Mark 4:37 - Prayer Tents



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Mark 4
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The Story of the Scattered Seed

4He went back to teaching by the sea. A crowd built up to such a great size that he had to get into an offshore boat, using the boat as a pulpit as the people pushed to the water's edge.G2532G756G3825G1321G3844G2281G2532G4863G4314G846G4183G3793G5620G846G1684G1519G4143G2521G1722G2281G2532G3956G3793G2258G4314G2281G1909G1093 2He taught by using stories, many stories.G2532G1321G846G4183G1722G3850G2532G3004G846G1722G846G1322 3"Listen. What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed.G191G2400G1831G4687G4687 4As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road and birds ate it.G2532G1096G1722G4687G3739G3303G4098G3844G3598G2532G4071G3772G2064G2532G2719G846G2719 5Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots,G1161G243G4098G1909G4075G3699G2192G3756G4183G1093G2532G2112G1816G1223G2192G3361G899G1093 6so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly.G1161G393G2246G393G2739G2532G1223G2192G3361G4491G3583 7Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled among the weeds and nothing came of it.G2532G243G4098G1519G173G2532G173G305G2532G4846G846G2532G1325G3756G2590 8Some fell on good earth and came up with a flourish, producing a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams.G2532G243G4098G1519G2570G1093G2532G1325G2590G305G2532G837G2532G5342G1520G5144G2532G1520G1835G2532G1520G1540 9"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"G2532G3004G846G2192G3775G191G191 10When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories.G1161G3753G1096G2651G4012G846G4862G1427G2065G846G3850 11He told them, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can't see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight.G2532G3004G846G5213G1325G1097G3466G932G2316G1161G1565G1854G3956G1096G1722G3850 12These are people— Whose eyes are open but don't see a thing, Whose ears are open but don't understand a word, Who avoid making an about-face and getting forgiven."G2443G991G991G2532G3361G1492G2532G191G191G2532G3361G4920G3379G1994G2532G265G863G846 13He continued, "Do you see how this story works? All my stories work this way.G2532G3004G846G1492G3756G5026G3850G2532G4459G1097G3956G3850 14"The farmer plants the Word.G4687G4687G3056 15Some people are like the seed that falls on the hardened soil of the road. No sooner do they hear the Word than Satan snatches away what has been planted in them.G1161G3778G1526G3844G3598G3699G3056G4687G2532G3752G191G4567G2064G2112G2532G142G3056G4687G1722G846G2588 16"And some are like the seed that lands in the gravel. When they first hear the Word, they respond with great enthusiasm.G2532G3778G1526G3668G4687G1909G4075G3739G3752G191G3056G2112G2983G846G3326G5479 17But there is such shallow soil of character that when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.G2532G2192G3756G4491G1722G1438G235G1526G4340G1534G2347G2228G1375G1096G1223G3056G2112G4624 18"The seed cast in the weeds represents the ones who hear the kingdom newsG2532G3778G1526G1526G4687G1519G173G3778G191G3056 19but are overwhelmed with worries about all the things they have to do and all the things they want to get. The stress strangles what they heard, and nothing comes of it.G2532G3308G5127G165G2532G539G4149G2532G1939G4012G3062G1531G4846G3056G2532G1096G175 20"But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams."G2532G3778G1526G4687G1909G2570G1093G3748G191G3056G2532G3858G2532G2592G1520G5144G2532G1520G1835G2532G1520G1540

Giving, Not Getting

21Jesus went on: "Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don't you put it up on a table or on the mantel?G2532G3004G846G3385G3088G2064G2443G5087G5259G3426G2228G5259G2825G3756G2443G2007G1909G3087 22We're not keeping secrets, we're telling them; we're not hiding things, we're bringing them out into the open.G1063G2076G3756G2927G5100G3739G5319G3362G5319G3761G1096G614G235G2443G2064G1519G5318 23"Are you listening to this? Really listening?G1536G2192G3775G191G191 24"Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way.G2532G3004G846G991G5101G191G1722G3739G3358G3354G3354G5213G2532G5213G191G4369 25Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes."G1063G302G3739G2192G846G1325G2532G3739G2192G3756G575G846G142G2532G3739G2192

Never Without a Story

26Then Jesus said, "God's kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a manG2532G3004G3779G2076G932G2316G5613G1437G444G906G4703G1909G1093 27who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens.G2532G2518G2532G1453G3571G2532G2250G2532G4703G985G2532G3373G846G1492G3756G5613 28The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain.G1063G1093G2592G844G4412G5528G1534G4719G1534G4134G4621G1722G4719 29When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!G1161G3752G2590G3860G2112G649G1407G3754G2326G3936 30"How can we picture God's kingdom? What kind of story can we use?G2532G3004G5101G3666G932G2316G2228G1722G4169G3850G3846G846 31It's like a pine nut. When it lands on the ground it is quite small as seeds go,G5613G2848G4615G3739G3752G4687G1909G1093G3398G3956G4690G2076G1909G1093 32yet once it is planted it grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it."G2532G3752G4687G305G2532G1096G3187G3956G3001G2532G4160G3173G2798G5620G4071G3772G1410G2681G5259G4639G846 33With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity.G2532G4183G5108G3850G2980G3056G846G2531G1410G191 34He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.G1161G5565G3850G2980G3756G846G1161G2398G2596G1956G3956G846G3101

The Wind Ran Out of Breath

35Late that day he said to them, "Let's go across to the other side."G2532G1722G1565G2250G3798G1096G3004G846G1330G1519G4008 36They took him in the boat as he was. Other boats came along.G2532G863G3793G3880G846G5613G2258G1722G4143G1161G2258G2532G3326G846G243G4142 37A huge storm came up. Waves poured into the boat, threatening to sink it.G2532G1096G3173G2978G417G1161G2949G1911G1519G4143G5620G846G1072G2235G1072 38And Jesus was in the stern, head on a pillow, sleeping! They roused him, saying, "Teacher, is it nothing to you that we're going down?"G2532G846G2258G1909G4403G2518G1909G4344G2532G1326G846G2532G3004G846G1320G3199G4671G3756G3754G622 39Awake now, he told the wind to pipe down and said to the sea, "Quiet! Settle down!" The wind ran out of breath; the sea became smooth as glass.G2532G1326G2008G417G2532G2036G2281G4623G5392G2532G417G2869G2532G1096G3173G1055 40Jesus reprimanded the disciples: "Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith at all?"G2532G2036G846G5101G2075G3779G1169G4459G2192G3756G4102 41They were in absolute awe, staggered. "Who is this, anyway?" they asked. "Wind and sea at his beck and call!"G2532G5399G5401G3173G2532G3004G240G4314G240G5101G686G2076G3778G3754G2532G417G2532G2281G5219G846


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
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