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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.
2
He used stories as illustrations to teach them many things. While he was teaching them, he said,
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"Listen! A farmer went to plant seed.
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Some seeds were planted along the road, and birds came and devoured them.
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Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there wasn't much soil. The plants sprouted quickly because the soil wasn't deep.
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When the sun came up, they were scorched. They didn't have any roots, so they withered.
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Other seeds were planted among thornbushes. The thornbushes grew up and choked them, and they didn't produce anything.
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But other seeds were planted on good ground, sprouted, and produced thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted."
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He added, "Let the person who has ears listen!"
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When he was alone with his followers and the twelve apostles, they asked him about the stories.
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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: