Mark 4:2 Themes and Topics

Then he told them many truths in parables. "The sower," he began, "went out to sow; and, As he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once. read more.
As soon as the sun had risen, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some, again, fell into the brambles; but the brambles shot up and choked it. Some, however, fell on good soil, and yielded a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold. Let him who has ears hear."

Jesus again began to teach by the Sea; and, as an immense crowd was gathering round him, he got into a boat, and sat in it on the Sea, while all the people were on the shore at the water's edge. Then he taught them many truths in parables; and in the course of his teaching he said to them: "Listen! The sower went out to sow; read more.
And presently, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path; and the birds came, and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once; But, when the sun rose, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some of the seed fell among brambles; but the brambles shot up and completely choked it, and it yielded no return. Some fell into good soil, and, shooting up and growing, yielded a return, amounting to thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold." And Jesus said: "Let any one who has ears to hear with hear." Afterwards, when he was alone, his followers and the Twelve asked him about his parables; And he said: "To you the hidden truth of the Kingdom of God has been imparted; but to those who are outside it all teaching takes the form of parables, that-- 'Though they have eyes, they may see without perceiving; And though they have ears, they may hear without understanding; Lest some day they should turn and be forgiven.' You do not know the meaning of this parable!" he went on; "Then how will you understand all the other parables? The sower sows the Message. The People meant by the seed that falls along the path are these--where the Message is sown, but, as soon as they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and carries away the Message that has been sown in them. So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully; But, as they have no root, they stand only for a short time; and so, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, they fall away at once. Those meant by the seed sown among the brambles are different; they are the people who hear the Message, But the cares of life, and the glamour of wealth, and cravings for many other things come in and completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But the people meant by the seed sown on the good ground are those who hear the Message, and welcome it, and yield a return, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold."

Once, when a great crowd was collecting, and, when the people of town after town were flocking to Jesus, he spoke to them in the form of a parable: "The sower went out to sow his seed; and, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path and was trodden upon; and the wild birds ate it up. Other seed fell upon rock, and, as soon as it began to grow, having no moisture, withered away. read more.
Other seed fell in the middle of brambles, but the brambles grew up with it and choked it entirely. Other seed fell into rich soil, and grew, and gave a hundred-fold return." After saying this, Jesus cried aloud: "Let him who has ears to hear with hear." His disciples asked Jesus the meaning of this parable. "To you," he said, "the knowledge of the hidden truths of the Kingdom of God has been imparted, but to others in parables only, that 'though they have eyes they may not see, and though they have ears, they may not understand.' This is the parable--The seed is God's Message. By the seed which fell along the path are meant those who hear the Message; but then comes the Devil and carries away the Message from their minds, to prevent their believing it and being saved. By the seed which fell upon the rock are meant those who, as soon as they hear the Message, welcome it joyfully; but they have no root, and believe it only for a time, and, when the time of temptation comes, they draw back. By that which fell among the brambles are meant those who hear the Message, but who, as they go on their way, are completely choked by this world's cares and wealth and pleasures, and bring nothing to perfection. But by that in the good ground are meant those who, having heard the Message, keep it in the good, rich soil of their hearts, and patiently yield a return.

Every one who goes beyond the limits of the Teaching of the Christ has failed to find God; the man who keeps to that Teaching--he has found both the Father and the Son. Verse Concepts

By the time that Jesus had finished speaking, the crowd was filled with amazement at his teaching. Verse Concepts

Then he taught them many truths in parables; and in the course of his teaching he said to them: Verse Concepts

So, in reply, Jesus said: "My teaching is not my own; it is his who sent me. Verse Concepts

Then he told them many truths in parables. "The sower," he began, "went out to sow; and, As he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once. read more.
As soon as the sun had risen, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some, again, fell into the brambles; but the brambles shot up and choked it. Some, however, fell on good soil, and yielded a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold. Let him who has ears hear."

"The sower went out to sow his seed; and, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path and was trodden upon; and the wild birds ate it up. Other seed fell upon rock, and, as soon as it began to grow, having no moisture, withered away. Other seed fell in the middle of brambles, but the brambles grew up with it and choked it entirely. read more.
Other seed fell into rich soil, and grew, and gave a hundred-fold return." After saying this, Jesus cried aloud: "Let him who has ears to hear with hear."

Listen, then, yourselves to the parable of the Sower. When any one hears the Message of the Kingdom without understanding it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what has been sown in his mind. This is the man meant by the seed which was sown along the path. By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the man who hears the Message, and at once accepts it joyfully; read more.
But, as he has no root, he stands for only a short time; and, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, he falls away at once. By the seed which was sown among the brambles is meant the man who hears the Message, but the cares of life and the glamour of wealth completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But by the seed which was sown on the good ground is meant the man who hears the Message and understands it, and really yields a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold."

