Thematic Bible


Thematic Bible



And in stories, by way of comparison, He told them many things, as He continued to speak: "A sower went out to sow, and as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up, and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil, read more.
and when the sun was up they were scorched and dried up, because they had no root. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. And some fell in rich soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty-fold.

When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. read more.
And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit. And what was sown in rich soil illustrates the man who hears the message and understands it, and yields fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, another thirty-fold."

"A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and were trodden down, and the wild birds ate them up. Another portion of them fell upon the rock, and as soon as they sprang up, they withered, because they had no moisture. Still another portion fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with them and choked them out. read more.
And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!" His disciples were asking Him what this story meant. So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand. This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.

And in stories, by way of comparison, He told them many things, as He continued to speak: "A sower went out to sow, and as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up, and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil, read more.
and when the sun was up they were scorched and dried up, because they had no root. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. And some fell in rich soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty-fold. Let him who has ears listen."

Then He began again to teach by the seashore. And a crowd gathered around Him so great that He got into a boat and was sitting in it, just off the shore, while all the people were on the land close to the sea. He continued teaching them by many stories. In His teaching He spoke to them as follows: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. read more.
As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Some fell upon rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up at once, because the soil was not deep; but when the sun came up, they were scorched and withered away, because they had not taken root. Some fell among the thorn seed, and the thorns grew up and choked them out and they yielded no grain. Some fell in rich soil, and came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." And He said, "Let him who has ears listen!" When He was by Himself, those who stayed about Him with the Twelve began to ask Him about the stories. Then He said to them, "To you the secret of the kingdom of God has been entrusted, but to those who are on the outside everything is presented in stories, so that 'They may look and look and yet not see, And listen and listen and yet not understand, Lest, perchance, they should turn and be forgiven.'" Then He said to them: "If you do not understand this story, how, indeed, can you understand any of my stories? The message is what the sower sows. The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts. In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy, but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. A different class are those people sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, but the worries of the times, the deceiving pleasures of being rich, and evil desires for other things, creep in and choke the truth out, and it yields nothing. And the people sown in rich soil are the people who listen to the message and welcome it and yield thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold."

Now as a great crowd was coming together and people were coming to Him from one town after another, He said by way of a story: "A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and were trodden down, and the wild birds ate them up. Another portion of them fell upon the rock, and as soon as they sprang up, they withered, because they had no moisture. read more.
Still another portion fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with them and choked them out. And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!" His disciples were asking Him what this story meant. So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand. This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.



"A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and were trodden down, and the wild birds ate them up. Another portion of them fell upon the rock, and as soon as they sprang up, they withered, because they had no moisture. Still another portion fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with them and choked them out. read more.
And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!" His disciples were asking Him what this story meant. So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand. This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.







And a scribe came up and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you may go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, even wild birds have roosts, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Another of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, let me first go back and bury my father." read more.
And Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

Show 5 more verses
When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. read more.
And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit.

The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts. In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy, but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. read more.
A different class are those people sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, but the worries of the times, the deceiving pleasures of being rich, and evil desires for other things, creep in and choke the truth out, and it yields nothing.

He said to another man, "Follow me." But he said, "Let me first go back and bury my father." Then He answered him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but you go on and continue to spread the good news of the kingdom of God." Still another man said, "I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say 'Goodbye' to the homefolks." read more.
Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow, and then continues to look back, is fitted for service in the kingdom of God."


But he must ask in faith, without a doubt, for the man who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is whirled and swayed by the wind. Such a man, indeed, a person with two minds, (1:7) unreliable in every step he takes, must not expect to get anything from the Lord.

And what was sown in rich soil illustrates the man who hears the message and understands it, and yields fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, another thirty-fold." Verse ConceptsFruitfulness, SpiritualFruit, SpiritualFaith, Nature OfAcceptance, Of The GospelThirtySixtiesOne HundredThe Source Of FruitFertile LandLand ProducingHearing God's WordHundredfold Return

Now as a great crowd was coming together and people were coming to Him from one town after another, He said by way of a story: "A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and were trodden down, and the wild birds ate them up. Another portion of them fell upon the rock, and as soon as they sprang up, they withered, because they had no moisture. read more.
Still another portion fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with them and choked them out. And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!" His disciples were asking Him what this story meant. So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand. This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.

