Mark 4:26–41

The Parable of the Seed Growing

²⁶And he said, ^c“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. ²⁷He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; ^dhe knows not how. ²⁸The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ²⁹But when the grain is ripe, at once ^ehe puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

^30fAnd he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? ³¹It is like ^ga grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, ³²yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

^33hWith many such parables he spoke ⁱthe word to them, ^jas they were able to hear it. ³⁴He did not speak to them ^kwithout a parable, but ^lprivately to his own disciples he ^mexplained everything.

Jesus Calms a Storm

³⁵ⁿOn that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” ³⁶And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. ³⁷And a great windstorm arose, and the waves ^owere breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. ³⁸But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” ³⁹And he awoke and ^prebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and ^qthere was a great calm. ⁴⁰He said to them, “Why are you ^rso afraid? Have you still no faith?” ⁴¹And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, ^s“Who then is this, that even ^tthe wind and the sea obey him?”