Jesus again began to teach by the Sea; and, as an immense crowd was gathering round him, he got into a boat, and sat in it on the Sea, while all the people were on the shore at the water's edge. Then he taught them many truths in parables; and in the course of his teaching he said to them: "Listen! The sower went out to sow; read more.
And presently, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path; and the birds came, and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once; But, when the sun rose, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some of the seed fell among brambles; but the brambles shot up and completely choked it, and it yielded no return. Some fell into good soil, and, shooting up and growing, yielded a return, amounting to thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold." And Jesus said: "Let any one who has ears to hear with hear."

The sower sows the Message. The People meant by the seed that falls along the path are these--where the Message is sown, but, as soon as they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and carries away the Message that has been sown in them. So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully; read more.
But, as they have no root, they stand only for a short time; and so, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, they fall away at once. Those meant by the seed sown among the brambles are different; they are the people who hear the Message, But the cares of life, and the glamour of wealth, and cravings for many other things come in and completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But the people meant by the seed sown on the good ground are those who hear the Message, and welcome it, and yield a return, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold."

This is the parable--The seed is God's Message. By the seed which fell along the path are meant those who hear the Message; but then comes the Devil and carries away the Message from their minds, to prevent their believing it and being saved. By the seed which fell upon the rock are meant those who, as soon as they hear the Message, welcome it joyfully; but they have no root, and believe it only for a time, and, when the time of temptation comes, they draw back. read more.
By that which fell among the brambles are meant those who hear the Message, but who, as they go on their way, are completely choked by this world's cares and wealth and pleasures, and bring nothing to perfection. But by that in the good ground are meant those who, having heard the Message, keep it in the good, rich soil of their hearts, and patiently yield a return.

That same day, when Jesus had left the house and was sitting by the Sea, such great crowds gathered round him, that he got into a boat, and sat in it, while all the people stood upon the beach. Then he told them many truths in parables. "The sower," he began, "went out to sow; and, read more.
As he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once. As soon as the sun had risen, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some, again, fell into the brambles; but the brambles shot up and choked it. Some, however, fell on good soil, and yielded a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold. Let him who has ears hear." Afterwards his disciples came to him, and said: "Why do you speak to them in parables?" "To you," answered Jesus, "the knowledge of the hidden truths of the Kingdom of Heaven has been imparted, but not to those. For, to all who have, more will be given, and they shall have abundance; but, from all who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. That is why I speak to them in parables, because, though they have eyes, they do not see, and though they have ears, they do not hear or understand. And in them is being fulfilled that prophecy of Isaiah which says--'You will hear with your ears without ever understanding, And, though you have eyes, you will see without ever perceiving, For the mind of this nation has grown dense, And their ears are dull of hearing, Their eyes also have they closed; Lest some day they should perceive with their eyes, And with their ears they should hear, And in their mind they should understand, and should turn--And I should heal them.' But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear; For I tell you that many Prophets and good men have longed for the sight of the things which you are seeing, yet never saw them, and to hear the things which you are hearing, yet never heard them. Listen, then, yourselves to the parable of the Sower. When any one hears the Message of the Kingdom without understanding it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what has been sown in his mind. This is the man meant by the seed which was sown along the path. By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the man who hears the Message, and at once accepts it joyfully; But, as he has no root, he stands for only a short time; and, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, he falls away at once. By the seed which was sown among the brambles is meant the man who hears the Message, but the cares of life and the glamour of wealth completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But by the seed which was sown on the good ground is meant the man who hears the Message and understands it, and really yields a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold."

Jesus again began to teach by the Sea; and, as an immense crowd was gathering round him, he got into a boat, and sat in it on the Sea, while all the people were on the shore at the water's edge. Then he taught them many truths in parables; and in the course of his teaching he said to them: "Listen! The sower went out to sow; read more.
And presently, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path; and the birds came, and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once; But, when the sun rose, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some of the seed fell among brambles; but the brambles shot up and completely choked it, and it yielded no return. Some fell into good soil, and, shooting up and growing, yielded a return, amounting to thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold." And Jesus said: "Let any one who has ears to hear with hear." Afterwards, when he was alone, his followers and the Twelve asked him about his parables; And he said: "To you the hidden truth of the Kingdom of God has been imparted; but to those who are outside it all teaching takes the form of parables, that-- 'Though they have eyes, they may see without perceiving; And though they have ears, they may hear without understanding; Lest some day they should turn and be forgiven.' You do not know the meaning of this parable!" he went on; "Then how will you understand all the other parables? The sower sows the Message. The People meant by the seed that falls along the path are these--where the Message is sown, but, as soon as they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and carries away the Message that has been sown in them. So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully; But, as they have no root, they stand only for a short time; and so, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, they fall away at once. Those meant by the seed sown among the brambles are different; they are the people who hear the Message, But the cares of life, and the glamour of wealth, and cravings for many other things come in and completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But the people meant by the seed sown on the good ground are those who hear the Message, and welcome it, and yield a return, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold." And Jesus said to them: "Is a lamp brought to be put under the corn-measure or under the couch, instead of being put on the lampstand? Nothing is hidden unless it is some day to come to light, nor was anything ever kept hidden but that it should some day come into the light of day. Let all who have ears to hear with hear. Take care what you listen to," said Jesus. "The measure you mete will be meted out to you, and more will be added for you. For, to those who have, more will be given; while, from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."

