Mark 4
4
Parable of the soils
1Jesus began to teach beside the lake again. Such a large crowd gathered that he climbed into a boat there on the lake. He sat in the boat while the whole crowd was nearby on the shore. 2He said many things to them in parables. While teaching them, he said, 3“Listen to this! A farmer went out to scatter seed. 4As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path; and the birds came and ate it. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. 6When the sun came up, it scorched the plants; and they dried up because they had no roots. 7Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked the seeds, and they produced nothing. 8Other seed fell into good soil and bore fruit. Upon growing and increasing, the seed produced in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of one hundred to one.” 9He said, “Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!”
Jesus explains his parable
10When they were alone, the people around Jesus, along with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. 11He said to them, “The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables. 12This is so that they can look and see but have no insight, and they can hear but not understand. Otherwise, they might turn their lives around and be forgiven.
13“Don’t you understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14The farmer scatters the word. 15This is the meaning of the seed that fell on the path: When the word is scattered and people hear it, right away Satan comes and steals the word that was planted in them. 16Here’s the meaning of the seed that fell on rocky ground: When people hear the word, they immediately receive it joyfully. 17Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. 18Others are like the seed scattered among the thorny plants. These are the ones who have heard the word; 19but the worries of this life, the false appeal of wealth, and the desire for more things break in and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. 20The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it. They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to one, and in another case one hundred to one.”
Parables about lamps and measures
21Jesus said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp in order to put it under a basket or a bed? Shouldn’t it be placed on a lampstand? 22Everything hidden will be revealed, and everything secret will come out into the open. 23Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!”
24He said to them, “Listen carefully! God will evaluate you with the same standard you use to evaluate others. Indeed, you will receive even more. 25Those who have will receive more, but as for those who don’t have, even what they don’t have will be taken away from them.”
More parables about God’s kingdom
26Then Jesus said, “This is what God’s kingdom is like. It’s as though someone scatters seed on the ground, 27then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn’t know how. 28The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. 29Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it’s harvesttime.”
30He continued, “What’s a good image for God’s kingdom? What parable can I use to explain it? 31Consider a mustard seed. When scattered on the ground, it’s the smallest of all the seeds on the earth; 32but when it’s planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all vegetable plants. It produces such large branches that the birds in the sky are able to nest in its shade.”
33With many such parables he continued to give them the word, as much as they were able to hear. 34He spoke to them only in parables, then explained everything to his disciples when he was alone with them.
Jesus stops a storm
35Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” 36They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along.
37Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. 38But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?”
39He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. 40Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?”
41Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”
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Mark 4: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Mark 4
4
Parable of the Sower and Soils
1Again Jesus began to teach beside the sea [of Galilee]. And a very large crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat [anchoring it a short distance out] on the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. [Matt 13:1-15; Luke 8:4-15] 2And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them, 3“Listen! A sower went out to sow seed; 4and as he was sowing, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Other seed fell on rocks where there was not much soil; and immediately a plant sprang up #4:5 In many parts of Israel a layer of limestone lies an inch or so beneath the surface of the ground. This layer traps the moisture, and for a brief period of time a plant growing there may appear to flourish. But as soon as a dry spell comes, the moisture quickly dissipates. Due to the layer of limestone, the plant cannot sink roots and soon withers and dies (v 6).because the soil had no depth. 6And when the sun came up, the plant was scorched; and because it had no root, it dried up and withered away. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8And other seed fell into good soil, and as the plants grew and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times [as much as had been sown].” 9And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words.”
10As soon as He was alone, those who were around Him, together with the twelve [disciples], began asking Him about [the interpretation of] the parables. 11He said to them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you [who have teachable hearts], but those who are outside [the unbelievers, the spiritually blind] get everything in parables, 12so that they will continually look but not see, and they will continually hear but not understand, otherwise they might turn [from their rejection of the truth]and be forgiven.” [Is 6:9, 10; Matt 13:11-15]
Explanation
13Then He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand and grasp the meaning of all the parables? [Matt 13:18-23; Luke 8:11-15] 14The sower sows the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation]. 15These [in the first group] are the ones along the road where the word is sown; but when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16In a similar way these [in the second group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on rocky ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy [but accept it only superficially]; 17and they have no real root in themselves, so they endure only for a little while; then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they [are offended and displeased at being associated with Me and] stumble and fall away. 18And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19but the worries and cares of the world [the distractions of this age with its worldly pleasures], and the deceitfulness [and the false security or glamour] of wealth [or fame], and the passionate desires for all the other things creep in and choke out the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20And those [in the last group] are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation] and accept it and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much [as was sown].”
21He said to them, “A lamp is not brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed, is it? Is it not [brought in] to be put on the lampstand? [Matt 5:15; Luke 8:16; 11:33] 22For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been kept secret, but that it would come to light [that is, things are hidden only temporarily, until the appropriate time comes for them to be known]. [Matt 10:26-33; Luke 12:2-9] 23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words.” 24Then He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By your own standard of measurement [that is, to the extent that you study spiritual truth and apply godly wisdom] it will be measured to you [and you will be given even greater ability to respond]—and more will be given to you besides. 25For #4:25 The person “who has” is one who is receptive to God’s word, while the one “who does not have” is the person who is blind to and has rejected the spiritual truth and godly wisdom already given to him. As a result, even what little he had previously understood about Jesus will no longer be clear to him.whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding] will be given; and whoever does not have [a yearning for truth], even what he has will be taken away from him.” [Matt 13:12; 25:29; Luke 8:18]
Parable of the Seed
26Then He said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who throws seed on the ground; 27and he goes to bed at night and gets up every day, and [in the meantime] the seed sprouts and grows; how [it does this], he does not know. 28The earth produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head [of grain], then the mature grain in the head. 29But when the crop ripens, he immediately puts in the sickle [to reap], because [the time for] the harvest has come.”
Parable of the Mustard Seed
30And He said, “How shall we #4:30 Lit compare.picture the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use to illustrate and explain it? [Matt 13:31, 32; Luke 13:18, 19] 31It is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the ground, even though it is #4:31 In ancient Israel the mustard seed was the smallest known seed, and in rabbinic teaching the mustard seed was used as an example of something very small (in the Talmud).smaller than all the [other] seeds that are [sown] on the soil, 32yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden herbs; and it puts out large branches, so that the birds of the sky are able to make nests and live under its shade.” [Ps 104:12; Ezek 17:23; 31:6]
33With many such parables, Jesus spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear and understand it; 34and He did not say anything to them without [using] a parable; He did, however, explain everything privately to His own disciples.
Jesus Stills the Sea
35On that [same] day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee].” 36So leaving the crowd, they took Him with them, just as He was, in the boat. And other boats were with Him. [Matt 8:23-27; Luke 8:22-25] 37And a #4:37 The Sea of Galilee is famous for its sudden and severe storms, produced by winds that funnel through the passes and canyons of the surrounding hills and create severe turbulence on the water. As experienced fishermen, the disciples knew that this was an almost constant risk in their profession.fierce windstorm began to blow, and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already being swamped. 38But Jesus was in the stern, asleep [with His head] on the [sailor’s leather] cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are about to die?” 39And He got up and [sternly] rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still (muzzled)!” And the wind died down [as if it had grown weary] and there was [at once] a great calm [a perfect peacefulness]. 40Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith and confidence [in Me]?” 41They were filled with great fear, and said to each other, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
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