Mark 4
4
The Parable of the Sower
1Again#Mt 13:1–15; Lk 8:4–10 he began to teach#Mt 28:20; Ac 4:2; 2Tm 4:11 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 by the sea on the shore. 2He taught them many things in parables,#Mk 12:1 and in his teaching#Mk 11:18; Ac 2:42; 17:19 he said to them, 3“Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow.#Gl 6:7 4As he sowed, some seed fell along the path,#Mk 8:27 and the birds came and devoured#Gl 5:15 it. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly,#Mk 10:52 since the soil wasn’t deep. 6When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.#Mk 3:1 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit. 8Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased#1Pt 2:2 thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.”#Jn 15:5; Col 1:6 9Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”#Is 6:9; Jr 5:21; Ezk 12:2; Mk 8:18; Lk 14:35
Why Jesus Used Parables
10When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve#Mk 11:11 asked him about the parables.#Mk 12:1 11He answered them, “The secret#1Co 2:7 of the kingdom of God#Mk 1:15 has been given to you, but to those outside,#Rm 9:27 everything comes in parables 12so that
they may indeed look,
and yet not perceive;
they may indeed listen,
and yet not understand; #
Mk 7:18
otherwise, they might turn back
and be forgiven.” # 4:12 Other mss read and their sins be forgiven them # 4:12 Is 6:9–10 #
Is 6:9–10
The Parable of the Sower Explained
13Then#Mt 13:18–23; Lk 8:9–15 he said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable?#Mk 12:1 How then will you understand all of the parables? 14The sower sows#Gl 6:7 the word.#Mk 16:20 15Some are like the word sown on the path.#Mk 8:27 When they hear, immediately Satan#Mt 4:10 comes and takes away the word#Lk 6:47 sown in them.#4:15 Other mss read in their hearts 16And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy.#Jn 5:43; 15:11 17But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress#2Co 1:4 or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.#Jn 16:1 18Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19but the worries#1Pt 5:7 of this age,#Lk 16:8; Eph 1:21 the deceitfulness#4:19 Or seduction#Mt 13:22 of wealth,#Mt 13:22; Lk 8:14 and the desires#2Pt 1:4; 2:10 for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.#Rm 1:13; Ti 3:14; Jd 12 20And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word,#Lk 6:47 welcome it, and produce fruit#Col 1:10 thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”
Using Your Light
21He#Lk 8:16–18 also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed?#Lk 5:18 Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand?#Rv 1:12 22For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed,#2Co 4:11 and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.”#Mk 4:9 24And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure#2Co 10:13 you use,#Mt 7:2; Lk 6:38 it will be measured to you — and more will be added#Lk 17:5 to you. 25For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”#Mt 25:29; Lk 19:26
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 “The kingdom of God #
Mk 1:15
is like this,” he said. “A man scatters seed on the ground. 27He sleeps#Mt 9:24 and rises#Mk 5:41 night#Jn 9:4 and day; the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how. 28The soil produces a crop#Col 1:10 by itself — first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain#Lk 16:7 on the head. 29As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle,#Jl 3:13; Rv 14:14–19 because the harvest#Rv 14:15 has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30And#Mt 13:31–35; Lk 13:18–21 he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God,#Mk 1:15 or what parable#Mk 12:1 can we use to describe it? 31It’s like a mustard seed#Mt 17:20; Lk 17:6 that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. 32And when sown,#Gl 6:7 it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants,#Lk 11:42 and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky#Mt 24:35; Lk 12:33; Ac 17:24; Eph 6:9; Rv 21:10 can nest in its shade.”
