Luke 8:4–21

The Parable of the Sower

⁴When a large crowd was gathering, as people were coming to him from town after town, he said in a parable: ⁵“A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed some fell on a path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. ⁶Some fell on rock, and as it grew up it withered for lack of moisture. ⁷Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. ⁸Some fell into good soil, and when it grew it produced a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “If you have ears to hear, then hear!”^*

The Purpose of the Parables

⁹Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant.^{* 10}He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets^g of the kingdom of God, but to others I speak^h in parables, so that

‘looking they may not perceive

and hearing they may not understand.’

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹¹“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.^{* 12}The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. ¹³The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. ¹⁴As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. ¹⁵But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with endurance.

A Lamp under a Jar

¹⁶“No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar or puts it under a bed; rather, one puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light.^{* 17}For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light.^{* 18}So pay attention to how you listen, for to those who have, more will be given, and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away.”^*

The True Kindred of Jesus

¹⁹Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. ²⁰And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” ²¹But he said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”^*