Mark 4

1Once more he began teaching by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so enormous that he stepped into a boat and sat in it out on the water, while all the people stayed on the shore by the lake. 2He used parables to teach them many things, and as he taught he said to them, 3“Listen! A farmer went out to sow seed. 4As he scattered it, some seed fell beside the path, and birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. It came up quickly, since the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the young plants were scorched, and having no root they dried up. 7Other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew up and choked it, so that it produced no grain. 8But other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew, and produced a crop, yielding thirty, sixty, even a hundred times what was sown.” 9Then he said, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen.”

10When he was by himself, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11He told them, “You have been given the mystery of the kingdom of God. But for those outside, everything comes in parables, 12so that they may look and look but never perceive, and listen and listen but never understand; otherwise they might turn back and be forgiven.”

13Then he said to them, “Do you not see what this parable means? How then will you understand all the others? 14The farmer sows the word. 15Some are like seed sown beside the path. When the word is sown in them and they hear it, Satan comes at once and carries off the word that was planted in them. 16In the same way, others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, they welcome it at once with joy, 17but it takes no root in them, and they last only a short while. Then, when hardship or persecution arises on account of the word, they soon fall away. 18Still others are like seed sown among thorns. They hear the word, 19but worries about this present age, the false promise of wealth, and longing for other things crowd in and smother the word, so that it bears no fruit. 20But others are like seed sown in good soil. These hear the word, welcome it, and bear a crop, thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was sown.”

21He also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be set under a bowl or under a bed? Is it not meant to go on a lampstand? 22For nothing is hidden except to be brought out in the open, and nothing has been kept secret except so that it might come to light. 23If anyone has ears to hear, let that person listen.” 24He also said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. Whatever measure you use, God will use the same for you, and will give you more besides. 25Those who have will be given more, and those who do not have will lose even what they have.”

26He also said, “It is like this with the kingdom of God: a man throws seed on the ground. 27He goes to sleep at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows tall, though he does not know how. 28The earth bears its crop on its own: first the green blade, then the ear, then the ear full of grain. 29And when the grain is ready, he puts in the sickle at once, because harvest time has come.”

30He also said, “What shall we liken the kingdom of God to? What parable shall we set beside it? 31It is like a mustard seed. When it is sown in the ground, it is smaller than every other seed on earth. 32But once it is sown, it shoots up and becomes bigger than all the garden plants. It sends out branches so large that the birds of the sky can settle in its shade.”

33With many parables like these he spoke the word to them, as much as they were able to hear. 34He would say nothing to them without a parable, but in private he made everything plain to his own disciples.

35As evening came on that day, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the far side of the lake.” 36They sent the crowd away and took him along in the boat, since he was already in it. Other boats also went with him. 37A fierce windstorm blew up, and the waves were crashing into the boat, so that it was already filling with water. 38Jesus himself was asleep on the cushion at the back of the boat. They woke him and said, “Teacher, does it mean nothing to you that we are going to die?” 39Jesus woke, rebuked the wind, and commanded the sea, “Silence! Be still!” The wind dropped, and a great calm came over the water. 40Then he asked them, “Why are you so afraid? Is there still no faith in you?” 41Great fear came over them, and they kept saying to one another, “Who is this, then, that wind and sea alike obey him?”