Mark 4 1099 and the lure of wealth , and the desire for other things come in and choke the word , and it yields nothing . 20 And these are the ones sown on the good soil : they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit , thirty and sixty and a hundredfold .”
A Lamp under a Bushel Basket
21 He said to them , “ Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket , or under the bed , and not on the lampstand ? 22 For there is nothing hidden , except to be disclosed ; nor is anything secret , except to come to light . 23 Let anyone with ears to hear listen !” 24 And he said to them , “ Pay attention to what you hear ; the measure you give will be the measure you get , and still more will be given you . 25 For to those who have , more will be given ; and from those who have nothing , even what they have will be taken away .”
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 He also said , “ The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground , 27 and would sleep and rise night and day , and the seed would sprout and grow , he does not know how . 28 The earth produces of itself , first the stalk , then the head , then the full grain in the head . 29 But when the grain is ripe , at once he goes in with his sickle , because the harvest has come .”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 He also said , “ With what can we compare the kingdom of God , or what parable will we use for it ? 31 It is like a mustard seed , which , when sown upon the ground , is the smallest of all the seeds on earth ; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs , and puts forth large branches , so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade .”
The Use of Parables
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them , as they were able to hear it ; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables , but he explained everything in private to his disciples .
Jesus Stills a Storm
35 On that day , when evening had come , he said to them , “ Let us go across to the other side .” 36 And leaving the crowd behind , they took him with them in the boat , just as he was . Other boats were with him . 37 A great windstorm arose , and the waves beat into the boat , so that the boat was already being swamped . 38 But he was in the stern , asleep on the cushion ; and they woke him up and said to him , “ Teacher , do you not care that we are perishing ?” 39 He woke up and rebuked the wind , and said to the sea , “ Peace ! Be still !” Then the wind ceased , and there was a dead calm . 40 He said to them , “ Why are you afraid ? Have you still no faith ?” 41 And they were filled with great awe and said to one another , “ Who then is this , that even the wind and the sea obey him ?”
Sowing Seeds
Farmers in the first century didn ’ t use machines to plant , or sow , their fields with seed . They took handfuls of seed and , with a sweeping motion , threw it on the ground they had plowed . A skillful sower could spread grain seeds very evenly .