撒种的比喻

耶稣又到湖边讲道,周围聚集了许多人,耶稣只好上到湖边的船上坐下,众人都站在岸上。 耶稣用比喻教导他们许多事,在教导中祂说: “听着!有一个农夫出去撒种。 撒种的时候,有些种子落在路旁,被飞鸟吃掉了; 有些落在石头地上,因为泥土不深,种子很快就发芽了, 然而因为没有根,被太阳一晒就枯萎了; 有些落在荆棘丛中,荆棘长起来便把嫩苗挤住了,以致不能结实; 有些落在沃土里,就发芽生长,结出果实,收成多达三十倍、六十倍、一百倍!” 然后祂说:“有耳可听的,都应当听。”

10 当耶稣独自一人的时候,十二使徒和追随祂的人来请教比喻的意思。 11 耶稣说:“上帝国的奥秘只让你们知道,对于外人,我只用比喻, 12 使他们‘看了又看,却不领悟;听了又听,却不明白,免得他们回心转意,得到赦免。’”

13 耶稣又对他们说:“你们不明白这个比喻,又怎能明白其他比喻呢? 14 农夫撒的是上帝的道。 15 种子落在路旁,是指人听了道,撒旦立刻过来夺去了撒在他们心里的道。 16 种子落在石头地上,是指人听了道后,立刻欢喜地接受了, 17 但他们心里没有根基,不过是暂时接受,一旦为道遭受患难和迫害,就立刻放弃了。 18 种子落在荆棘丛中,是指人虽然听过道, 19 但生活的忧虑、钱财的迷惑和其他欲望把道挤住了,以致不能结出果实。 20 种子落在沃土里,是指人听了道,领受了,又结出果实,收成多达三十倍、六十倍、甚至一百倍。”

灯的比喻

21 耶稣继续说:“人会把灯拿来放在篮子底下或床底下吗?当然不会,他一定会把它放在灯台上。 22 隐藏的事是不能掩盖的,终会显露出来。 23 有耳可听的,就应当听。” 24 耶稣又说:“要好好思想你们所听到的,你们用什么量器量给人,就用什么量器量给你们,甚至要多给你们。 25 因为凡有的,还要给他更多;凡没有的,连他仅有的也要夺去!”

种子生长的比喻

26 祂又说:“上帝的国就像一个人在地上撒种。 27 他天天日出而作,日落而息。种子就在他不知不觉中渐渐发芽长大。 28 大地会使种子生长,先发苗后吐穗,最终结出饱满的籽粒。 29 庄稼成熟后,他就拿起镰刀来收割,因为收成的时候到了。”

芥菜种的比喻

30 耶稣说:“我们拿什么比作上帝的国呢?用什么比喻来解释呢? 31 上帝的国就像一粒芥菜种。它是种子中最小的, 32 但种在地里,却能长得比各样蔬菜都大,有粗大的枝条,可以让飞鸟在它的树荫中筑巢。”

33 耶稣用了许多类似的比喻,按照众人所能领悟的,把上帝的道讲给他们听。 34 祂总是用比喻对他们讲论,只有单独和门徒在一起的时候,才把一切解释清楚。

平息风浪

35 那天晚上,耶稣对门徒说:“我们渡到对面去吧。” 36 他们就离开众人,上了耶稣乘坐的船,一起渡到湖的对岸,还有其他船只跟着去。 37 忽然,湖面上狂风大作,波浪撞击船身,船内几乎灌满了水。 38 耶稣却还在船尾枕着枕头睡觉。门徒叫醒了祂,说:“老师,我们快淹死了,你怎么不管呢?”

39 耶稣起来斥责狂风,对着湖面说:“静下来!停下来!”于是就风平浪静了。 40 祂对门徒说:“你们为什么这样害怕呢?你们还是没有信心吗?”

41 他们极其害怕,彼此议论说:“祂到底是谁?连风浪都听祂的!”

