Mark 4
4Again Jesus began to teach beside Lake Galilee. The crowd that gathered around 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.G2532G756G3825G1321G3844G2281G2532G4863G4314G846G4183G3793G5620G846G1684G1519G4143G2521G1722G2281G2532G3956G3793G2258G4314G2281G1909G10932He used parables to teach them many things, saying to them:G2532G1321G846G4183G1722G3850G2532G3004G846G1722G846G13223"Listen! Once there was a man who went out to sow grain.G191G2400G1831G4687G46874As he scattered the seed in the field, some of it fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.G2532G1096G1722G4687G3739G3303G4098G3844G3598G2532G4071G3772G2064G2532G2719G846G27195Some of it fell on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The seeds soon sprouted, because the soil wasn't deep.G1161G243G4098G1909G4075G3699G2192G3756G4183G1093G2532G2112G1816G1223G2192G3361G899G10936Then, when the sun came up, it burned the young plants; and because the roots had not grown deep enough, the plants soon dried up.G1161G393G2246G393G2739G2532G1223G2192G3361G4491G35837Some of the seed fell among thorn bushes, which grew up and choked the plants, and they didn't bear grain.G2532G243G4098G1519G173G2532G173G305G2532G4846G846G2532G1325G3756G25908But some seeds fell in good soil, and the plants sprouted, grew, and bore grain: some had thirty grains, others sixty, and others one hundred."G2532G243G4098G1519G2570G1093G2532G1325G2590G305G2532G837G2532G5342G1520G5144G2532G1520G1835G2532G1520G15409And Jesus concluded, "Listen, then, if you have ears!"G2532G3004G846G2192G3775G191G19110When Jesus was alone, some of those who had heard him came to him with the twelve disciples and asked him to explain the parables.G1161G3753G1096G2651G4012G846G4862G1427G2065G846G385011"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,G2532G3004G846G5213G1325G1097G3466G932G2316G1161G1565G1854G3956G1096G1722G385012so 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.' "G2443G991G991G2532G3361G1492G2532G191G191G2532G3361G4920G3379G1994G2532G265G863G84613Then Jesus asked them, "Don't you understand this parable? How, then, will you ever understand any parable?G2532G3004G846G1492G3756G5026G3850G2532G4459G1097G3956G385014The sower sows God's message.G4687G4687G305615Some people are like the seeds that fall along the path; as soon as they hear the message, Satan comes and takes it away.G1161G3778G1526G3844G3598G3699G3056G4687G2532G3752G191G4567G2064G2112G2532G142G3056G4687G1722G846G258816Other people are like the seeds that fall on rocky ground. As soon as they hear the message, they receive it gladly.G2532G3778G1526G3668G4687G1909G4075G3739G3752G191G3056G2112G2983G846G3326G547917But 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.G2532G2192G3756G4491G1722G1438G235G1526G4340G1534G2347G2228G1375G1096G1223G3056G2112G462418Other people are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the ones who hear the message,G2532G3778G1526G1526G4687G1519G173G3778G191G305619but 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.G2532G3308G5127G165G2532G539G4149G2532G1939G4012G3062G1531G4846G3056G2532G1096G17520But other people are like seeds sown in good soil. They hear the message, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred."G2532G3778G1526G4687G1909G2570G1093G3748G191G3056G2532G3858G2532G2592G1520G5144G2532G1520G1835G2532G1520G154021Jesus continued, "Does anyone ever bring in a lamp and put it under a bowl or under the bed? Isn't it put on the lampstand?G2532G3004G846G3385G3088G2064G2443G5087G5259G3426G2228G5259G2825G3756G2443G2007G1909G308722Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be uncovered.G1063G2076G3756G2927G5100G3739G5319G3362G5319G3761G1096G614G235G2443G2064G1519G531823Listen, then, if you have ears!"G1536G2192G3775G191G19124He 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.G2532G3004G846G991G5101G191G1722G3739G3358G3354G3354G5213G2532G5213G191G436925Those who have something will be given more, and those who have nothing will have taken away from them even the little they have."G1063G302G3739G2192G846G1325G2532G3739G2192G3756G575G846G142G2532G3739G219226Jesus went on to say, "The Kingdom of God is like this. A man scatters seed in his field.G2532G3004G3779G2076G932G2316G5613G1437G444G906G4703G1909G109327He 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.G2532G2518G2532G1453G3571G2532G2250G2532G4703G985G2532G3373G846G1492G3756G561328The soil itself makes the plants grow and bear fruit; first the tender stalk appears, then the head, and finally the head full of grain.G1063G1093G2592G844G4412G5528G1534G4719G1534G4134G4621G1722G471929When the grain is ripe, the man starts cutting it with his sickle, because harvest time has come.G1161G3752G2590G3860G2112G649G1407G3754G2326G393630"What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like?" asked Jesus. "What parable shall we use to explain it?G2532G3004G5101G3666G932G2316G2228G1722G4169G3850G3846G84631It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed, the smallest seed in the world, and plants it in the ground.G5613G2848G4615G3739G3752G4687G1909G1093G3398G3956G4690G2076G1909G109332After 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."G2532G3752G4687G305G2532G1096G3187G3956G3001G2532G4160G3173G2798G5620G4071G3772G1410G2681G5259G4639G84633Jesus preached his message to the people, using many other parables like these; he told them as much as they could understand.G2532G4183G5108G3850G2980G3056G846G2531G1410G19134He would not speak to them without using parables, but when he was alone with his disciples, he would explain everything to them.G1161G5565G3850G2980G3756G846G1161G2398G2596G1956G3956G846G310135On the evening of that same day Jesus said to his disciples, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake."G2532G1722G1565G2250G3798G1096G3004G846G1330G1519G400836So 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.G2532G863G3793G3880G846G5613G2258G1722G4143G1161G2258G2532G3326G846G243G414237Suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the waves began to spill over into the boat, so that it was about to fill with water.G2532G1096G3173G2978G417G1161G2949G1911G1519G4143G5620G846G1072G2235G107238Jesus 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?"G2532G846G2258G1909G4403G2518G1909G4344G2532G1326G846G2532G3004G846G1320G3199G4671G3756G3754G62239Jesus 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.G2532G1326G2008G417G2532G2036G2281G4623G5392G2532G417G2869G2532G1096G3173G105540Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?"G2532G2036G846G5101G2075G3779G1169G4459G2192G3756G410241But they were terribly afraid and began to say to one another, "Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"G2532G5399G5401G3173G2532G3004G240G4314G240G5101G686G2076G3778G3754G2532G417G2532G2281G5219G846
Columbus, OH