Using Parables
33He was speaking the word#Lk 6:47; Jn 18:32 to them with many parables#Mk 12:1 like these, as they were able to understand.#Jn 16:12 34He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, he explained everything to his own disciples.#Mt 9:10; Mk 10:10; Lk 6:1; Jn 6:3; Ac 6:1
Wind and Waves Obey Jesus
35On#Mt 8:23–27; Lk 8:22–25 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 in the boat. And other boats were with him. 37A great windstorm#Ps 107:25; Jnh 1:5–6 arose, and the waves#Jd 13 were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. 38He was in the stern, sleeping#Mt 9:24 on the cushion. So they woke him up#Mk 5:41 and said to him, “Teacher! Don’t you care that we’re going to die?” #Jn 6:27
39He got up, rebuked#2Tm 4:2 the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence!#Mt 22:12; Mk 3:4 Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40Then he said to them, “Why are you afraid?#Mt 8:26; Rv 21:8 Do you still have no faith?”
41And they were terrified#4:41 Or were filled with awe#Rv 11:11 and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey#Mk 1:27 him!” #Jnh 1:10,16; Mk 6:50–51
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Mark 4: CSB
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Mark (Mrk) 4
4
1Again Yeshua began to teach by the lake, but the crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the crowd remained on shore at the water’s edge. 2He taught them many things in parables. In the course of his teaching, he said to them: 3“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he sowed, some seed fell alongside the path; and the birds came and ate it up. 5Other seed fell on rocky patches where there was not much soil. It sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow; 6but when the sun rose, the young plants were scorched; and since their roots were not deep, they dried up. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked it; so that it yielded no grain. 8But other seed fell into rich soil and produced grain; it sprouted, and grew, and yielded a crop — thirty, sixty, even a hundred times what was sown.” 9And he concluded, “Whoever has ears to hear with, let him hear!”
10When Yeshua was alone, the people around him with the Twelve asked him about the parables. 11He answered them, “To you the secret of the Kingdom of God has been given; but to those outside, everything is in parables, 12so that
they may be always looking but never seeing;
always listening but never understanding.
Otherwise, they might turn and be forgiven!”
13Then Yeshua said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How will you be able to understand any parable? 14The sower sows the message. 15Those alongside the path where the message is sown are people who no sooner hear it than the Adversary comes and takes away the message sown in them. 16Likewise, those receiving seed on rocky patches are people who hear the message and joyfully accept it at once; 17but they have no root in themselves. So they hold out for a while, but as soon as some trouble or persecution arises on account of the message, they immediately fall away. 18Others are those sown among thorns — they hear the message; 19but the worries of the world, the deceitful glamor of wealth and all the other kinds of desires push in and choke the message; so that it produces nothing. 20But those sown on rich soil hear the message, accept it and bear fruit — thirty, sixty or a hundredfold.”
21He said to them, “A lamp isn’t brought in to be put under a bowl or under the bed, is it? Wouldn’t you put it on a lampstand? 22Indeed, nothing is hidden, except to be disclosed; and nothing is covered up, except to come out into the open. 23Those who have ears to hear with, let them hear!”
24He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you are hearing! The measure with which you measure out will be used to measure to you — and more besides! 25For anyone who has something will be given more; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away.”
26And he said, “The Kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. 27Nights he sleeps, days he’s awake; and meanwhile the seeds sprout and grow — how, he doesn’t know. 28By itself the soil produces a crop — first the stalk, then the head, and finally the full grain in the head. 29But as soon as the crop is ready, the man comes with his sickle, because it’s harvest-time.”
30Yeshua also said, “With what can we compare the Kingdom of God? What illustration should we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which, when planted, is the smallest of all the seeds in the field; 32but after it has been planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all the plants, with such big branches that the birds flying about can build nests in its shade.”
33With many parables like these he spoke the message to them, to the extent that they were capable of hearing it. 34He did not say a thing to them without using a parable; when he was alone with his own talmidim he explained everything to them.
35That day, when evening had come, Yeshua said to them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36So, leaving the crowd behind, they took him just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. 37A furious windstorm arose, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was close to being swamped. 38But he was in the stern on a cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, “Rabbi, doesn’t it matter to you that we’re about to be killed?” 39He awoke, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind subsided, and there was a dead calm. 40He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no trust even now?” 41But they were terrified and asked each other, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the waves obey him?”
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