Once, when a great crowd was collecting, and, when the people of town after town were flocking to Jesus, he spoke to them in the form of a parable: "The sower went out to sow his seed; and, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path and was trodden upon; and the wild birds ate it up. Other seed fell upon rock, and, as soon as it began to grow, having no moisture, withered away. read more.
Other seed fell in the middle of brambles, but the brambles grew up with it and choked it entirely. Other seed fell into rich soil, and grew, and gave a hundred-fold return." After saying this, Jesus cried aloud: "Let him who has ears to hear with hear." His disciples asked Jesus the meaning of this parable. "To you," he said, "the knowledge of the hidden truths of the Kingdom of God has been imparted, but to others in parables only, that 'though they have eyes they may not see, and though they have ears, they may not understand.' This is the parable--The seed is God's Message. By the seed which fell along the path are meant those who hear the Message; but then comes the Devil and carries away the Message from their minds, to prevent their believing it and being saved. By the seed which fell upon the rock are meant those who, as soon as they hear the Message, welcome it joyfully; but they have no root, and believe it only for a time, and, when the time of temptation comes, they draw back. By that which fell among the brambles are meant those who hear the Message, but who, as they go on their way, are completely choked by this world's cares and wealth and pleasures, and bring nothing to perfection. But by that in the good ground are meant those who, having heard the Message, keep it in the good, rich soil of their hearts, and patiently yield a return. No man sets light to a lamp and then covers it with a bowl or puts it underneath a couch, but he puts it on a lamp-stand, so that anyone who comes in may see the light. Nothing is hidden which will not be brought into the light of day, not ever kept hidden which will not some day become known and come into the light of day. Take care, then, how you listen. For, to all those who have, more will be given; while, from all those who have nothing, even what they seem to have will be taken away."

That same day, when Jesus had left the house and was sitting by the Sea, such great crowds gathered round him, that he got into a boat, and sat in it, while all the people stood upon the beach. Then he told them many truths in parables. "The sower," he began, "went out to sow; and, read more.
As he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once. As soon as the sun had risen, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some, again, fell into the brambles; but the brambles shot up and choked it. Some, however, fell on good soil, and yielded a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold. Let him who has ears hear." Afterwards his disciples came to him, and said: "Why do you speak to them in parables?" "To you," answered Jesus, "the knowledge of the hidden truths of the Kingdom of Heaven has been imparted, but not to those. For, to all who have, more will be given, and they shall have abundance; but, from all who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. That is why I speak to them in parables, because, though they have eyes, they do not see, and though they have ears, they do not hear or understand. And in them is being fulfilled that prophecy of Isaiah which says--'You will hear with your ears without ever understanding, And, though you have eyes, you will see without ever perceiving, For the mind of this nation has grown dense, And their ears are dull of hearing, Their eyes also have they closed; Lest some day they should perceive with their eyes, And with their ears they should hear, And in their mind they should understand, and should turn--And I should heal them.' But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear; For I tell you that many Prophets and good men have longed for the sight of the things which you are seeing, yet never saw them, and to hear the things which you are hearing, yet never heard them. Listen, then, yourselves to the parable of the Sower. When any one hears the Message of the Kingdom without understanding it, the Evil One comes and snatches away what has been sown in his mind. This is the man meant by the seed which was sown along the path. By the seed which was sown on rocky places is meant the man who hears the Message, and at once accepts it joyfully; But, as he has no root, he stands for only a short time; and, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, he falls away at once. By the seed which was sown among the brambles is meant the man who hears the Message, but the cares of life and the glamour of wealth completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But by the seed which was sown on the good ground is meant the man who hears the Message and understands it, and really yields a return, sometimes one hundred, sometimes sixty, sometimes thirty fold." Another parable which Jesus told them was this-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But, while every one was asleep, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and then went away. So, when the blades of corn shot up, and came into ear, the tares made their appearance also. On this the owner's servants came to him, and said 'Was not it good seed that you sowed in your field? Where, then, do the tares in it come from?' 'An enemy has done this,' was his answer. 'Do you wish us, then,' they asked,' to go and gather them together?' 'No,' said he, 'for fear that, while you are gathering the tares, you should root up the wheat as well. Let both grow side by side till harvest; and then I shall say to the reapers, Gather the tares together first, and tie them in bundles for burning; but bring all the wheat into my barn.'" Another parable which he told them was this-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard-seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. This seed is smaller than all other seeds, but, when it has grown up, it is larger than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that 'the wild birds come and roost in its branches.'" This was another parable which Jesus related-- "The Kingdom of Heaven is like some yeast which a woman took and covered up in three pecks of flour, until the whole had risen." Of all this Jesus spoke to the crowd in parables; indeed to them he used never to speak at all except in parables, in fulfillment of these words in the Prophet--'I will speak to them in parables; I will utter things kept secret since the foundation of the world.' Then Jesus left the crowd, and went into the house. Presently his disciples came to him, and said: "Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field." And he answered: "The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world. By the good seed is meant the People of the Kingdom. The tares are the wicked, And the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest-time is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. And, just as the tares are gathered and burnt, so it will be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all that hinders and those who live in sin, And 'will throw them into the fiery furnace,' where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine, like the sun, in the Kingdom of their Father. Let him who has ears hear. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again, and then, in his delight, went and sold everything that he had, and bought that field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of choice pearls. Finding one of great value, he went and sold everything that he had, and bought it. Or again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was cast into the sea, and caught fish of all kinds. When it was full, they hauled it up on the beach, and sat down and sorted the good fish into baskets, but threw the worthless ones away. So will it be at the close of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous, And 'will throw them into the fiery furnace,' where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Have you understood all this?" Jesus asked. "Yes," they answered. Then he added: "So every Teacher of the Law, who has received instruction about the Kingdom of Heaven, is like a householder who produces from his stores things both new and old."

