Mark 4:3-25

3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.

4 And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.

6 But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.

8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”

9 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables

10 As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable. ¹

11 He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed 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]”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? ²

14 The farmer sows the word.

15 Some are like the seeds ^[b] 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 Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.

17 But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

18 Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word,

19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20 Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”

The Lesson of the Lamp

21 Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand? ³

22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.

23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

24 He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.

25 For whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Cross References

• 1. (Isaiah 6:1–13; Matthew 13:10–17; Luke 8:9–10)
• 2. (Matthew 13:18–23; Luke 8:11–15)
• 3. (Luke 8:16–18)

Footnotes

• [a] Isaiah 6:9–10 (see also LXX)
• [b] Or the word; similarly in verses 16, 18, and 20; literally Now these are the ones