Mrk Mark, chapter The Gospel According to Mark, chapter 4
Jesus began teaching beside the Sea again. So many people came to listen to him that he climbed into a boat and sat in it on the water while the crowd listened from the shore. Mat 13:1; Luk 8:4He illustrated his teachings using many stories.
“Listen,” he said. “A sower went out to sow. Now as he was scattering the seeds, some fell on the path, and birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on stony ground where there wasn't much earth. In the shallow soil the plants started growing quickly, but because the soil wasn't deep they were scorched when the sun came up. Since they didn't have any real roots, they soon withered. Other seeds fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked the sprouting seeds, so they produced nothing. Other seeds fell on good soil where they sprouted and grew. They produced a harvest of some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred times what was planted. If you have ears to hear, listen to what I'm saying.”
When he was by himself, his twelve disciples and the others who were with him asked him what the illustrations meant.
He told them, “The mystery of God's kingdom has been given to you to understand. But outsiders only have the stories, Mat 11:25; Mat 16:17; 1Co 2:10so that even though they see, they don't really ‘see,’ and even though they hear, they don't understand, otherwise they might turn to me and be forgiven.”4:12. Quoting Isaiah 6:9-10.Isa 6:9; Mat 13:14; Luk 8:10; Jhn 12:40
“Don't you understand this story?” Jesus asked them. “If you can't, how are you going to understand all the other stories?
The sower sows the word.4:14. Word—or “message,” the Word of God that Jesus came to bring. (See also John 1:1.) Mat 13:18; Luk 8:11The seeds on the path where the word is sown illustrate those who hear the message, but then Satan immediately comes along and takes away the word that's been sown in them. Likewise the seeds on the rocky ground illustrate those who hear the word, and happily accept it right away. Isa 42:20; Ezk 33:31; Jhn 5:35But since they have no real roots, they only last for a while until trouble or persecution comes, and then they quickly fall away. Those sown among the thorns illustrate those who hear the word, but worries of this world, the temptation of wealth, and other distractions choke the growth of the word, and it becomes unproductive. Luk 12:15; 1Ti 6:9But the seeds sown on good soil illustrate those who hear the word, accept it, and are productive—producing thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was originally sown.
Who puts a lamp under a bucket, or beneath a bed?” Jesus asked them. “No, you put a lamp up on a lamp-stand. Mat 5:15; Luk 8:16Everything that is hidden will be revealed, and everything that is secret will be brought out into the open. Mat 10:26; Luk 8:17; Luk 12:2If you have ears to hear, listen to what I'm saying! Pay attention to what you're hearing,” he told them, “for you will be given according to how much you want to receive, measure for measure. Mat 7:2; Luk 6:38More will be given to those who already have understanding, but those who don't want to know will have what little understanding they have taken from them.Mat 13:12; Mat 25:29; Luk 8:18; Luk 19:26
God's kingdom is like a man sowing seed in the ground,” Jesus said. “He goes to bed and gets up, day after day, but the man has no knowledge of how the seeds sprout and grow. The earth produces a harvest by itself. First a shoot appears, then the heads of grain, and then the heads of grain ripen. When the grain is ripe, the farmer reaps it with a sickle, because the harvest is ready.4:29. Possibly a reference to Joel 3:13.
What can we compare God's kingdom to? What illustration shall we use?” he asked. Mat 13:31; Luk 13:18“It's like a mustard seed, the tiniest seed of all. But when it's sown it grows into a plant that's larger than other plants. It has branches big enough that birds can roost in its shade.”
Jesus used many of these illustrated stories when he spoke to the people so they would understand as much as they could. Mat 13:34In fact, when he spoke publicly, he only used stories; however in private he explained everything to his disciples.
Later that day, in the evening, he said to his disciples, “Let's go across to the other side of the Sea.” Mat 8:23; Luk 8:22Leaving the crowd behind, the disciples went with Jesus, just as he was, and got into a boat. Other boats went with them. Soon a terrible storm started blowing, and waves crashed against the boat, filling it with water. Jesus was asleep in the stern, resting his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting at him, “Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?”
Jesus woke up. He told the wind to die down and told the waves, “Be quiet! Be still.” The wind stopped, and the water became completely calm. Job 26:12; Psa 89:9“Why are you so frightened?4:40. The word used is for cowards. Haven't you learned to trust me?” he asked them.
They were stunned and terrified.4:41. Although the aspect of fear is usually brought out in translations, the text indicates that they had been frightened previously. Now they were amazed, in awe at what had happened, though no doubt still terrified. They asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”