Jesus Teaches The Multitudes In Parables

And again He began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd is gathered-together with Him so that He, having gotten into a boat, sits-down in the sea [to teach]. And all the multitude were near[a] the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables.

The Sower’s Seed Falls On Different Kinds of Soil. Only The Good Soil Produces Fruit

And He was saying to them in His teaching, “Listen! Behold— the one sowing went out to sow. And it came about during the sowing that some seed fell along the road. And the birds came and ate it up. And other[b] seed fell on the rocky[c] place where it was not having much soil. And immediately it sprang-up because of not having a depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched. And because of not having a root, it was dried-up. And other seed fell into the thorns. And the thorns came-up and choked it, and it did not give fruit. And others[d] fell into the good soil, and were giving fruit while coming up and growing. And they were bearing thirty fold[e] and sixty fold and a hundred fold”. And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”.

Jesus Tells The Disciples The Purpose of Parables

10 And when He came-to-be alone, the ones around Him with the twelve were questioning Him as to the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “The mystery[f] of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But all things come in parables to those outside 12 in order that[g] while seeing, they may be seeing and not perceive, and while hearing, they may be hearing and not understanding, that they may not ever turn-back and it be forgiven them”.

Jesus Explains The Parable of The Sower

13 And He says to them, “Do you not know this parable? And how will you understand all the parables? 14 The one sowing sows the word[h]. 15 Now these people are the ones along the road, where the word is sown. And when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word having been sown into them. 16 And these people are the ones being sown the seed on the rocky places— who, when they hear the word, immediately are receiving it with joy. 17 And they do not have a root in themselves, but are temporary[i]. Then affliction or persecution having come about because of the word, immediately they are caused-to-fall. 18 And other people are the ones being sown the seed into the thorns. These are the ones having heard the word— 19 and coming-in, the anxieties[j] of the age[k] and the deceitfulness[l] of riches and the desires with respect to the other things are choking the word, and it becomes unfruitful[m]. 20 And those people are the ones having been sown[n] the seed on the good soil, who are hearing[o] the word and accepting it and bearing-fruit— thirty fold and sixty fold and a hundred fold”.

The Lamp Comes To Shine, Not To Be Hidden

21 And He was saying to them, “The lamp does not come in order that it may be put under the basket or under the bed, does it? Is it not in order that it may be put on the lampstand? 22 For it is not hidden, except in order that it may be made-visible[p]. Nor did it become hidden-away, but in order that it may come into visibility. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear”.

With The Measure You Use It Will Be Measured To You

24 And He was saying to them, “Be watching what you listen-to[q]. With what measure you measure[r], it will be measured to you— and it will be added to you. 25 For he who has— it will be given to him. And he who does not have— even what he has will be taken-away from him”.

The Kingdom of God Is Like Seed That Grows From Within Itself To Maturity

26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like this: as-if a person would throw the seed upon the soil, 27 and would be sleeping and arising night and day, and the seed would be budding and growing-long— how, he does not[s] know. 28 The soil bears-fruit by-itself [t]— first grass, then a head, then a full grain in the head. 29 And whenever the fruit permits[u], immediately he[v] sends-forth the sickle because the harvest has come[w]”.

The Kingdom of God Is Like a Mustard Seed. It Starts Small And Grows Large

30 And He was saying, “How should we liken the kingdom of God, or with what parable may we present it?— 31 as a seed of a mustard-plant, which when it is sown upon the soil is being smaller than all[x] the seeds upon the soil. 32 And when it is sown, it goes-up and becomes larger than all the garden-plants. And it makes large branches so that the birds of the heaven are able to be nesting under the shade of it”.

Jesus Spoke To The Crowd In Parables And Explained Everything To His Disciples

33 And with many such parables He was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear it. 34 And He was not speaking to them apart from a parable. But He was explaining[y] everything privately to His own disciples.

Jesus Calms The Wind And Sea. The Disciples Say, Who Is This Man?

