Mark 4:21–34

A Lamp under a Bushel Basket

²¹He said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under the bushel basket or under the bed and not on the lampstand? ²²For there is nothing hidden, except to be disclosed; nor is anything secret, except to come to light.^{* 23}If you have ears to hear, then hear!”^{* 24}And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and it will be added to you.^{* 25}For to those who have, more will be given, and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”^*

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground^{* 27}and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. ²⁸The earth produces of itself first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. ²⁹But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle because the harvest has come.”^*

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it?^{* 31}It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, ³²yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

The Use of Parables

³³With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it;^{* 34}he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.^*