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Read Mark Chapter 4

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1And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

2And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

3Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

5And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

9And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

11And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

12That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

13And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

14The sower soweth the word.

15And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

18And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

19And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

20And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

21And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

22For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.

23If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

24And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.

25For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

26And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;

27And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.

28For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.

29But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.

30And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?

31It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:

32But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

33And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.

34But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

35And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.

36And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.

37And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.

38And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?

39And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

40And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

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Explanation

Mark 4

In short

Jesus teaches a crowd by the seaside using stories about seeds to explain how people receive God's word. He then shows his power by calming a dangerous storm, leaving his followers amazed and asking who he really is.

What the text says

Jesus sits in a boat and teaches a large crowd on shore using parables, or teaching stories (verses 1-2). The first parable describes a farmer sowing seed (verse 3). The seed lands in four places: on a path where birds eat it (verse 4), on rocky ground where it grows but withers from heat because it has no root (verses 5-6), among thorns that choke it and prevent fruit (verse 7), and on good soil where it produces a harvest of thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold (verse 8).

Later, the disciples ask Jesus to explain (verses 10-12). He says the seed represents "the word," God's message (verse 14). The four soils represent different types of people: those who hear but Satan steals the word from them (verse 15), those who receive it gladly but fall away when trouble comes (verses 16-17), those choked by worldly worries and desires (verses 18-19), and those who hear, accept, and produce fruit (verse 20).

Jesus adds more parables: about a lamp that must not be hidden (verses 21-23), about the measure of attention you give determining what you receive (verses 24-25), about seed growing secretly until harvest without the farmer's effort (verses 26-29), and about a tiny mustard seed becoming a large plant (verses 31-32).

Jesus uses many parables because people cannot yet hear everything directly (verses 33-34). That evening, a violent storm arises while the disciples sail (verses 35-37). Jesus, asleep in the boat, awakens when they cry out in fear (verse 38). He commands the wind and sea to be still, and they obey (verse 39). The disciples become terrified and ask who he is, since even nature obeys him (verse 40).

Takeaways

  • How people respond to God's message depends on their condition, not on God's word being weak or unclear.
  • God's kingdom grows through small, hidden means not controlled by human effort until the time of harvest arrives.
  • Jesus has power over creation itself, which raises the question of his true identity.

Explanation written with the help of AI. The Bible text above is not changed. Context and interpretation are flagged as such; always come back to the text itself.