35 And on that day, having become evening, He says to them, “Let us go to the other side”. 36 And having left the crowd, they take Him along as He was[z], in the boat. And other boats were with Him. 37 And a great storm of wind takes place. And the waves were throwing-over into the boat so that the boat was already being filled. 38 And He was in the stern on the cushion, sleeping. And they wake Him and say to Him, “Teacher, do You not care[aa] that we are perishing?” 39 And having awakened, He rebuked the wind, and said to the sea “Be still, be silenced[ab]”. And the wind stopped. And there was a great calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid[ac]? Do you not yet have faith?” 41 And they feared a great fear[ad]. And they were saying to one another, “Who then is this One, that[ae] even[af] the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Footnotes

  1. Mark 4:1 Or, [facing] toward; at, before.
  2. Mark 4:5 That is, another portion of seed, viewed as a group.
  3. Mark 4:5 That is, bedrock, or a rocky outcropping.
  4. Mark 4:8 That is, other seeds viewed as individuals.
  5. Mark 4:8 Or, one, thirty; and one, sixty; and one, a hundred. Likewise in v 20.
  6. Mark 4:11 That is, the hidden truth about the kingdom of God now being revealed by Jesus.
  7. Mark 4:12 Jesus here gives the purpose of His speaking in parables. It was in order that the people might remain spiritually blind. In Mt 13:13 it is because the people willfully choose to be blind.
  8. Mark 4:14 Or, message.
  9. Mark 4:17 Or, transitory.
  10. Mark 4:19 Or, worries, cares, concerns.
  11. Mark 4:19 Or, world.
  12. Mark 4:19 Or, deception.
  13. Mark 4:19 Fruitbearing is the evidence of life.
  14. Mark 4:20 That is, who have been sown the seed. Note the change in tense. The second two soils are ‘being sown’; they are in the process of being sown in hopes that a fruitful crop can be grown. This soil has been sown and is bearing fruit.
  15. Mark 4:20 That is, listening to, in the sense of ‘obeying’. Note the change of tense that stresses continuous action here (are hearing), in contrast to the first three soils.
  16. Mark 4:22 Or, revealed. One would only hide a lamp for the purpose of shining it at the proper time. The lamp may be Jesus, who came to light the world, but is hidden from Israel until the proper time; or, the truth Jesus brings, which is now hidden in parables in order that it may come into visibility at the proper time. Or, the lamp may refer to the word of God which believers hide in their hearts in order that it may shine at the opportune time.
  17. Mark 4:24 Or, hear. That is, in the sense of ‘obey’.
  18. Mark 4:24 The measure you use reflects your spiritual capacity, and your ability to receive. If you listen to the traditions of the Pharisees, it will limit your ability to receive spiritual truth.
  19. Mark 4:27 The seed has life in it, and grows without the assistance or understanding of the sower. The sower sows. God causes the growth in ways the sower does not understand. Then the person harvests the fruit.
  20. Mark 4:28 Or, on-its-own.
  21. Mark 4:29 Lit, hands-itself-over. That is, when it has ripened itself.
  22. Mark 4:29 That is, the person who sowed the seed.
  23. Mark 4:29 Or, is here.
  24. Mark 4:31 That is, all the seed people in that day sowed in their gardens. The point is that it has a small and insignificant beginning, but grows larger than all.
  25. Mark 4:34 Or, interpreting.
  26. Mark 4:36 This may be describing the condition of Jesus— straight from His speaking without any rest, explaining why He slept; or, His location— still in the boat (v 1).
  27. Mark 4:38 Lit, is it not a concern to You?
  28. Mark 4:39 The tense is unusual for a command. It implies, be silenced and stay silent.
  29. Mark 4:40 Or, cowardly, fearful.
  30. Mark 4:41 That is, they were extremely afraid.
  31. Mark 4:41 Or, because.
  32. Mark 4:41 Or, both.