¹That same day Jesus left the house and sat down by the Sea of Galilee. ²The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat. He sat in the boat while the entire crowd stood on the shore. ³Then he used stories as illustrations to tell them many things.

He said, “Listen! A farmer went to plant seed. ⁴Some seeds were planted along the road, and birds came and devoured them. ⁵Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The plants sprouted quickly because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶But when the sun came up, they were scorched. They withered because their roots weren’t deep enough. ⁷Other seeds were planted among thornbushes, and the thornbushes grew up and choked them. ⁸But other seeds were planted on good ground and produced grain. They produced one hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much as was planted. ⁹Let the person who has ears listen!”

¹⁰The disciples asked him, “Why do you use stories as illustrations when you speak to people?”

¹¹Jesus answered, “Knowledge about the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you. But it has not been given to the crowd. ¹²Those who understand ⸤these mysteries⸥ will be given ⸤more knowledge⸥, and they will excel ⸤in understanding them⸥. However, some people don’t understand ⸤these mysteries⸥. Even what they understand will be taken away from them. ¹³This is why I speak to them this way. They see, but they’re blind. They hear, but they don’t listen. They don’t even try to understand. ¹⁴So they make Isaiah’s prophecy come true:

‘You will hear clearly but never understand.

You will see clearly but never comprehend.

¹⁵These people have become close-minded

and hard of hearing.

They have shut their eyes

so that their eyes never see.

Their ears never hear.

Their minds never understand.

And they never return to me for healing!’

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