The Parable of the Sower

1Once again Jesus began to teach by the sea, and a ⁶¹large crowd was gathered around him. So he got into ⁶²the boat and sat in it on the sea, while the entire crowd was beside the sea on the shore.

2Then he taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them,

3“Listen! A sower went out to sow.

4As he sowed, some seed fell ⁶³along the path, and the ⁶⁴birds came and devoured it.

5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up immediately because it had no depth of soil.

6But when the sun rose, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no fruit.

8But ⁶⁵other seed fell into good soil and produced ⁶⁶fruit that grew and increased; some bore thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred times more than what was sown.”

9Then he ⁶⁷said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of Speaking in Parables

10When he was alone with the twelve and the others who were around him, they asked him about the ⁶⁸parable.

11So he said to them, “To you ⁶⁹it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside everything is spoken in parables,

12so that
‘they may see but not perceive,
and hear but not understand,
lest they should turn back and be forgiven ⁷⁰of their sins .’ ”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

13Then he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the other parables?

14The sower sows the word.

15Now some people are like the seed along the path, where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in ⁷¹their hearts.

16⁷²Likewise, some people are like the seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy.

17Yet they have no root in themselves, but are only temporary. When tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, they immediately fall away.

18Others are like the seed sown among the thorns. ⁷³They hear the word,

19but the cares of ⁷⁴this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20But others are like the seed sown on the good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and bear fruit—some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred times more than what was sown.”

A Lamp Under a Basket

21He also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed? Is it not brought in to be set on a lampstand?

22For there is nothing hidden ⁷⁵that will not be made manifest, nor has anything been made secret except to come to light.

23If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24Then he said to them, “Consider what you hear. With the measure you use it will be measured to ⁷⁶you, ⁷⁷and more will be added to you who hear.

25For whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26He also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.

27He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he does not know how.

28⁷⁸For the earth produces a crop by itself: first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head.

29When the crop is ready, the man immediately sends in the sickle, for the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30Then Jesus said, “To what ⁷⁹can we compare the kingdom of God? Or what parable can we use to ⁸⁰describe it?

31It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth.

32Yet when it is sown, it grows and becomes larger than all the garden plants and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky can nest in its shade.”

The Use of Parables

33With many similar parables he spoke the word to them, to the extent that they were able to understand it.

34He did not ⁸¹speak to them without using a parable, but privately he explained everything to his disciples.

Jesus Calms a Storm

35On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us cross over to the other side of the sea.”

36So they left the crowd and took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other ⁸²little boats were also with him.

37Now a great windstorm arose, and the waves were beating against the boat, so that ⁸³it was nearly swamped.

38But Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do yoʋ not care that we are perishing?”

39Then he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” So the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40Then he said to them, “Why are you ⁸⁴so afraid? ⁸⁵How is it that you have no faith?”

41And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”