True Relationships

⁴⁶ While he^(A) was still speaking with the crowds, his mother and brothers were standing outside wanting to speak to him.^{(B) 47} Someone told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”^[a]

⁴⁸ He replied to the one who was speaking to him, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Stretching out his hand toward his disciples,^(C) he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”^(D)

The Parable of the Sower

13 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.^{(A) 2} Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.^(B)

³ Then he told them many things in parables,^(C) saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow. ⁴ As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown.^{(D) 9} Let anyone who has ears^[a] listen.”^(E)

Why Jesus Used Parables

¹⁰ Then the disciples^(F) came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?” ^(G)

¹¹ He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know,^(H) but it has not been given to them. ¹² For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.^{(I) 13} That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see,^(J) and hearing they do not listen or understand.^{(K) 14} Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

¹⁶ “Blessed are your eyes^(N) because they do see, and your ears because they do hear.^{(O) 17} For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.^(P)