And some fell in rich soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty-fold. Verse ConceptsCropsThirtySixtiesOne HundredFertile LandLand ProducingHundredfold ReturnPlanting SeedsSeedsSowing Seedssowing






"Now listen closely to the story of the sower. When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

Then He said to them: "If you do not understand this story, how, indeed, can you understand any of my stories? The message is what the sower sows. The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts.

This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved.

Then a great symbol was seen in heaven -- a woman clothed in the sun with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was about to become a mother, and she cried out in anguish in giving birth to a child. Another symbol was seen in heaven -- there was a huge dragon, red as fire, with seven heads and ten horns, with seven diadems on his heads. read more.
His tail was dragging after it a third part of the stars of heaven and dashed them down upon the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth to a child, in order to devour her child as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child who is going to rule all the nations with a scepter of iron; and the child was caught up to God, to His throne. Then the woman fled into the desert, where she had a place of safety made ready by God, so that she might be cared for one thousand, two hundred and sixty days. Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels going to war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated, and there was no room for them in heaven any longer. So the huge dragon, the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, was hurled down to the earth, and his angels were hurled down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "The salvation, power, and kingdom of our God, and the sovereignty of His Christ, have already come, because the accuser of our brothers, who always day and night accuses them before our God, has been hurled down. But they have conquered him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the message to which they bore testimony, because they did not cling to life but courted death. So celebrate your triumph, you heavens and you who live in them! Alas for the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you in a great rage, since he knows that his time is short!" When the dragon saw that he had been hurled down to the earth, he started persecuting the woman who had given birth to the male child. But the two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where she could be taken care of for a time, times, and a half-time, safe from the presence of the serpent. Then the serpent made water, like a river, spout from his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with its torrent. But the earth helped the woman, for it opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon made to spout from his mouth. So the dragon was enraged against the woman, and he went off to make war with the rest of her descendants, who continue to keep God's commands and to bear testimony to Jesus.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. Then he hurled him into the abyss, closed it, and sealed it over him, to keep him from leading the nations astray anymore, until the thousand years are at an end; after that he must be let loose a little while.

When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. read more.
And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit.

The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts. In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy, but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. read more.
A different class are those people sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, but the worries of the times, the deceiving pleasures of being rich, and evil desires for other things, creep in and choke the truth out, and it yields nothing.


For there are many insubordinate people, mere talkers with nothing to say, but deceivers of their own minds, especially those of the circumcision party, whose mouths must be stopped, for they upset whole families by teaching things they ought not to think, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own countrymen, has said, "Cretans are always liars, wicked brutes, lazy bellies." read more.
Now this tendency is true. So continue correcting them severely, that they may be healthy in faith, by ceasing to give attention to Jewish myths and to the commands of men who turn their backs on the truth. To the pure everything is pure, but to the impure and unbelieving nothing is pure, but their very minds and consciences are impure. They profess to know God, but by their actions they disown Him; they are detestable, disobedient, and useless for anything good.


But He answered them, "Isaiah beautifully prophesied about you hypocrites; as the Scripture says: "'This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far, far away from me; Their worship of me is but an empty show; the things they teach are but men's precepts.' "You give up what God has commanded, read more.
you cling to what men hand down. You are fine teachers to cancel what God commanded, in order to keep what men have handed down!

Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit.

Jesus answered him, "If anyone really loves me, he will observe my teaching, and my Father will love him, and both of us will come in face-to-face fellowship with him; yes, we will make our special dwelling place with him. Whoever does not really love me does not observe my teaching; and yet the teaching which you are listening to is not mine but comes from the Father who has sent me.

And in stories, by way of comparison, He told them many things, as He continued to speak: "A sower went out to sow, and as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up, and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil, read more.
and when the sun was up they were scorched and dried up, because they had no root. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. And some fell in rich soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty-fold. Let him who has ears listen."

