Many parables

1Once again He began to teach beside the sea. And a large crowd was gathered to Him, so that He got into the boat and sat down, out on the water, while the whole crowd was on the land, at the water's edge.

2Then He began teaching them many things by parables and said to them in His teaching:

Parable of the soils

3“Listen! Yes, a sower went out to sow.

4And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell along the path, and the birds ⁶⁵came and devoured it.

5Some fell on the rocky area where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly because it had no depth of soil.

6But upon the sun's rising it was scorched, and because it had no root it was withered up.

7And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and smothered it, and it yielded no fruit.

8And some fell into the good ground, and coming up and growing it started to produce fruit—yielding thirty times as much, sixty times as much, even a hundred times as much.”

9Then He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

The why of parables

10But when He was alone, those who were around Him, with the twelve, ⁶⁶asked Him about the parable.

11So He said to them: “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the Kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, everything is being given in parables,

12so that: ‘Seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; so that they should not return and their sins be forgiven them.’ ” ⁶⁷

‘The soils’ explained

13Then He said to them: “Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

14The sower sows the Word.

15These are the ones where the Word is sown along the path: as soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the Word that was sown in their hearts. ⁶⁸

16Similarly, these are the ones sown on the rocky area: as soon as they hear the Word they receive it with joy,

17but since they have no root in themselves they are temporary—when oppression or persecution comes because of the Word, they quickly fall away. ⁶⁹

18And these are the ones sown among the thorns: they hear the Word,

19but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the undue desires for other things come in and smother the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20And these are the ones sown on the good ground: such people hear the Word, welcome it and produce fruit—thirty times as much, sixty times as much, even a hundred times as much.”

The candlestick

21Also He said to them: “The lamp is not brought to be put under a box ⁷⁰or under a bed, is it? Is it not to be placed on its stand?

22For there is no ‘hidden’ that may not be exposed, nor has anything been concealed but that it should come to light.

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

24Then He said to them: “Pay attention to what you hear. With the same measure you use it will be measured to you in return; and to you who hear, ⁷¹more will be added.

25Because whoever has, to him more will be given; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” ⁷²

Spontaneous growth

26He also said: “The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter the seed on the ground

27and should sleep and get up night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.

28All by itself the earth produces fruit: first a shoot, then a head of grain, then full grain in the head.

29But as soon as the grain is ready, he sends in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” ⁷³

The mustard seed

30Again He said: “To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or with what sort of parable should we illustrate it?

31It is like a mustard seed, that when it is sown on the ground is the smallest of all such seeds, ⁷⁴

32yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden herbs and produces big branches, so that the birds of the air are able to rest in its shade.” ⁷⁵

33It was with many such parables that He was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

34But apart from a parable He did not speak to them; privately, however, He would explain everything to His disciples.

A supernatural tempest

35On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.”

36Since He was already in the boat, ⁷⁶they took off with Him, leaving the crowd behind (other little boats were also with Him). ⁷⁷

37Well a strong cyclonic wind came up, such that the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling up.

38But He was on the poop deck, sleeping on the cushion; ⁷⁸so they awakened Him and said to Him, “Teacher, don't you care that we are perishing?” ⁷⁹

39Then, having been awakened, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Shut up; be muzzled!” So the wind stopped and there was a complete calm. ⁸⁰

40And He said to them: “Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?” ⁸¹

41They were terrified and started saying to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!?” ⁸²