Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 277
4:10-29
M ar k
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Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others
who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom
of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, so that the
Scriptures might be fulfilled:
‘When they see what I do,
they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say,
they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me
and be forgiven.’”
Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this
parable, how will you understand all the other parables? The farmer plants
seed by taking God’s word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath
represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once
and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the
message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep
roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems
or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the
thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. And the seed that fell on good
soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
Then Jesus asked them, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under
a basket or under a bed? Of course not! A lamp is placed on a stand, where
its light will shine. For everything that is hidden will eventually be brought
into the open, and every secret will be brought to light. Anyone with ears
to hear should listen and understand.”
Then he added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you
listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive
even more. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding
will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.”
Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on
the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and
grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces
the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of
wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is
