Marek 4

1 A opäť začal učiť pri mori. Okolo neho sa zhromaždil veľký zástup. Preto nastúpil na loď na mori a sadol si; a celý zástup bol na brehu.2 Učil ich veľa v podobenstvách a v svojom učení im hovoril:3 „Počúvajte! Rozsievač vyšiel rozsievať.4 Ako sial, jedno zrno padlo na kraj cesty; prileteli vtáky a pozobali ho.5 Druhé padlo na skalnatú pôdu, kde nemalo veľa zeme, a hneď vzišlo, lebo nebolo hlboko v zemi;6 ale keď vyšlo slnko, zahorelo, a pretože nemalo koreňa, uschlo.7 Iné zasa padlo do tŕnia, ale tŕnie vyrástlo, udusilo ho a ono neprinieslo úrodu.8 Iné zrná padli do dobrej zeme; vzišli, rástli a priniesli úrodu: jedno tridsaťnásobnú, druhé šesťdesiatnásobnú a iné stonásobnú.“9 A povedal: „Kto má uši na počúvanie, nech počúva!“10 Keď bol potom sám, tí, čo boli okolo neho s Dvanástimi, pýtali sa ho na podobenstvá.11 On im povedal: „Vám je dané tajomstvo Božieho kráľovstva, ale tým, čo sú vonku, podáva sa všetko v podobenstvách,12 aby hľadeli a hľadeli, ale nevideli, aby počúvali a počúvali, ale nechápali, aby sa azda neobrátili a aby sa im neodpustilo.“13 Potom im povedal: „Nerozumiete tomuto podobenstvu? Ako potom pochopíte ostatné podobenstvá?14 Rozsievač seje slovo.15 Na kraji cesty, kde sa seje slovo, sú tí, čo ho počúvajú, ale hneď prichádza satan a oberá ich o slovo zasiate do nich.16 Do skalnatej pôdy je zasiate u tých, čo počúvajú slovo a hneď ho s radosťou prijímajú,17 ale nemajú v sebe koreňa, sú chvíľkoví. Keď potom nastane pre slovo súženie alebo prenasledovanie, hneď odpadnú.18 A iné, zasiate do tŕnia, je u tých, čo počúvajú slovo,19 ale potom sa vlúdia svetské starosti, klam bohatstva a všelijaké iné žiadostivosti, slovo udusia a ostane bez úžitku.20 A do dobrej zeme zasiate je u tých, čo počúvajú slovo a prijímajú ho a prinášajú úrodu: jedno tridsaťnásobnú, druhé šesťdesiatnásobnú a iné stonásobnú.“21 Potom im povedal: „Vari je lampa na to, aby ju postavili pod mericu alebo pod posteľ? A nie na to, aby ju postavili na svietnik?22 Lebo nič nie je skryté, čo by sa nemalo vyjaviť, ani utajené, čo by sa nemalo dostať na verejnosť.23 Kto má uši na počúvanie, nech počúva!“24 Ďalej im povedal: „Dávajte pozor na to, čo počúvate! Akou mierou budete merať vy, takou sa nameria aj vám, ba ešte sa vám aj pridá.25 Lebo kto má, tomu sa pridá, a kto nemá, tomu sa vezme aj to, čo má.“26 Ďalej hovoril: „S Božím kráľovstvom je to tak, ako keď človek hodí semeno do zeme;27 či spí alebo vstáva, v noci či vo dne, semeno klíči a rastie a on ani o tom nevie.28 Zem sama od seba prináša úrodu: najprv steblo, potom klas a napokon plné zrno v klase.29 A keď úroda dozreje, hneď priloží kosák, lebo nastala žatva.“30 A pokračoval: „K čomu prirovnáme Božie kráľovstvo, alebo akým podobenstvom ho znázorníme?31 Je ako horčičné zrnko. Keď ho sejú do zeme, je najmenšie zo všetkých semien na zemi,32 ale keď sa zaseje, vzíde, prerastie všetky byliny a vyháňa veľké konáre, takže v jeho tôni môžu hniezdiť nebeské vtáky.“33 V mnohých takýchto podobenstvách im hlásal slovo podľa toho, ako boli schopní počúvať.34 Bez podobenstva im ani nehovoril. Ale svojim učeníkom v súkromí všetko vysvetlil.35 V ten deň, keď sa zvečerilo, im povedal: „Prejdime na druhý breh.“36 I opustili zástup, a vzali ho so sebou tak, ako bol, na lodi. Boli s ním aj iné lode.37 Tu sa strhla veľká víchrica a vlny sa valili na loď, takže sa loď už napĺňala.38 On bol v zadnej časti lode a spal na poduške. Zobudili ho a povedali mu: „Učiteľ, nedbáš o to, že hynieme?“39 On vstal, pohrozil vetru a povedal moru: „Mlč, utíš sa!“ Vietor prestal a nastalo veľké ticho.40 A im povedal: „Čo sa tak bojíte?! Ešte stále nemáte vieru?“41 Zmocnil sa ich veľký strach a jeden druhému hovorili: „Čo myslíš, kto je to, že ho i vietor, i more poslúchajú!“

