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4:1  Jesus began to teach again by the Sea of Galilee. A very large crowd gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat in it. The boat was in the water while the entire crowd lined the shore.
4:2  He used stories as illustrations to teach them many things. While he was teaching them, he said,
4:3  "Listen! A farmer went to plant seed.
4:4  Some seeds were planted along the road, and birds came and devoured them.
4:5  Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there wasn't much soil. The plants sprouted quickly because the soil wasn't deep.
4:6  When the sun came up, they were scorched. They didn't have any roots, so they withered.
4:7  Other seeds were planted among thornbushes. The thornbushes grew up and choked them, and they didn't produce anything.
4:8  But other seeds were planted on good ground, sprouted, and produced thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted."
4:9  He added, "Let the person who has ears listen!"
4:10  When he was alone with his followers and the twelve apostles, they asked him about the stories.
4:11  Jesus replied to them, "The mystery about the kingdom of God has been given [directly] to you. To those on the outside, it is given in stories:
4:12  'They see clearly but don't perceive. They hear clearly but don't understand. They never return to me and are never forgiven.'"
4:13  Jesus asked them, "Don't you understand this story? How, then, will you understand any of the stories I use as illustrations?
4:14  "The farmer plants the word.
4:15  Some people are like seeds that were planted along the road. Whenever they hear the word, Satan comes at once and takes away the word that was planted in them.
4:16  Other people are like seeds that were planted on rocky ground. Whenever they hear the word, they accept it at once with joy.
4:17  But they don't develop any roots. They last for a short time. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall [from faith].
4:18  Other people are like seeds planted among thornbushes. They hear the word,
4:19  but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of riches, and the desires for other things take over. They choke the word so that it can't produce anything.
4:20  Others are like seeds planted on good ground. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops-thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted."
4:21  Jesus said to them, "Does anyone bring a lamp into a room to put it under a basket or under a bed? Isn't it put on a lamp stand?
4:22  There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light.
4:23  Let the person who has ears listen!"
4:24  He went on to say, "Pay attention to what you're listening to! [Knowledge] will be measured out to you by the measure [of attention] you give. This is the way knowledge increases.
4:25  Those who understand [these mysteries] will be given [more knowledge]. However, some people don't understand [these mysteries]. Even what they understand will be taken away from them."
4:26  Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground.
4:27  He sleeps at night and is awake during the day. The seeds sprout and grow, although the man doesn't know how.
4:28  The ground produces grain by itself. First the green blade appears, then the head, then the head full of grain.
4:29  As soon as the grain is ready, he cuts it with a sickle, because harvest time has come."
4:30  Jesus asked, "How can we show what the kingdom of God is like? To what can we compare it?
4:31  It's like a mustard seed planted in the ground. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds on earth.
4:32  However, when planted, it comes up and becomes taller than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that birds can nest in its shade."
4:33  Jesus spoke [God's] word to them using many illustrations like these. In this way people could understand what he taught.
4:34  He did not speak to them without using an illustration. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.
4:35  That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the other side."
4:36  Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus along in a boat just as he was. Other boats were with him.
4:37  A violent windstorm came up. The waves were breaking into the boat so that it was quickly filling up.
4:38  But he was sleeping on a cushion in the back of the boat. So they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care that we're going to die?"
4:39  Then he got up, ordered the wind to stop, and said to the sea, "Be still, absolutely still!" The wind stopped blowing, and the sea became very calm.
4:40  He asked them, "Why are you such cowards? Don't you have any faith yet?"
4:41  They were overcome with fear and asked each other, "Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"