Mark 4:26–41

The Parable of the Seed that Grows by Itself

²⁶And he said, “The kingdom of God is like this: like a man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷And he sleeps and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—he does not know how.^{o 28}By itself the soil produces a crop: first the grass, then the head of grain, then the full grain in the head. ²⁹But when the crop permits, he sends in the sickle right away, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or by what parable can we present it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed that when sown on the ground, although it^* is the smallest of all the seeds that are on the ground, ³²but when it is sown it grows up and becomes the largest of all the garden herbs, and sends out large branches so that the birds of the sky are able to nest in its shade.” ³³And with many parables such as these he was speaking the word to them, as they were able to hear it.^{* 34}And he did not speak to them without a parable, but in private he explained everything to his own disciples.

Calming of a Storm

³⁵And on that day, when it^* was evening, he said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” ³⁶And leaving the crowd, they took him along, as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. ³⁷And a great storm of wind developed, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already being filled with water.^{* 38}And he was in the stern sleeping on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, is it not a concern to you that we are perishing?” ³⁹And he woke up and^* rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Be silent!” And the wind abated and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰And he said to them, “Why are you fearful? Do you not yet have faith?” ⁴¹And they were terribly frightened^p and began to say^q to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”