Chronological
The Parable about a Farmer(A)
13 That day Jesus left the house and sat down beside the sea. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the entire crowd stood on the shore. 3 Then he began to tell them many things in parables. He said, “Listen! A farmer went out to sow. 4 As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on stony ground, where they did not have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once because the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they did not have any roots, they dried up. 7 Other seeds fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes grew higher and choked them out. 8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop, some 100, some 60, and some 30 times what was sown.[a] 9 Let the person who has ears[b] listen!”
The Purpose of the Parables(B)
10 Then the disciples came and asked Jesus,[c] “Why do you speak to people[d] in parables?”
11 He answered them, “You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom from[e] heaven, but it hasn’t been given to them, 12 because to anyone who has something, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who doesn’t have anything, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 That’s why I speak to them in parables, because
‘they look but don’t see,
and they listen but don’t hear or understand.’
14 “With them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says:
‘You will listen and listen but never understand.
You will look and look but never comprehend,
15 for this people’s heart has become dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing.[f]
They have shut their eyes
so that they might not see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn,
and I would heal them.’[g]
16 “How blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear! 17 I tell all of you[h] with certainty, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but did not see them, and to hear the things you hear but did not hear them.”
Jesus Explains the Parable about the Farmer(C)
18 “Listen, then, to the parable about the farmer. 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom yet doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on the stony ground, this is the person who hears the word and accepts it joyfully at once, 21 but since he doesn’t have any root in himself, he lasts for only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes along because of the word, he immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among the thorn bushes, this is the person who hears the word, but the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of wealth choke the word so that it can’t produce a crop. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word, understands it, and produces a crop that yields 100, 60, or 30 times what was sown.”[i]
The Parable about the Weeds among the Wheat
24 He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom from[j] heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 While people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 When the crop came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared, too.
27 “The owner’s servants came and asked him, ‘Master, you sowed good seed in your field, didn’t you? Then where did these weeds come from?’
28 “He told them, ‘An enemy did this!’
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them out?’
29 “He said, ‘No! If you pull out the weeds, you might pull out the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles for burning, but bring the wheat into my barn.”’”
The Parables about a Mustard Seed and Yeast(D)
31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom from[k] heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. 32 Although it is the smallest of[l] all seeds, when it is fully grown it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, and the birds in the sky come and nest in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom from[m] heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with[n] three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
Why Jesus Used Parables(E)
34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables. He did not tell them anything without using[o] a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was declared by the prophet[p] when he said,
“I will open my mouth to speak[q] in parables.
I will declare what has been hidden
since the creation of the world.”[r]
Jesus Explains the Parable about the Weeds
36 Then Jesus[s] left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and asked, “Explain to us the parable about the weeds in the field.”
37 He answered, “The person who sowed good seed is the Son of Man, 38 while the field is the world. The good seed are those who belong to[t] the kingdom, while the weeds are those who belong to[u] the evil one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the Devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Just as weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at end of the[v] age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes others to sin and those who practice lawlessness 42 and they will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.[w] 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let the person who has ears[x] listen!”
The Parable about a Hidden Treasure
44 “The kingdom from[y] heaven is like treasure hidden in a field that a man found and hid. In his excitement he went and sold everything he had and bought that field.”
The Parable about a Valuable Pearl
45 “Again, the kingdom from[z] heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 46 When he found a very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.”
The Parable about a Net
47 “Again, the kingdom from[aa] heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea that gathered all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen[ab] hauled it ashore. Then they sat down, sorted the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away. 49 That is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, cull out the evil people from among the righteous ones, 50 and will throw them into a blazing furnace. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”[ac]
New and Old Treasures
51 “Do you understand all these things?”
They told him, “Yes.”
52 Then he told them, “That is why every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom from[ad] heaven is like the master of a household who brings both new and old things out of his treasure chest.”
Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth(F)
53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place. 54 He went to his hometown and began teaching the people[ae] in their synagogue in such a way that they were amazed and asked, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles? 55 This is the builder’s[af] son, isn’t it? His mother is named Mary, isn’t she? His brothers are James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, aren’t they? 56 And his sisters are all with us, aren’t they? So where did this man get all these things?” 57 And they were offended by him.
But Jesus told them, “A prophet is without honor only in his hometown and in his own home.” 58 He did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief.
Some Women Accompany Jesus
8 After this, Jesus[a] traveled from one city and village to another, preaching and spreading the good news about God’s kingdom. The Twelve were with him, 2 as well as some women who had been healed of evil spirits and illnesses: Mary, also called Magdalene,[b] from whom seven demons had gone out; 3 Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager Chuza; Susanna; and many others. These women[c] continued to support them[d] out of their personal resources.
The Parable about a Farmer(A)
4 Now while a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus[e] from every city, he said in a parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, were trampled on, and birds from the sky ate them up. 6 Others fell on stony ground, and as soon as they came up, they dried up because they had no moisture. 7 Others fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes grew with them and choked them. 8 But others fell on good soil, and when they came up, they produced 100 times as much as was planted.” As he said this, he called out, “Let the person who has ears to hear, listen!”
