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The Parable of the Sower
1 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!’ ”
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.”
A Lamp on a Stand
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 Those who have will be given more; as for
those who do not have, even what they have will be taken
from them.”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is
like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day,
whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows,
though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil
produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full
kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts
the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
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.
Jesus Calms the Storm
35 That day when evening came, he said to his
disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving
the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in
the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious
squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that
it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping
on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him,
“Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves,
“Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was
completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do
you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is
this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” |
Cults 
Why Did God Permit Sin?