"A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and were trodden down, and the wild birds ate them up. Another portion of them fell upon the rock, and as soon as they sprang up, they withered, because they had no moisture. Still another portion fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with them and choked them out. read more.
And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!"

"Now listen closely to the story of the sower. When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, read more.
but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit. And what was sown in rich soil illustrates the man who hears the message and understands it, and yields fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, another thirty-fold."

Then He began again to teach by the seashore. And a crowd gathered around Him so great that He got into a boat and was sitting in it, just off the shore, while all the people were on the land close to the sea. He continued teaching them by many stories. In His teaching He spoke to them as follows: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. read more.
As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Some fell upon rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up at once, because the soil was not deep; but when the sun came up, they were scorched and withered away, because they had not taken root. Some fell among the thorn seed, and the thorns grew up and choked them out and they yielded no grain. Some fell in rich soil, and came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." And He said, "Let him who has ears listen!"

The message is what the sower sows. The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts. In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy, read more.
but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. A different class are those people sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, but the worries of the times, the deceiving pleasures of being rich, and evil desires for other things, creep in and choke the truth out, and it yields nothing. And the people sown in rich soil are the people who listen to the message and welcome it and yield thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold."

This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. read more.
And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.

That same day Jesus went out of His house and was sitting on the seashore. And the crowds that gathered about Him were so great that He got into a boat and remained sitting in it, while all the crowd stood on the seashore. And in stories, by way of comparison, He told them many things, as He continued to speak: "A sower went out to sow, read more.
and as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up, and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil, and when the sun was up they were scorched and dried up, because they had no root. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. And some fell in rich soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty-fold. Let him who has ears listen." Then His disciples came up to Him and asked, "Why do you speak to them in stories?" He answered: "It is you and not they who are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. For to anyone who has, more will be given, and his supply will overflow, but from anyone who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I am speaking to them in stories, because they look but do not see, they listen but do not really hear or understand. So in them the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: "'You will listen and listen and not understand, and you will look and look and never see at all, For this people's soul has grown dull, and with their ears they can scarcely hear, and they have shut tight their eyes, so that they will never see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn to me, so that I may cure them!' "But blessed are your eyes, for they are beginning to see, and your ears, for they are beginning to hear. For I solemnly say to you, many prophets and upright men yearned to see what you are seeing, and did not see it, and to hear what you are hearing, and did not hear it. "Now listen closely to the story of the sower. When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit. And what was sown in rich soil illustrates the man who hears the message and understands it, and yields fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, another thirty-fold."

Then He began again to teach by the seashore. And a crowd gathered around Him so great that He got into a boat and was sitting in it, just off the shore, while all the people were on the land close to the sea. He continued teaching them by many stories. In His teaching He spoke to them as follows: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. read more.
As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Some fell upon rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up at once, because the soil was not deep; but when the sun came up, they were scorched and withered away, because they had not taken root. Some fell among the thorn seed, and the thorns grew up and choked them out and they yielded no grain. Some fell in rich soil, and came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." And He said, "Let him who has ears listen!" When He was by Himself, those who stayed about Him with the Twelve began to ask Him about the stories. Then He said to them, "To you the secret of the kingdom of God has been entrusted, but to those who are on the outside everything is presented in stories, so that 'They may look and look and yet not see, And listen and listen and yet not understand, Lest, perchance, they should turn and be forgiven.'" Then He said to them: "If you do not understand this story, how, indeed, can you understand any of my stories? The message is what the sower sows. The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts. In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy, but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. A different class are those people sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, but the worries of the times, the deceiving pleasures of being rich, and evil desires for other things, creep in and choke the truth out, and it yields nothing. And the people sown in rich soil are the people who listen to the message and welcome it and yield thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." Then He put a question to them: "A lamp is not brought to be put under a peck-measure or under a bed, is it? Is it not rather to be put on the lamp-stand? For nothing is ever hidden by people except for the purpose of having it known, and people do not keep secrets except to tell them. If anyone has ears let him listen!" And He was saying to them: "Take care what you hear. The measure you give will come back to you, and more besides. For whoever has will have more given to him, but whoever has nothing, even what he has will be taken away."