The Purpose of the Parables(B)
9 Then his disciples began to ask him what this parable meant. 10 So he said, “You have been given knowledge about the secrets of the kingdom of God. But to others they are given[f] in parables, so that
‘they might look but not see,
and they might listen but not understand.’”[g]
Jesus Explains the Parable about the Farmer(C)
11 “Now this is what the parable means. The seed is God’s word. 12 The ones on the path are the people who listen, but then the Devil comes and takes the word away from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 The ones on the stony ground are the people who joyfully welcome the word when they hear it. But since they don’t have any roots, they believe for a while, but in a time of testing they fall away. 14 The ones that fell among the thorn bushes are the people who listen, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries, wealth, and pleasures of life, and their fruit doesn’t mature. 15 But the ones on the good soil are the people who hear the word but also hold on to it with good and honest hearts, producing a crop through endurance.”
A Light under a Bowl(D)
16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it under a bowl or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a lamp stand so that those who come in will see the light. 17 There is nothing hidden that won’t be revealed, and there is nothing secret that won’t become known and come to light. 18 So pay attention to how you listen, because to the one who has something, more will be given. However, from the one who doesn’t have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”
The True Family of Jesus(E)
19 His mother and his brothers came to him, but they couldn’t get near him because of the crowd. 20 Jesus[h] was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and want to see you.”
21 But he answered those people,[i] “My mother and my brothers are those who hear a message from God and heed it.”
Jesus Calms the Sea(F)
22 One day, Jesus[j] and his disciples got into a boat. He told them, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” So they started out.
23 Now as they were sailing, Jesus[k] fell asleep. A violent storm swept over the lake, and they were taking on water and were in great danger. 24 So his disciples[l] went to him, woke him up, and kept telling him, “Master! Master! We’re going to die!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. They stopped, and there was calm.
25 Then he asked the disciples,[m] “Where’s your faith?”
Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this man? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him!”
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man(G)
26 They landed in the region of the Gerasenes,[n] which is just across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus[o] stepped out on the shore, a man from the city met him. This man was controlled by[p] demons and had not worn clothes for a long time. He did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he screamed, fell down in front of him, and cried out in a loud voice, “What do you want from me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you not to torture me!” 29 because Jesus[q] was in the process of ordering the unclean spirit to come out of the man. On many occasions the unclean spirit[r] had seized the man,[s] and though he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, he would break the chains and be driven by the demon into deserted places.
30 Jesus asked the man,[t] “What’s your name?”
He answered, “Legion,”[u] because many demons had gone into him. 31 Then the demons[v] began begging Jesus[w] not to order them to go into the bottomless pit.[x]
32 Now a large herd of pigs was grazing there on the hillside. So the demons[y] begged Jesus[z] to let them go into those pigs, and he consented to that. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down a steep slope into the lake and drowned.
34 Now when those who had been taking care of the pigs saw what had happened, they ran away and reported it in the city and in the countryside. 35 So the people[aa] went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone out sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind, they were frightened. 36 The people who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 Then all the people from the region surrounding the Gerasenes[ab] asked Jesus[ac] to leave them, because they were terrified. So he got into a boat and started back.
38 Now the man from whom the demons had gone out kept begging Jesus[ad] to let him go with him. But Jesus[ae] sent him away, saying, 39 “Go home and tell what God has done for you.” So the man[af] left and kept proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
Jesus Heals a Woman and Resurrects a Girl(H)
40 When Jesus came back, the crowd welcomed him, because everyone was expecting him. 41 Just then a synagogue leader by the name of Jairus arrived. He fell at Jesus’ feet and kept begging him to come to his home, 42 because his only living[ag] daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying. While Jesus[ah] was on his way, the crowds continued to press in on him.
43 A woman was there[ai] who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. Although she had spent all she had on doctors,[aj] no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind Jesus[ak] and touched the tassel of his garment, and her bleeding stopped at once.
45 Jesus asked, “Who touched me?”
While everyone was denying it, Peter and those who were with him[al] said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing in on you.”
46 Still Jesus said, “Somebody touched me, because I know that power has gone out of me.”
47 When the woman saw that she couldn’t hide, she came forward trembling. Bowing down in front of him, she explained in the presence of all the people why she had touched Jesus[am] and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
49 While he was still speaking, someone came from the synagogue leader’s home[an] and told him,[ao] “Your daughter is dead. Stop bothering the teacher anymore.”
50 But when Jesus heard this, he told the synagogue leader,[ap] “Stop being afraid! Just believe, and she will get well.”
51 When he arrived at the man’s[aq] house, he allowed no one to go in with him except Peter, John, James, and the young girl’s father and mother. 52 Now everyone was crying and wailing for her. But Jesus[ar] said, “Stop crying! She’s not dead. She’s sleeping.” 53 They laughed and laughed at him, because they knew she was dead. 54 But he took her hand and called out, “Young lady, get up!” 55 So her spirit returned, and she got up at once. Then Jesus[as] directed that she be given something to eat. 56 Her parents were amazed, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
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