1 ARST Sometime later, Jesus again started to instruct people while he was next to the Sea of Galilee. A very large group of people assembled to hear him. Because{ there were so many people}, he got into a boat on the sea and sat down{ to teach}. All the people stood on the shore, by the water. BSB BSB: Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.
2 ARST Jesus began to use stories to instruct them about many things. As he was instructing them, he said, BSB BSB: And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said,
3 ARST “Listen to this: a farmer began to plant some grain seeds BSB BSB: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4 ARST As he was scattering them over the soil, some of the seeds fell on the path. Then some birds flew down and ate those seeds up. BSB BSB: And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
5 ARST Other seeds fell on shallow soil on top of a layer of rocks. Because they were growing in shallow soil, the seeds sprouted very quickly. BSB BSB: Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.
6 ARST Then, the sun shone on the new plants and dried them up. Then, because they did not have good roots, the plants died. BSB BSB: But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7 ARST Other seeds fell onto an area full of thorny plants. These thorny plants grew quickly and crowded out the grain plants. So, the grain plants did not produce a crop. BSB BSB: Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.
8 ARST Finally, other seeds fell on fertile soil. They grew quickly, and they produced a crop. Some plants produced 30{ grains of wheat each}, others produced 60{ grains each}, and others produced 100{ grains each}.” BSB BSB: Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”
9 ARST Then Jesus told them,“You should think carefully about what you just heard me say!” BSB BSB: Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10 ARST Later, when no one else was with them, Jesus’ 12 representatives and some other apprentices asked Jesus to explain the stories he had told. BSB BSB: As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.
11 ARST He replied,“God has revealed to you hidden things about his kingdom. However, I use only stories to instruct people who are not my apprentices. BSB BSB: He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables,
12 ARST That way,{ just as you can read in the Scriptures,}‘They will look at things, but they will not really see them. They will hear things, but they will not learn from them. Otherwise, they would stop doing what is wrong, and God would forgive them.’” BSB BSB: so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
13 ARST Then Jesus told his apprentices,“Unless you realize what that story means, you will not be able to realize what any of the other stories{ that I tell} mean. BSB BSB: Then Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?
14 ARST { In the story that I told you,} the seeds that the farmer planted represent the good news. BSB BSB: The farmer sows the word.
15 ARST Some people are like the seeds that fell on the path. They hear the good news. However, as soon as they hear it, Satan comes and makes them forget the message that they heard. BSB BSB: Some are like the seeds 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.
16 ARST Other people are like the seeds that fell on shallow soil on top of a layer of rocks. When they hear the good news, they rejoice and quickly believe it. BSB BSB: Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17 ARST However, they are like plants without good roots, which do not live very long. In fact, when bad things happen or when people hurt them because they accepted the good news, they quickly stop believing it. BSB BSB: But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18 ARST Other people are like the seeds that fell onto an area full of thorny plants. They hear the good news. BSB BSB: Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word,
19 ARST However, they continue to focus on things in this world. They try to become rich, even though being rich is not as helpful as they think it will be. Also, they desire many other things. When they do those things, it makes the good news ineffective, just as thorny plants crowd out the good plants and keep them from producing a crop. BSB BSB: but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20 ARST Finally, other people are like the seeds that fell on fertile soil. When they hear the good news, they believe it. They are like the plants that produced a crop. Some plants produced 30{ grains of wheat each}, others produced 60{ grains each}, and others produced 100{ grains each}.” BSB BSB: Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”
21 ARST Then he told the people who were there,“People do not bring an oil lamp{ into a house} in order to cover it with a basket or a bench. Instead, they put it on a lampstand{ so that it shines brightly}. BSB BSB: Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand?
22 ARST Here is what I mean: some things are secret, but that is only because God will{ eventually} let everyone know about them. BSB BSB: For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.
23 ARST You should think carefully about what you just heard me say!” BSB BSB: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
24 ARST Then he told the people who were there,“Make sure that you are listening carefully{ to what I tell you}. How carefully you listen is how much God will enable you to learn and understand. BSB BSB: He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.
25 ARST God will reveal even more to people who already know some things{ about the good news}. However, God will cause people who know very little{ about the good news} to know nothing about it at all.” BSB BSB: For whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
26 ARST Then Jesus said,“Here is what God’ s kingdom is like: a farmer planted some seeds. BSB BSB: Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.
27 ARST During a period of many days, those seeds started to grow. The farmer did not really know how they grew. BSB BSB: Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how.
28 ARST The plants grew out of the ground on their own. First, the stalks grew. Then, the parts where the seeds would appear grew. Finally, the grain seeds grew in that part. BSB BSB: All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within.
29 ARST As soon as the plants produced grain, it was time to harvest it. So, the farmer told people to cut down the plants and collect the grain.” BSB BSB: And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
30 ARST Then Jesus said,“I would like us to consider together what God’ s kingdom is like. I will use a story to make sure that we all understand it. BSB BSB: Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it?
31 ARST Here is what it is like: someone plants a tiny mustard seed in the ground. This kind of seed is smaller than every other kind of seed in the world. BSB BSB: It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.
32 ARST Once someone plants it, the seed{ sprouts and} grows quickly. The plant becomes bigger than every other kind of plant that people grow. It has big branches. In fact, birds can land in the shade it creates and make nests there.” BSB BSB: But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”
33 ARST Jesus used many stories like these to teach the good news to the people who were there. He taught them as much as they could understand. BSB BSB: With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, to the extent that they could understand.
34 ARST He taught them by using stories only. Later, when no one else was with them, he told his apprentices what all the stories meant. BSB BSB: He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples.
35 ARST When it was evening on the same day, Jesus told his apprentices,“Let us go{ by boat} to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.” BSB BSB: When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.”
37 ARST Then there was a powerful windstorm! High waves were splashing into the boat and quickly filling it up with water. BSB BSB: Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.
38 ARST Meanwhile, Jesus was in the back part of the boat. He was asleep, with his head on a pillow. The apprentices woke him up and told him,“Instructor! We are going to die. You should be paying attention!” BSB BSB: But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”
39 ARST Then Jesus got up. He scolded the wind. He told the water,“Become still!” The wind stopped blowing, and everything became calm. BSB BSB: Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.
40 ARST Then Jesus told his apprentices,“You should not be so afraid. You should be trusting God by now!” BSB BSB: “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”
41 ARST The apprentices became very afraid. They kept asking each other,“Who could Jesus be? The wind and the water do what he says!” BSB BSB: Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”