馬可福音 4
撒種的比喻
（太13．1－9；路8．4－8）
1 耶穌又在海邊教導人。有一大群人到他那裏聚集，他只好上船坐下。船在海裏，眾人都靠近海，站在岸上。 2 耶穌就用許多比喻教導他們。在教導的時候，他對他們說： 3 「你們聽啊，有一個撒種的出去撒種。 4 他撒的時候，有的落在路旁，飛鳥來把它吃掉了。 5 有的落在土淺的石頭地上，因為土不深，很快就長出苗來， 6 太陽出來一曬，因為沒有根就枯乾了。 7 有的落在荊棘裏，荊棘長起來，把它擠住了，就結不出果實。 8 又有的落在好土裏，就發芽長大，結出果實，有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。」 9 耶穌又說：「有耳可聽的，就應當聽！」
用比喻的目的
（太13．10－17；路8．9－10）
10 耶穌獨自一人的時候，跟隨他的人和十二使徒問他這些比喻的意思。 11 耶穌對他們說：「上帝國的奧祕只讓你們知道，若是對外人講，凡事就用比喻， 12 要
他們看了又看，卻看不清，
聽了又聽，卻不明白，
免得他們回轉過來，獲得赦免。」
解釋撒種的比喻
（太13．18－23；路8．11－15）
13 耶穌又對他們說：「你們不明白這比喻嗎？這樣怎能明白一切的比喻呢？ 14 撒種的人所撒的就是道。 15 那撒在路旁的種子，就是人聽了道，撒但立刻來，把撒在他們心裏的道奪了去。 16 那撒在石頭地上的，就是人聽了道，立刻歡喜領受， 17 因心裏沒有根，不過是暫時的，一旦為道遭受患難或迫害，立刻就跌倒。 18 還有那撒在荊棘裏的，就是人聽了道， 19 後來有世上的憂慮、錢財的迷惑，和別樣的私慾進來，把道擠住了，結不出果實。 20 那撒在好土裏的，就是人聽了道，領受了，並且結了果實，有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。」
斗下的燈
（路8．16－18）
21 耶穌又對他們說：「人拿燈來，難道是要放在斗底下，床底下，而不放在燈臺上嗎？ 22 因為掩藏的事沒有不顯出來的，隱瞞的事也沒有不露出來的。 23 有耳可聽的，就應當聽！」
24 他又說：「你們要留心所聽的。你們用甚麼量器來量，也將要用甚麼來量給你們，並且要多給你們。 25 因為有的，還要給他；沒有的，連他所有的也要奪去。」
種子長大的比喻
26 耶穌又說：「上帝的國如同人把種子撒在地上， 27 黑夜睡覺，白日起來，這種子就發芽生長，那人卻不知道如何會這樣。 28 土地自然而然地出產五穀，先發苗，後長穗，然後穗上結成飽滿的穀子。 29 五穀熟了，就用鐮刀去割，因為收成的時候到了。」
芥菜種的比喻
（太13．31－32；路13．18－19）
30 耶穌又說：「我們可用甚麼來比擬上帝的國呢？可用甚麼比喻來說明呢？ 31 它像一粒芥菜種，種在地裏的時候，雖比地上所有的種子都小， 32 但種下去以後，它長起來，比各樣的菜都大，又長出大枝，以致天上的飛鳥可以在它的蔭下築巢。」
用比喻講道
（太13．34－35）
33 耶穌用許多這樣的比喻，照他們所能聽的，對他們講道； 34 若不用比喻，他就不對他們講，但私下沒有人的時候，就把一切的道講給門徒聽。
平靜風和海
（太8．23－27；路8．22－25）
35 那天晚上，耶穌對門徒說：「我們渡到對岸去吧。」 36 門徒離開眾人，耶穌已在船上，他們就請他一同去；也有別的船和他同行。 37 忽然狂風大作，波浪打入船內，以致船灌滿了水。 38 耶穌在船尾上，枕著枕頭睡覺。門徒叫醒他，說：「老師！我們快沒命了，你不管嗎？」 39 耶穌醒了，斥責那風，向海說：「住了吧！靜了吧！」風就止住，大大平靜了。 40 耶穌對他們說：「為甚麼膽怯？你們還沒有信心嗎？」 41 他們就非常懼怕，彼此說：「這到底是誰？連風和海都聽從他。」
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)
10 When Jesus was alone with the twelve apostles and some others, they asked him about these stories.
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.tA 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)
33 Jesus used many other stories when he spoke to the people, and he taught them as much as they could understand.
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)
35 That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let's cross to the east side.” 36 So they left the crowd, and his disciples started across the lake with him in the boat. Some other boats followed along.
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!”