Now as a great crowd was coming together and people were coming to Him from one town after another, He said by way of a story: "A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and were trodden down, and the wild birds ate them up. Another portion of them fell upon the rock, and as soon as they sprang up, they withered, because they had no moisture. read more.
Still another portion fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with them and choked them out. And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!" His disciples were asking Him what this story meant. So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand. This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit. "Nobody lights a lamp and then covers it with a pot or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. For there is nothing hidden which shall not come out into the open, and nothing kept secret which shall not be known and come to light. So take care how you listen, for whoever gets more will have more given to him, and whoever does not get more will have even what he thinks he has taken away from him."

"A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and were trodden down, and the wild birds ate them up. Another portion of them fell upon the rock, and as soon as they sprang up, they withered, because they had no moisture. Still another portion fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with them and choked them out. read more.
And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!" His disciples were asking Him what this story meant. So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand. This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.

And in stories, by way of comparison, He told them many things, as He continued to speak: "A sower went out to sow, and as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up, and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil, read more.
and when the sun was up they were scorched and dried up, because they had no root. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. And some fell in rich soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty-fold. Let him who has ears listen." Then His disciples came up to Him and asked, "Why do you speak to them in stories?" He answered: "It is you and not they who are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. For to anyone who has, more will be given, and his supply will overflow, but from anyone who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I am speaking to them in stories, because they look but do not see, they listen but do not really hear or understand. So in them the prophecy of the prophet Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: "'You will listen and listen and not understand, and you will look and look and never see at all, For this people's soul has grown dull, and with their ears they can scarcely hear, and they have shut tight their eyes, so that they will never see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn to me, so that I may cure them!' "But blessed are your eyes, for they are beginning to see, and your ears, for they are beginning to hear. For I solemnly say to you, many prophets and upright men yearned to see what you are seeing, and did not see it, and to hear what you are hearing, and did not hear it. "Now listen closely to the story of the sower. When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit. And what was sown in rich soil illustrates the man who hears the message and understands it, and yields fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, another thirty-fold."

And in stories, by way of comparison, He told them many things, as He continued to speak: "A sower went out to sow, and as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up, and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil, read more.
and when the sun was up they were scorched and dried up, because they had no root. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. And some fell in rich soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty-fold.

"A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and were trodden down, and the wild birds ate them up. Another portion of them fell upon the rock, and as soon as they sprang up, they withered, because they had no moisture. Still another portion fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with them and choked them out. read more.
And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!" His disciples were asking Him what this story meant. So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand. This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.

"Listen! A sower went out to sow. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Some fell upon rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up at once, because the soil was not deep; read more.
but when the sun came up, they were scorched and withered away, because they had not taken root. Some fell among the thorn seed, and the thorns grew up and choked them out and they yielded no grain. Some fell in rich soil, and came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." And He said, "Let him who has ears listen!" When He was by Himself, those who stayed about Him with the Twelve began to ask Him about the stories. Then He said to them, "To you the secret of the kingdom of God has been entrusted, but to those who are on the outside everything is presented in stories, so that 'They may look and look and yet not see, And listen and listen and yet not understand, Lest, perchance, they should turn and be forgiven.'" Then He said to them: "If you do not understand this story, how, indeed, can you understand any of my stories? The message is what the sower sows. The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts. In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy, but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. A different class are those people sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, but the worries of the times, the deceiving pleasures of being rich, and evil desires for other things, creep in and choke the truth out, and it yields nothing. And the people sown in rich soil are the people who listen to the message and welcome it and yield thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold."

"Now listen closely to the story of the sower. When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and carries off the seed that was sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. And what was sown upon the thin rocky soil illustrates the man who hears the message and bubbling over with joy at once accepts it, read more.
but it takes no real root in him, and he lasts only a little while, and just as soon as suffering and persecution come for the truth's sake, he at once yields and falls. And what was sown among the thorns illustrates the man who hears the message, and the worries of the times and the pleasures of being rich choke the truth out, and he yields no fruit. And what was sown in rich soil illustrates the man who hears the message and understands it, and yields fruit, one a hundred, one sixty, another thirty-fold."