Then he taught them many truths in parables; and in the course of his teaching he said to them: "Listen! The sower went out to sow; And presently, as he was sowing, some of the seed fell along the path; and the birds came, and ate it up. read more.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had not much soil, and, having no depth of soil, sprang up at once; But, when the sun rose, it was scorched, and, having no root, withered away. Some of the seed fell among brambles; but the brambles shot up and completely choked it, and it yielded no return. Some fell into good soil, and, shooting up and growing, yielded a return, amounting to thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold." And Jesus said: "Let any one who has ears to hear with hear." Afterwards, when he was alone, his followers and the Twelve asked him about his parables; And he said: "To you the hidden truth of the Kingdom of God has been imparted; but to those who are outside it all teaching takes the form of parables, that-- 'Though they have eyes, they may see without perceiving; And though they have ears, they may hear without understanding; Lest some day they should turn and be forgiven.' You do not know the meaning of this parable!" he went on; "Then how will you understand all the other parables? The sower sows the Message. The People meant by the seed that falls along the path are these--where the Message is sown, but, as soon as they have heard it, Satan immediately comes and carries away the Message that has been sown in them. So, too, those meant by the seed sown on the rocky places are the people who, when they have heard the Message, at once accept it joyfully; But, as they have no root, they stand only for a short time; and so, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Message, they fall away at once. Those meant by the seed sown among the brambles are different; they are the people who hear the Message, But the cares of life, and the glamour of wealth, and cravings for many other things come in and completely choke the Message, so that it gives no return. But the people meant by the seed sown on the good ground are those who hear the Message, and welcome it, and yield a return, thirty, sixty, and even a hundred fold." And Jesus said to them: "Is a lamp brought to be put under the corn-measure or under the couch, instead of being put on the lampstand? Nothing is hidden unless it is some day to come to light, nor was anything ever kept hidden but that it should some day come into the light of day. Let all who have ears to hear with hear. Take care what you listen to," said Jesus. "The measure you mete will be meted out to you, and more will be added for you. For, to those who have, more will be given; while, from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away." Jesus also said: "This is what the Kingdom of God is like-- like a man who has scattered seed on the ground, And then sleeps by night and rises by day, while the seed is shooting up and growing--he knows not how. The ground bears the crop of itself--first the blade, then the ear, and then the full grain in the ear; But, as soon as the crop is ready, immediately he 'puts in the sickle because harvest has come'." Jesus also said: "To what can we liken the Kingdom of God? By what can we illustrate it? Perhaps by the growth of a mustard-seed. This seed, when sown in the ground, though it is smaller than all other seeds, Yet, when sown, shoots up, and becomes larger than any other herb, and puts out great branches, so that even 'the wild birds can roost in its shelter.'" With many such parables Jesus used to speak to the people of his Message, as far as they were able to receive it;