Story of a Farmer Planting Seeds
1Once again, Jesus went to the lake [1] and drew a crowd. He started to teach them. The crowd got so big that he slipped into a boat and sat there on the lake teaching, while the people listened from along the shoreline.2Jesus taught the people a lot by using stories known as parables. [2] He told the crowd, 3“I want you to hear this. A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4As he threw the seeds in the air to scatter them onto the field, some seeds fell on the hard-packed path that people walk on. Birds swooped down and scooped them up.
5“Some seeds fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much dirt. The seeds sprang up quickly. 6But the sun scorched the plant because it didn’t have a good root system for drawing moisture. So the plant withered away and died.
7“Other seeds fell into briar patches. Thorns grew up around them and choked them to death. Those seeds didn’t produce any grain. 8Some of the seed, however, fell into good dirt. Those seeds grew, sprouted, and produced 30, 60, and even 100 times more than was planted.” 9Then Jesus told the people, “If you’ve got ears, you need to be hearing what I’m saying.”
Jesus Tells Secrets
10When Jesus was alone with his 12 disciples, they asked him why he was teaching with parables. 11Jesus told them, “You are getting in on some of the secrets about God’s kingdom. But when I talk to everyone else, I use parables. 12Here’s why.
“‘They’ll look, but they won’t see a thing.
They’ll listen hard, but they won’t get it.
If they could see and understand,
they would turn their lives around,
and find God willing to forgive them.’” [3]
Jesus Explains Farmer Parable
13Jesus asked his disciples, “Really? You don’t understand this parable? If you can’t understand this one, how are you going to understand the others? 14The farmer is spreading God’s word.15“Seeds that fall on the path represent the message that Satan quickly swoops in and snatches away. 16Seeds that land in the rocks represent the message getting a warm and joyful reception. 17But the message doesn’t survive long enough to produce healthy roots. When the storms of life blow in, the seeds blow away.
18“Seeds thrown into the thorns represent the message finding a landing place. 19But the message gets choked out by all the stuff going on in life: the lying that it takes to get rich, and the obsessive greed for more and more. The message dies. 20The seeds that land on rich dirt is the message getting heard and believed. These seeds produce an incredible harvest of 30, 60, and even 100 times more than what was planted.”
Parable of Light That Shines on Secrets
21Jesus also told the story, “When you light up a lamp, you don’t cover it with a bucket or hide it under a bed, do you? You set it up high on a lampstand, right? 22Well, I want you to know that the light is coming and it’s going to shine on every secret hidden in the darkness. 23If you’ve got ears, you need to be hearing what I’m saying.” 24Jesus said, “Listen up and pay attention. The gauge you use to size up others is the gauge that will be used to size you up and down. The more gracious you are, the more grace you’ll get. 25If you’ve got a lot, you’re going to be given even more. And if you don’t have much, what little you do have will be taken away.” [4]Parable of Mystery Seed
26Jesus said, “Here’s what God’s kingdom is like. A man plants seeds in the ground. 27Then he goes about his routine, going to bed at night and getting up in the day. The seed eventually sprouts up out of the ground and grows. The farmer has no idea how it works. 28As far as the farmer can tell, the dirt produces this crop all by itself. The stalk comes first. Then the head. Grain eventually fills in the head of each stalk. 29When the farmer sees that the grain is ripe, he goes after it with a sickle. He knows it’s time to harvest the crop.”Parable of Tiny Mustard Seed
30Then Jesus said, “How can I help you see what God’s kingdom is like? What story can I use to help you understand? 31It’s like a tiny mustard seed that gets thrown on the ground. This is the smallest seed of all. 32But when it’s full grown, it’s taller than all of our garden plants. It pops out branches big enough for birds to find shade, and even nest.”Jesus Loves to Tell Stories
33Jesus used many stories like these to deliver his message to the people. Stories like this helped them understand what Jesus was saying. 34Jesus was so fond of using these parables that he never spoke to the people without telling them a story. When he met with his disciples privately, he made sure they understood what the parables meant.Jesus Does Something about the Weather
35Here’s what happened after Jesus told these parables. When evening came, he told his disciples, “Let’s go to the other side of the lake.” 36Jesus and the disciples left the crowd behind, and they got into the boat. Other boats followed along as part of the entourage. 37Suddenly a windstorm swooped down on the lake. High waves caused the boat to start taking on water and filling.38Meanwhile, Jesus slept on a cushion in the back of the boat. The disciples woke him and said, “Teacher, we’re going to die. Don’t you care?”
39Jesus got up and talked to the wind and the waves. He said, “Quiet. Calm down.” The wind and the waves did as they were told, and a great hush fell upon the lake. 40Jesus turned to his disciples and said, “Why are you so scared? Don’t you have any faith yet?”
41The disciples were terrified by what they had just seen. They asked each other, “Who in the world is this man? He gives orders to the wind and the water, and they actually obey him.”
