Mark 4
4
The Parable of the Sower
(Mt 13.1–9; Lk 8.4–8)
1 #
Lk 5.1–3
Again Jesus began to teach beside Lake Galilee. The crowd that gathered round him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was out in the water, and the crowd stood on the shore at the water's edge. 2He used parables to teach them many things, saying to them:
3 “Listen! Once there was a man who went out to sow corn. 4As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn't deep. 6Then, when the sun came up, it burnt the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up. 7Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants, and they didn't produce any corn. 8But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants sprouted, grew, and produced corn: some had thirty grains, others sixty, and others 100.”
9And Jesus concluded, “Listen, then, if you have ears!”
The Purpose of the Parables
(Mt 13.10–17; Lk 8.9–10)
10When Jesus was alone, some of those who had heard him came to him with the twelve disciples and asked him to explain the parables. 11“You have been given the secret of the Kingdom of God,” Jesus answered. “But the others, who are on the outside, hear all things by means of parables, 12#Is 6.9–10 (LXX)so that,
‘They may look and look,
yet not see;
they may listen and listen,
yet not understand.
For if they did, they would turn to God,
and he would forgive them.’ ”
Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower
(Mt 13.18–23; Lk 8.11–15)
13Then Jesus asked them, “Don't you understand this parable? How, then, will you ever understand any parable? 14The sower sows God's message. 15Some people are like the seeds that fall along the path; as soon as they hear the message, Satan comes and takes it away. 16Other people are like the seeds that fall on rocky ground. As soon as they hear the message, they receive it gladly. 17But it does not sink deep into them, and they don't last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once. 18Other people are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the ones who hear the message, 19but the worries about this life, the love for riches, and all other kinds of desires crowd in and choke the message, and they don't bear fruit. 20But other people are like the seeds sown in good soil. They hear the message, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some 100.”
A Lamp under a Bowl
(Lk 8.16–18)
21 #
Mt 5.15; Lk 11.33 Jesus continued, “Does anyone ever bring in a lamp and put it under a bowl or under the bed? Doesn't he put it on the lampstand? 22#Mt 10.26; Lk 12.2Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be uncovered. 23Listen, then, if you have ears!”
24 #
Mt 7.2; Lk 6.38 He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear! The same rules you use to judge others will be used by God to judge you — but with even greater severity. 25#Mt 13.12; 25.29; Lk 19.26Those who have something will be given more, and those who have nothing will have taken away from them even the little they have.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26Jesus went on to say, “The Kingdom of God is like this. A man scatters seed in his field. 27He sleeps at night, is up and about during the day, and all the while the seeds are sprouting and growing. Yet he does not know how it happens. 28The soil itself makes the plants grow and bear fruit; first the tender stalk appears, then the ear, and finally the ear full of corn. 29#Joel 3.13When the corn is ripe, the man starts cutting it with his sickle, because harvest time has come.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
(Mt 13.31–32, 34; Lk 13.18–19)
30 “What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like?” asked Jesus. “What parable shall we use to explain it? 31It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed, the smallest seed in the world, and plants it in the ground. 32After a while it grows up and becomes the biggest of all plants. It puts out such large branches that the birds come and make their nests in its shade.”
33Jesus preached his message to the people, using many other parables like these; he told them as much as they could understand. 34He would not speak to them without using parables, but when he was alone with his disciples, he would explain everything to them.
Jesus Calms a Storm
(Mt 8.23–27; Lk 8.22–25)
35On the evening of that same day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” 36So they left the crowd; the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting, and they took him with them. Other boats were there too. 37Suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the waves began to spill over into the boat, so that it was about to fill with water. 38Jesus was in the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The disciples woke him up and said, “Teacher, don't you care that we are about to die?”
39Jesus stood up and commanded the wind, “Be quiet!” and he said to the waves, “Be still!” The wind died down, and there was a great calm. 40Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are you frightened? Have you still no faith?”
41But they were terribly afraid and said to one another, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
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Mark 4: GNBDC
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
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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