30 Again
he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall
we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is
the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it
grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that
the birds can perch in its shade.”
33 With
many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could
understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a
parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
21 He
said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead,
don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is
meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out
into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 “Consider
carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be
measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given
more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
21 He
said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead,
don’t you put it on its stand? 22 For whatever is hidden is
meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out
into the open. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”
24 “Consider
carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be
measured to you—and even more. 25 Whoever has will be given
more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
Again
Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so
large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the
people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught
them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen!
A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the
seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some
fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly,
because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the
plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did
not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came
up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a
hundred times.”
9 Then
Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
10 When
he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the
parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God
has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in
parables 12 so that,
“‘they
may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’[a]”
13 Then
Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you
understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some
people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they
hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others,
like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But
since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or
persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still
others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the
worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other
things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others,
like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some
thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”