And He answered: "The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the members of the kingdom; the wild wheat seed are the followers of the wicked one.

He also was saying: "The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground, then continues sleeping by night and getting up by day, while the seed sprouts and comes up without his knowing how. The ground of itself produces, first the stalk, then the head; at last there is the matured grain of wheat in the head. read more.
But as soon as the crop Will permit it, he puts in the sickle, for the reaping time has come." Then He kept on saying: "How can I further picture the kingdom of God, or by what story can I illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is properly sown, it comes up and grows to be the largest of all the plants, and produces branches so large that the wild birds can roost under its shade."

And in stories, by way of comparison, He told them many things, as He continued to speak: "A sower went out to sow, and as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up, and some fell upon rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and at once they sprang up, because there was no depth of soil, read more.
and when the sun was up they were scorched and dried up, because they had no root. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them out. And some fell in rich soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty-fold. Let him who has ears listen."

Then He began again to teach by the seashore. And a crowd gathered around Him so great that He got into a boat and was sitting in it, just off the shore, while all the people were on the land close to the sea. He continued teaching them by many stories. In His teaching He spoke to them as follows: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. read more.
As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Some fell upon rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up at once, because the soil was not deep; but when the sun came up, they were scorched and withered away, because they had not taken root. Some fell among the thorn seed, and the thorns grew up and choked them out and they yielded no grain. Some fell in rich soil, and came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold." And He said, "Let him who has ears listen!" When He was by Himself, those who stayed about Him with the Twelve began to ask Him about the stories. Then He said to them, "To you the secret of the kingdom of God has been entrusted, but to those who are on the outside everything is presented in stories, so that 'They may look and look and yet not see, And listen and listen and yet not understand, Lest, perchance, they should turn and be forgiven.'" Then He said to them: "If you do not understand this story, how, indeed, can you understand any of my stories? The message is what the sower sows. The ones along the path are those who have the message sown in their hearts, but as soon as it is sown there, Satan comes and carries off the message that has been sown in their hearts. In like manner these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they hear the truth, they accept it with ecstasy, but it does not take real root in them, and so they last only a little while; then when trouble or persecution comes on account of the truth, they at once fall by the way. A different class are those people sown among the thorns. They are people who listen to the message, but the worries of the times, the deceiving pleasures of being rich, and evil desires for other things, creep in and choke the truth out, and it yields nothing. And the people sown in rich soil are the people who listen to the message and welcome it and yield thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold."

Now as a great crowd was coming together and people were coming to Him from one town after another, He said by way of a story: "A sower went out to sow his seed. As he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path, and were trodden down, and the wild birds ate them up. Another portion of them fell upon the rock, and as soon as they sprang up, they withered, because they had no moisture. read more.
Still another portion fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up with them and choked them out. And another portion fell in rich soil and grew and yielded a crop of a hundredfold." As He said this, He exclaimed, "Let him who has ears to hear with, listen!" His disciples were asking Him what this story meant. So He said, "You are granted the privilege of knowing the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others they are told in stories, so that they may look and not see, may hear and not understand. This is what the story means: The seed is God's message. Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. The portion of them on the rock illustrates those who accept the message, bubbling over with joy when they first hear it, but it takes no real root. They believe for awhile, but in the time of testing they fall away. And the portion of them falling among the thorns illustrates those who hear it, but as soon as they pass on they are choked out by the worries and wealth and pleasures of life, and thus yield no mature fruit. But the portion in rich soil illustrates those who listen to the message, keep it in good and honest hearts, and in patience yield fruit.

Those along the path illustrate those who hear it, but then the devil comes and carries off the message from their hearts, so that they may not believe it and be saved. Verse ConceptsSpiritual Warfare, Causes OfSpiritual Warfare, Enemies InTemptation, Sources OfUnbelief, Nature And Effects OfUnbelief, Sourced InHearing God's WordSaved By FaithUsing RoadsThose Not SavedTaking God's Things