MARK 4

A Story about a Farmer

(Matthew 13.1-9; Luke 8.4-8)

1  t The next time Jesus taught beside Lake Galilee, a big crowd gathered. It was so large that he had to sit in a boat out on the lake, while the people stood on the shore.

2 He used stories to teach them many things, and this is part of what he taught:
3 Now listen! A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. 4 While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. 5 Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn't very deep. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have deep roots. 7 Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked out the plants. So they did not produce any grain.

8 But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants grew and produced 30 or 60 or even 100 times as much as was scattered.

9 Then Jesus said, “If you have ears, pay attention.”

Why Jesus Used Stories

(Matthew 13.10-17; Luke 8.9,10)

11 He answered:
I have explained the secret about God's kingdom to you, but for others I can use only stories.

12 t The reason is,
“These people will look
and look, but never see.
They will listen and listen,
but never understand.
If they did,
they would turn to God
and be forgiven.”

Jesus Explains the Story //about the Farmer

(Matthew 13.18-23; Luke 8.11-15)

13 Jesus then told them:
If you don't understand this story, you won't understand any others. 14 What the farmer is spreading is really the message about the kingdom. 15 The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But Satan soon comes and snatches it away from them. 16 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it at once.

17 But they don't have roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.
18 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. 19 But they start worrying about the needs of this life. They are fooled by the desire to get rich and to have all kinds of other things. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything.

20 The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and welcome the message. They produce 30 or 60 or even 100 times as much as was planted.

Light

(Luke 8.16-18)

21  t Jesus also said:
You don't light a lamp and put it under a clay pot or under a bed. Don't you put a lamp on a lampstand? 22 t There is nothing hidden that will not be made public. There is no secret that will not be well known.

23 If you have ears, pay attention!
24  t Listen carefully to what you hear! The way you treat others will be the way you will be treated—and even worse.

25 t Everyone who has something will be given more. But people who don't have anything will lose what little they have.

Another Story about Seeds

26 Again Jesus said:
God's kingdom is like what happens when a farmer scatters seed in a field. 27 The farmer sleeps at night and is up and around during the day. Yet the seeds keep sprouting and growing, and he doesn't understand how. 28 It is the ground that makes the seeds sprout and grow into plants that produce grain.

29 t Then when harvest season comes and the grain is ripe, the farmer cuts it with a sickle.t

A Mustard Seed

(Matthew 13.31,32; Luke 13.18,19)

30 Finally, Jesus said:
What is God's kingdom like? What story can I use to explain it? 31 It is like what happens when a mustard seed is planted in the ground. It is the smallest seed in all the world.

32 But once it is planted, it grows larger than any garden plant. It even puts out branches that are big enough for birds to nest in its shade.

The Reason for Teaching //with Stories

(Matthew 13.34,35)

34 He did not tell them anything without using stories. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

A Storm

(Matthew 8.23-27; Luke 8.22-25)

37 Suddenly a storm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.

38 Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, “Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?”

39 Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.

40 Jesus asked his disciples, “Why were you afraid? Don't you have any faith?”
41 Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”