Mark

Parable of the Sower

Again, Jesus started teaching by the lake, but such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it on the water, while the crowd stood on the shore.

He taught them many things through parables. In his teaching, he said:

“Listen! The sower went out to sow. 

 As he sowed, some of the seed fell along a path, and the birds came and ate it. 

 Some of the seed fell on rocky ground where there was little soil; it sprouted quickly because it lacked depth; 

 but when the sun rose and burned it, it withered because it had no roots. 

 Another seed fell among thorn bushes, and the thorns grew and choked it; so it didn’t produce any grain. 

But some seed fell on good soil, grew, increased, and yielded grain; some seed produced thirty times as much, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much.” 

He added:

“Listen then, if you have ears.”

Purpose of the Parables

When the crowd dispersed, some of those present with the Twelve asked about the parables.

He answered them:

“The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But for those outside, everything comes in parables,

so, that:

the more they see, they don’t perceive;

the more they hear, they don’t understand;

otherwise they would be converted

and pardoned.”

Explanation of the Parable of the Sower

Jesus said to them:

“Don’t you get this parable? So, how will you understand any of the others?

 What the sower is sowing is the word. 

 Those along the path where the seed fell are people who hear the word, but as soon as they listen to it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

Other people hear the word like rocky ground. As soon as they hear it, they accept it with joy. 

But they have no roots, so it lasts only a short time. No sooner does trouble or persecution come because of the word than they fall away. 

Others receive the seed as seed among thorns. After hearing the word, 

they get caught up in the worries of this life, false hopes of riches, and other desires. All of these come in and choke the word so that it finally produces nothing. 

And there are others who receive the word as good soil. They hear the word, take it to heart, and produce: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred times as much.”

Various Sayings

He said to them:

“When the light comes, is it placed under a basket or a bed? Surely, it is put on a lampstand.

Whatever is hidden will be revealed, and whatever is kept secret will be brought into the open. 

Listen, then, if you have ears!”

And he also said to them:

“Pay attention to what you hear. In the measure you give, so shall you receive, and even more will be given to you.

For to the one who produces something, more will be given; and from him who does not produce anything, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Parable of the Vitality of the Seed

He said:

“In the kingdom of God, it’s like this: a man plants seeds in the soil.

Whether he is asleep or awake, day or night, the seeds sprout and grow; he does not know how. 

The soil produces on its own: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 

When it is ready for harvest, they pull out the sickle to cut it—because the harvest time has come.”

Parable of the Mustard Seed

He said:

“What is the kingdom of God like? To what shall we compare it?

 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown, is the smallest of all the seeds scattered upon the soil. 

 But once sown, it grows up and becomes the largest of the plants in the garden; and it even grows branches so big that the birds of the air can take shelter in its shade.”

Use of Parables

Jesus used many such stories to communicate the word in a way they could understand.

He would not teach them without parables, but privately, to his disciples, he explained everything.

Calming a Storm

Later that day, as evening approached, Jesus told them:

“Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.”

They left the crowd and took him along in the boat he was sitting in, while other boats set out with him. 

Then a storm gathered, and it started to blow fiercely. The waves spilled into the boat, quickly filling it with water. 

Jesus was sleeping on a cushion in the stern.

They woke him up and said:

“Master, don’t you care if we drown?”

And rising up, Jesus rebuked the wind and ordered the sea:

“Quiet now! Be still!”

The wind dropped, and there was a great calm.

Then Jesus said to them: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still lack faith?”

But they were terrified and said to one another:

“Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”