Mark 4:1–12

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

4Again^aa he began to teach^ab by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. ²He taught them many things in parables,^ac and in his teaching^ad he said to them, ³“Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow.^{ae 4}As he sowed, some seed fell along the path,^af and the birds came and devoured^ag it. ⁵Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly,^ah since the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.^{ai 7}Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit. ⁸Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased^aj thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.”^{ak 9}Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”^al

WHY JESUS USED PARABLES

¹⁰When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve^am asked him about the parables.^{an 11}He answered them, “The secret^ao of the kingdom of God^ap has been given to you, but to those outside,^aq everything comes in parables ¹²so that

they may indeed look,

and yet not perceive;

they may indeed listen,

and yet not understand;^ar

otherwise, they might turn back

and be forgiven.”^ABas