MARKUS 4
Die gelykenis van die saaier
(Matt. 13:1-9; Luk. 8:4-8)
1 Jesus het weer die mense langs die see begin leer. 'n Baie groot menigte het by Hom saamgedrom, sodat Hy op die see in 'n skuit gaan sit het. Die hele menigte was langs die see op die strand. 2 Hy het hulle baie deur gelykenisse geleer. So het Hy onder andere gesê terwyl Hy hulle leer:
3 “Luister hier! 'n Saaier het eendag gaan saai. 4 Met die saai het 'n deel van die saad op die pad geval, en die voëls het gekom en dit opgepik. 5 'n Ander deel daarvan het op 'n klipbank geval, waar daar nie baie grond was nie. Dit het gou opgekom, omdat die grond nie diep was nie. 6 Maar toe die son warm word, is dit verskroei, en omdat dit nie wortel geskiet het nie, het dit verdroog. 7 'n Ander deel het tussen die onkruid geval. Die onkruid het opgekom en dit laat verstik, en dit het nie saad geskiet nie. 8 Die ander saad het in goeie grond geval, en dit het opgekom, gegroei en 'n oes gelewer. Party het dertigvoudig gedra, ander sestig- en nog ander honderdvoudig.”
9 Verder het Hy gesê: “Wie ore het en kan hoor, moet luister!”
Die doel met die gelykenisse
(Matt. 13:10-17; Luk. 8:9-10)
10 Toe hulle alleen was, het die mense wat saam met die twaalf by Hom was, Hom oor die gelykenisse uitgevra, 11 en Hy het vir hulle gesê: “Aan julle is die insig in die geheim van die koninkryk van God gegee; maar vir dié wat daarbuite is, bly alles net by gelykenisse, 12 sodat
“hulle kyk en kyk en tog nie sien nie,
en hoor en hoor en tog nie verstaan nie,
dat hulle hulle nie miskien bekeer en vergewe word nie.t”
Jesus verklaar die gelykenis van die saaier
(Matt. 13:18-23; Luk. 8:11-15)
13 Hy sê toe vir hulle: “Julle begryp nie eens hierdie gelykenis nie. Hoe sal julle dan al die ander gelykenisse kan verstaan?
14 “Die saaier saai die woord. 15 Daar is mense by wie daar soos op 'n pad gesaai word: sodra hulle die woord hoor, kom die Satan en vat die woord weg wat in hulle gesaai is. 16 Daar is mense by wie daar soos op klipbanke gesaai word: sodra hulle die woord hoor, neem hulle dit met blydskap aan. 17 Hulle laat dit egter nie in hulle wortel skiet nie en hou nie lank uit nie. As hulle daarna ter wille van die woord verdruk of vervolg word, word hulle gou afvallig. 18 Daar is mense by wie daar soos tussen die onkruid gesaai word. Dit is hulle wat die woord hoor, 19 maar die sorge van die lewe en die verleiding van rykdom en die begeertes na allerhande ander dinge kom op en verstik die woord, en dit bly sonder vrug. 20 Dan is daar die mense by wie daar soos op goeie grond gesaai is, wat die woord hoor en aanvaar en vrug voortbring, party dertig-, party sestig- en party honderdvoudig.”
Julle moet luister
(Matt. 13:12; Luk. 8:16-18)
21 Hy het vir hulle gesê: “'n Lamp kom mos nie onder 'n emmer of onder 'n bed nie? Is dit nie bedoel om op 'n staander gesit te word nie? 22 Daar is geen geheim nie, of dit moet openbaar gemaak word; en daar word niks geheim gehou nie, of dit moet aan die lig kom. 23 As iemand ore het en kan hoor, moet hy luister!”
24 Hy het ook vir hulle gesê: “Gee aandag aan wat julle hoor! Want met die maat waarmee julle meet, sal vir julle gemeet word en daar sal vir julle nog toegevoeg word. 25 Wie het, vir hom sal daar nog meer gegee word; en wie nie het nie, van hom sal ook die bietjie wat hy het, weggevat word.”
Die gelykenis van die saad wat vanself groei
26 Verder het Hy gesê: “Met die koninkryk van God gaan dit só: Iemand saai die saad op die land 27 en gaan slaap en staan op, dag na dag, en die saad ontkiem en groei — hóé weet hy self nie. 28 Vanself bring die aarde die graan voort, eers 'n halm, dan 'n aar, dan die vol koringaar. 29 En wanneer die graan ryp is, steek hy dadelik die sekel in, omdat die oestyd daar is.”
Die gelykenis van die mosterdsaadjie
(Matt. 13:31-32; Luk. 13:18-19)
30 Hy het ook gesê: “Hoe sal ons die koninkryk van God voorstel, of met watter gelykenis sal ons dit uitbeeld? 31 Dit is soos 'n mosterdsaadjie. Wanneer dit in die land geplant word, is dit die kleinste van al die soorte saad daar in die land. 32 Maar as dit eenmaal geplant is, kom dit op en word dit groter as al die tuinplante. Dit kry sulke groot takke dat die voëls in sy skaduwee kom nes maak.”
