Mark 4
4
Storytelling Opens Hearts
1Again Yeshua began to teach by the sea. A large crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the crowd was by the sea on the land.
2He began teaching them many things by parables, and in His teaching, He said to them:
3“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to spread some seed.
4It happened that as he sowed, some fell beside the road; and the birds came and ate it up.
5“Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it didn’t have much soil. It sprang up immediately, because the soil wasn’t deep.
6But when the sun came up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7“Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew and choked it, and it yielded no crop.
8“And others fell into the good soil and were producing fruit, springing up and increasing. They yielded a crop, producing thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
9And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10When Yeshua was alone, those around Him with the Twelve started asking Him about the parables.
11And He told them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God. But for those who are outside, everything is in parables, so that
12‘Seeing, they may see and not perceive, and hearing, they may hear and not understand, so they may not turn back and be forgiven.’”
13He said to them, “Don’t you grasp this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables?
14The sower sows the word.
15These are the ones beside the road where the word is sown. Whenever they hear, satan comes quickly and takes away the word that has been sown in them.
16“These are the ones sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy.
17And they have no root in themselves but last only a short while. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they fall away.
18“And others are the ones sown among the thorns. They have heard the word;
19but the worries of the world, the seduction of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20“And those are the ones sown on the good soil. They hear the word and accept it and produce fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
Reaping What You Sow
21He also was saying to them, “Is a lamp put under a basket or a bed? No, shouldn’t it be placed on a lampstand?
22For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, nor anything kept secret except that it would come to light.
23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24Then He continued, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you; and more will be added to you.
25For whoever has, to him more will be given. And whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
What Is the Kingdom of God Like?
26And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like when a man spreads seed on the soil
27and falls asleep at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows. He himself doesn’t know how.
28Automatically, the earth brings forth a crop—first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head.
29But when the grain is ready, at once he sends in the sickle, for the harvest has come.”
30Yeshua also said, “How should we picture the kingdom of God? Or by what story shall we present it?
31It is like a mustard seed when it’s planted in the ground. Though the smallest of all seeds in the earth, yet when planted it grows up and becomes the largest of all the herbs.
32It puts forth big branches, so the birds of the air can nest in its shade.”
33With many such parables He used to tell them the word, as much as they were able to hear.
34But apart from a parable, He wasn’t speaking to them. Yet when they were alone, to His own disciples He would explain everything.
Power Over Nature
35Now on that same day in the evening, He says to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side.”
36After leaving the crowd, they take Him along in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him.
37A great windstorm arises, and the waves were rushing into the boat. The boat was beginning to fill up.
38But Yeshua was in the back of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They wake Him up and say to Him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are perishing?”
39So He woke up and rebuked the wind. And He said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and it became totally calm.
40And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Even now you have no faith?”
41They were struck with awe and said to one another, “Who is this? Even the wind and the sea obey Him!”
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Mark 4
4
The Story of the Scattered Seed
1-2He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water’s edge. He taught by using stories, many stories.
3-8“Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it. Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.
9“Are you listening to this? Really listening?”
10-12When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward a welcome awakening. These are people—
Whose eyes are open but don’t see a thing,
Whose ears are open but don’t understand a word,
Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven.”
13He continued, “Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.
14-15“The farmer plants the Word. Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.
16-17“And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm. But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
18-19“The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom news but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.
20“But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams.”
Giving, Not Getting
21-22Jesus went on: “Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a bucket or beneath the bed? Don’t you put it up on a table or on the mantel? We’re not keeping secrets, we’re telling them; we’re not hiding things, we’re bringing them out into the open.
23“Are you listening to this? Really listening?
24-25“Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.”
Never Without a Story
26-29Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!
30-32“How can we picture God’s kingdom? What kind of story can we use? It’s like an acorn. When it lands on the ground it is quite small as seeds go, yet once it is planted it grows into a huge oak tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it.”
33-34With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.
The Wind Ran Out of Breath
35-38Late that day he said to them, “Let’s go across to the other side.” They took him in the boat as he was. Other boats came along. A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it. And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, “Teacher, is it nothing to you that we’re going down?”
39-40Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, “Quiet! Settle down!” The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass. Jesus reprimanded the disciples: “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith at all?”
41They were in absolute awe, staggered. “Who is this, anyway?” they asked. “Wind and sea at his beck and call!”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.