The Parable of the Sower

1Againa He began to teachb by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around Him. So He got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was on the shore facing the sea. 2He taught them many things in parables,c and in His teachingd He said to them: 3“Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow.e 4As he sowed, this occurred: Some seed fell along the path,f and the birds came and ateg it up. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it sprang up right away,h since it didn’t have deep soil. 6When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it didn’t have a root, it withered.i 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce a crop. 8Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop that increasedj 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.”k 9Then He said, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen! ”l

Why Jesus Used Parables

10When He was alone with the Twelve,m those who were around Him asked Him about the parables.n 11He answered them, “The •secreto of the kingdom of Godp has been given to you, but to those outside,q everything comes in parables 12so that

they may look and look,

yet not perceive;

they may listen and listen,

yet not understand;r

otherwise, they might turn back —

and be forgiven.”s,t,u

The Parable of the Sower Explained

13Thenv He said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable?w How then will you understand any of the parables? 14The sower sowsx the word.y 15Thesez are the ones along the pathaa where the word is sown: when they hear, immediately Satanab comes and takes away the wordac sown in them.ad 16And these areae the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy.af 17But they have no root in themselves; they are short-lived. When pressureag or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately •stumble.ah 18Others are sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19but the worriesai of this age,aj the seductionak,al of wealth,am and the desiresan for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.ao 20But the ones sown on good ground are those who hear the word,ap welcome it, and produce a crop:aq 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.”

Using Your Light

21Hear also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed?as Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand?at 22For nothing is concealed except to be revealed,au and nothing hidden except to come to light. 23If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen! ”av 24Then He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measureaw you use,ax,ay it will be measured and addedaz to you. 25For to the one who has, it will be given, and from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”ba

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26“The kingdom of Godbb is like this,” He said. “A man scatters seed on the ground; 27he sleepsbc and risesbd — nightbe and day, and the seed sprouts and grows — he doesn’t know how. 28The soil produces a cropbf by itself — first the blade, then the head, and then the ripe grainbg on the head. 29But as soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle,bh because the harvestbi has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30Andbj He said: “How can we illustrate the kingdom of God,bk or what parablebl can we use to describe it? 31It’s like a mustard seedbm that, when sown in the soil, is smaller than all the seeds on the ground. 32And when sown,bn it comes up and grows taller than all the vegetables,bo and produces large branches, so that the birds of the skybp can nest in its shade.”

Using Parables

33He would speak the wordbq to them with many parablesbr like these, as they were able to understand.bs 34And He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, He would explain everything to His own disciples.bt

Wind and Wave Obey the Master

35Onbu that day, when evening had come, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” 36So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him. 37A fierce windstormbv arose, and the wavesbw were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38But He was in the stern, sleepingbx on the cushion. So they woke Him upby and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die? ”bz

39He got up, rebukedca the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence!cb Be still! ” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful?cc Do you still have no faith? ”

41And they were terrifiedcd and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obeyce Him! ”cf