Die gebruik van gelykenisse
(Matt. 13:34-35)
33 Deur baie sulke gelykenisse het Jesus met die mense oor sy boodskap gepraat, vir sover hulle dit kon verstaan. 34 Sonder 'n gelykenis het Hy nie met hulle gepraat nie, maar wanneer Hy met sy dissipels alleen was, het Hy vir hulle alles uitgelê.
Jesus maak die storm stil
(Matt. 8:23-27; Luk. 8:22-25)
35 Laat daardie middag sê Jesus vir sy dissipels: “Kom ons vaar oorkant toe.”
36 Hulle het toe die mense wat daar was, daar laat bly en Hom saamgeneem in die skuit waarin Hy gesit het. Daar was ook nog ander skuite by. 37 Skielik het daar 'n groot storm losgebars, en die golwe het in die skuit geslaan, sodat die skuit al begin vol word het. 38 Jesus het op die bank in die agterstewe gelê en slaap. Hulle maak Hom toe wakker en sê vir Hom: “Meneer, gee U dan nie om dat ons vergaan nie?”
39 Toe staan Hy op, bestraf die wind en sê vir die see: “Hou op! Bedaar!” Die wind het gaan lê en daar het 'n groot stilte gekom.
40 Toe sê Hy vir hulle: “Waarom is julle bang? Het julle dan nie geloof nie?”
41 Hulle is met groot ontsag vervul en het vir mekaar gesê: “Wie kan Hy tog wees dat selfs die wind en die see Hom gehoorsaam?”
Mark 4
1 AGAIN JESUS began to teach beside the lake. And a very great crowd gathered about Him, so that He got into a ship in order to sit in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was at the lakeside on the shore.2 And He taught them many things in parables (illustrations or comparisons put beside truths to explain them), and in His teaching He said to them:3 Give attention to this! Behold, a sower went out to sow.4 And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.5 Other seed [of the same kind] fell on ground full of rocks, where it had not much soil; and at once it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil;6 And when the sun came up, it was scorched, and because it had not taken root, it withered away.7 Other seed [of the same kind] fell among thorn plants, and the thistles grew and pressed together and utterly choked and suffocated it, and it yielded no grain.8 And other seed [of the same kind] fell into good (well-adapted) soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing, and yielded up to thirty times as much, and sixty times as much, and even a hundred times as much as had been sown.9 And He said, He who has ears to hear, let him be hearing [and let him consider, and comprehend].10 And as soon as He was alone, those who were around Him, with the Twelve [apostles], began to ask Him about the parables.11 And He said to them, To you has been entrusted the mystery of the kingdom of God [that is, the secret counsels of God which are hidden from the ungodly]; but for those outside [of our circle] everything becomes a parable,12 In order that they may [indeed] look and look but not see and perceive, and may hear and hear but not grasp and comprehend, lest haply they should turn again, and it [their willful rejection of the truth] should be forgiven them. 13 And He said to them, Do you not discern and understand this parable? How then is it possible for you to discern and understand all the parables?14 The sower sows the Word.15 The ones along the path are those who have the Word sown [in their hearts], but when they hear, Satan comes at once and [by force] takes away the message which is sown in them.16 And in the same way the ones sown upon stony ground are those who, when they hear the Word, at once receive and accept and welcome it with joy;17 And they have no real root in themselves, and so they endure for a little while; then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word, they immediately are offended (become displeased, indignant, resentful) and they stumble and fall away.18 And the ones sown among the thorns are others who hear the Word;19 Then the cares and anxieties of the world and distractions of the age, and the pleasure and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things creep in and choke and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless.20 And those sown on the good (well-adapted) soil are the ones who hear the Word and receive and accept and welcome it and bear fruit--some thirty times as much as was sown, some sixty times as much, and some [even] a hundred times as much.21 And He said to them, Is the lamp brought in to be put under a peck measure or under a bed, and not [to be put] on the lampstand?22 [Things are hidden temporarily only as a means to revelation.] For there is nothing hidden except to be revealed, nor is anything [temporarily] kept secret except in order that it may be made known.23 If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend.24 And He said to them, Be careful what you are hearing. The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you--and more [besides] will be given to you who hear. 25 For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away [by force],26 And He said, The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground,27 And then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases--he knows not how.28 The earth produces [acting] by itself--first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.29 But when the grain is ripe and permits, immediately he sends forth [the reapers] and puts in the sickle, because the harvest stands ready.30 And He said, With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use to illustrate and explain it?31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all seeds upon the earth;32 Yet after it is sown, it grows up and becomes the greatest of all garden herbs and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air are able to make nests and dwell in its shade.33 With many such parables [Jesus] spoke the Word to them, as they were able to hear and to comprehend and understand.34 He did not tell them anything without a parable; but privately to His disciples (those who were peculiarly His own) He explained everything [fully].35 On that same day [when] evening had come, He said to them, Let us go over to the other side [of the lake].36 And leaving the throng, they took Him with them, [just] as He was, in the boat [in which He was sitting]. And other boats were with Him.37 And a furious storm of wind [of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled.38 But He [Himself] was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing?39 And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased (sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm (a perfect peacefulness).40 He said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)?41 And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?