A huge crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat and sat out on the water while the whole crowd stayed on the shore.

2 He taught them a lot using parables, saying,

3 “Listen, a farmer went out to plant seed.

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

5 Some fell on rocky ground where there was not much soil. It came up quick, but it did not have depth.

6 When the sun came up, it got scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.

7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it out, so it produced nothing.

8 But some seed fell on good soil, it grew, increased, and produced a crop, thirty, sixty, even a hundred times what was planted.”

9 Then He said, “If you got ears to hear, hear.”

The Purpose of Parables

10 When He was alone, those around Him along with the twelve asked Him about the parables.

11 He told them, “You have been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those on the outside, everything comes in parables,

12 so that they may see but not really see, and hear but not understand, otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

13 He said to them, “You do not understand this parable, How are you going to understand any of them,

14 The farmer plants the word.

15 The ones along the path, those are the people who hear the word, but Satan comes immediately and snatches it away.

16 The ones on rocky ground, those are the ones who hear the word and receive it quick with excitement,

17 but they got no root in themselves. They only last for a while. When pressure or persecution comes because of the word, they fall off quick.

18 The ones among thorns, those hear the word,

19 but the worries of life, the pull of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke it out, and it produces nothing.

20 But the ones on good soil, those hear the word, accept it, and produce fruit, thirty, sixty, even a hundred times more.”

A Lamp Under a Basket

21 Then He said to them, “You do not bring a lamp in to hide it under a basket or under a bed. You put it on a stand so it can give light.

22 Nothing hidden stays hidden forever. Everything that is covered will be revealed.

23 If you got ears to hear, hear.”

24 He said, “Pay attention to what you hear. The way you measure things, it will be measured back to you, and even more.

25 Whoever has, more will be given. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 Then He said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.

27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed grows, he does not even know how.

28 The earth produces the crop by itself, first the blade, then the head, then the full grain.

29 And when the crop is ready, he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 Then He said, “What can we compare the kingdom of God to, What story can explain it,

31 It is like a mustard seed, the smallest seed when planted.

32 But once it is planted, it grows and becomes the largest of garden plants, with big branches where birds can come and rest.”

33 With many parables like these, He spoke the word to them as much as they could handle.

34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately He explained everything to His disciples.

Jesus Calms the Storm

35 That day when evening came, He said to them, “Let us cross to the other side.”

36 They left the crowd and took Him along in the boat just as He was. Other boats were with Him.

37 Then a violent storm came up, and waves were crashing into the boat so hard it was filling with water.

38 Jesus was in the back, asleep on a cushion. They woke Him up saying, “Teacher, do You not care that we are about to die?”

39 He got up, spoke to the wind, and said to the sea, “Be quiet. Be still.” The wind stopped, and everything went calm.

40 Then He said to them, “Why are you afraid, You still do not have faith?”

41 They were filled with fear and said to each other, “Who is this, Even the wind and the sea obey Him.”