Mark 4:14–22

¹⁴The sower sows God’s message. ¹⁵Some people are like the seeds that fall along the path; as soon as they hear the message, Satan comes and takes it away. ¹⁶Other people are like the seeds that fall on rocky ground. As soon as they hear the message, they receive it gladly. ¹⁷But it does not sink deep into them, and they don’t last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once. ¹⁸Other people are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the ones who hear the message, ¹⁹but the worries about this life, the love for riches, and all other kinds of desires crowd in and choke the message, and they don’t bear fruit. ²⁰But other people are like the seeds sown in good soil. They hear the message, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

A Lamp under a Bowl

^21*Jesus continued, “Does anyone ever bring in a lamp and put it under a bowl or under the bed? Doesn’t he put it on the lamp-stand? ^22*Whatever is hidden away will be brought out into the open, and whatever is covered up will be uncovered.