“1Again
Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so
large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the
people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2He taught them many things
by parables, and in his teaching said: 3“Listen! A farmer went out
to sow his seed. 4As
he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and
ate it up. 5Some
fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly,
because the soil was shallow. 6But
when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they
had no root. 7Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did
not bear grain. 8Still
other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some
multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
9Then
Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10When
he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the
parables. 11He told
them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to
those on the outside everything is said in parables 12so that,
“ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’a ”
13Then
Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you
understand any parable? 14The
farmer sows the word. 15Some
people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they
hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on
rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no
root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of
the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed
sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this
life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and
choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on
good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some
sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.” (Mark 4:1-20) (Holy Bible, New
International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights
reserved worldwide.)
No comments:
Post a Comment