马可福音 4
撒种的比喻
（太13．1－9；路8．4－8）
1 耶稣又在海边教导人。有一大群人到他那里聚集，他只好上船坐下。船在海里，众人都靠近海，站在岸上。 2 耶稣就用许多比喻教导他们。在教导的时候，他对他们说： 3 “你们听啊，有一个撒种的出去撒种。 4 他撒的时候，有的落在路旁，飞鸟来把它吃掉了。 5 有的落在土浅的石头地上，因为土不深，很快就长出苗来， 6 太阳出来一晒，因为没有根就枯干了。 7 有的落在荆棘里，荆棘长起来，把它挤住了，就结不出果实。 8 又有的落在好土里，就发芽长大，结出果实，有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。” 9 耶稣又说：“有耳可听的，就应当听！”
用比喻的目的
（太13．10－17；路8．9－10）
10 耶稣独自一人的时候，跟随他的人和十二使徒问他这些比喻的意思。 11 耶稣对他们说：“上帝国的奥秘只让你们知道，若是对外人讲，凡事就用比喻， 12 要
他们看了又看，却看不清，
听了又听，却不明白，
免得他们回转过来，获得赦免。”
解释撒种的比喻
（太13．18－23；路8．11－15）
13 耶稣又对他们说：“你们不明白这比喻吗？这样怎能明白一切的比喻呢？ 14 撒种的人所撒的就是道。 15 那撒在路旁的种子，就是人听了道，撒但立刻来，把撒在他们心里的道夺了去。 16 那撒在石头地上的，就是人听了道，立刻欢喜领受， 17 因心里没有根，不过是暂时的，一旦为道遭受患难或迫害，立刻就跌倒。 18 还有那撒在荆棘里的，就是人听了道， 19 后来有世上的忧虑、钱财的迷惑，和别样的私欲进来，把道挤住了，结不出果实。 20 那撒在好土里的，就是人听了道，领受了，并且结了果实，有三十倍的，有六十倍的，有一百倍的。”
斗下的灯
（路8．16－18）
21 耶稣又对他们说：“人拿灯来，难道是要放在斗底下，床底下，而不放在灯台上吗？ 22 因为掩藏的事没有不显出来的，隐瞒的事也没有不露出来的。 23 有耳可听的，就应当听！”
24 他又说：“你们要留心所听的。你们用什么量器来量，也将要用什么来量给你们，并且要多给你们。 25 因为有的，还要给他；没有的，连他所有的也要夺去。”
种子长大的比喻
26 耶稣又说：“上帝的国如同人把种子撒在地上， 27 黑夜睡觉，白日起来，这种子就发芽生长，那人却不知道如何会这样。 28 土地自然而然地出产五谷，先发苗，后长穗，然后穗上结成饱满的谷子。 29 五谷熟了，就用镰刀去割，因为收成的时候到了。”
芥菜种的比喻
（太13．31－32；路13．18－19）
30 耶稣又说：“我们可用什么来比拟上帝的国呢？可用什么比喻来说明呢？ 31 它像一粒芥菜种，种在地里的时候，虽比地上所有的种子都小， 32 但种下去以后，它长起来，比各样的菜都大，又长出大枝，以致天上的飞鸟可以在它的荫下筑巢。”
用比喻讲道
（太13．34－35）
33 耶稣用许多这样的比喻，照他们所能听的，对他们讲道； 34 若不用比喻，他就不对他们讲，但私下没有人的时候，就把一切的道讲给门徒听。
平静风和海
（太8．23－27；路8．22－25）
35 那天晚上，耶稣对门徒说：“我们渡到对岸去吧。” 36 门徒离开众人，耶稣已在船上，他们就请他一同去；也有别的船和他同行。 37 忽然狂风大作，波浪打入船内，以致船灌满了水。 38 耶稣在船尾上，枕着枕头睡觉。门徒叫醒他，说：“老师！我们快没命了，你不管吗？” 39 耶稣醒了，斥责那风，向海说：“住了吧！静了吧！”风就止住，大大平静了。 40 耶稣对他们说：“为什么胆怯？你们还没有信心吗？” 41 他们就非常惧怕，彼此说：“这到底是谁？连风和海都听从他。”
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!”