Jesus Explains the Seed Story^(A)

¹³ Then Jesus said to ·his followers [^Lthem], “Don’t you understand this ·story [parable]? If you don’t, how will you understand any ·story [parable; see 3:23]? ¹⁴ ·The farmer plants God’s message in people [^LThe sower sows the word]. ¹⁵ Sometimes the ·teaching [word; message] falls ·on the road [along the path]. This is like the people who hear the ·teaching of God [word; message], but Satan quickly comes and takes away the ·teaching [word; message] that was ·planted [sown] in them. ¹⁶ Others are like the seed ·planted [sown] on rocky ground. They hear the ·teaching [word; message] and quickly accept it with joy. ¹⁷ ·But since they don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives [^LBut since they have no root in themselves], they keep it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the ·teaching they accepted [word; message], they quickly ·give up [fall away; stumble]. ¹⁸ Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the ·teaching [word; message], ¹⁹ but the worries of this ·life [world; age], the ·temptation [deceitfulness; seduction] of wealth, and ·many other evil desires [desires for other things] ·keep the teaching from growing and producing fruit in their lives [^Lcome in and choke the word, making it unfruitful]. ²⁰ Others are like the seed ·planted [sown] in the good ground. They hear the ·teaching [word; message] and accept it. Then they grow and produce ·fruit [a crop]—sometimes thirty times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes a hundred times more.”

Be Ready All the Time

³⁴ “·Be careful [Watch yourselves] not to ·spend your time [or become dulled by; ^Llet your hearts be weighed down by] ·feasting [carousing; debauchery], ·drinking [drunkenness], or worrying about worldly things. If you do, that day might come on you suddenly, ³⁵ ·like a trap. For it will come upon all people who live on the earth. [or Like a trap, it will come upon all people who live on the earth.] ³⁶ So be ·ready [alert; watching] all the time. Pray that you will be strong enough to escape all these things that ·will [are about to] happen and that you will be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷ During the day, Jesus taught the people in the Temple, and at night he went out of the city and stayed on the Mount of Olives. ³⁸ Every morning all the people got up early to go to the Temple to listen to him.