Book of Common Prayer

As Beloved Children, Be Imitators of God And Walk In Love

5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ² And be walking in love, just as Christ also loved us and handed Himself over for us— an offering and a sacrifice to God for an aroma of fragrance.

But Don’t Let Any Kind of Impurity Or Greed Exist Among You

³ But let sexual-immorality and all impurity or greed not even be named^[a] among you, as is proper for saints— ⁴ and filthiness^[b] and foolish-talk or coarse-joking^[c], which are not fitting, but rather thanksgiving.

You Know This Is Right, So Don’t Be Partakers With Those Inheriting Wrath

⁵ For you know this^[d]— recognizing^[e] that every sexually-immoral or impure or greedy person (that is, an idolater) does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of ^[f] disobedience. ⁷ Therefore do not be fellow-partakers with them.

For You Were Formerly Darkness, But Now You Are Light; Walk As Children of Light

⁸ For you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Be walking as children of ^[g] light (⁹ for the fruit of the light is in^[h] all goodness and righteousness and truth), ¹⁰ approving what is pleasing^[i] to the Lord.

Expose The Works of Darkness To God’s Light

¹¹ And do not be participating in the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather even be exposing^[j] them. ¹² For it is shameful even to speak the things being done in secret by them, ¹³ but all things being exposed by the light become-visible^[k]. ¹⁴ For everything becoming-visible is^[l] light. Therefore he^[m] says, “Awake, sleeping one, and rise-up from the dead, and Christ will shine-on you.”

Jesus Teaches The Multitudes In Parables

4 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. ² 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, ³ “Listen! Behold— the one sowing went out to sow. ⁴ And it came about during the sowing that some seed fell along the road. And the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ 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. ⁶ And when the sun rose, it was scorched. And because of not having a root, it was dried-up. ⁷ And other seed fell into the thorns. And the thorns came-up and choked it, and it did not give fruit. ⁸ 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”. ⁹ 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”.