Chapter
4
Again she began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to her, so that she entered into a boat in the sea, and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.
She taught them many things in parables, and told them in her teaching,
"Listen! Behold, the farmer went out to sow,
and it happened, as she sowed, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured it.
Others fell on the rocky ground, where it had little soil, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil.
When the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing. Some brought forth thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times as much."
She said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let her hear."
When she was alone, those who were around her with the twelve asked her about the parables.
She said to them, "To you is given the mystery of the Kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,
that 'seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them.'"
She said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How will you understand all of the parables?
The farmer sows the word.
The ones by the road are the ones where the word is sown; and when they have heard, immediately Satan comes, and takes away the word which has been sown in them.
These in like manner are those who are sown on the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.
They have no root in themselves, but are short-lived. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.
Others are those who are sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word,
and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Those which were sown on the good ground are those who hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, some thirty times, some sixty times, and some one hundred times."
She said to them, "Is the lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Isn't it put on a stand?
For there is nothing hidden, except that it should be made known; neither was anything made secret, but that it should come to light.
If any woman has ears to hear, let her hear."
She said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you who hear.
For whoever has, to her will more be given, and she who doesn't have, even that which she has will be taken away from her."
She said, "The Kingdom of God is as if a woman should cast seed on the earth,
and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, she doesn't know how.
For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
But when the fruit is ripe, immediately she puts forth the sickle, because the harvest has come."
She said, "How will we liken the Kingdom of God? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?
It's like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,
yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow."
With many such parables she spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
Without a parable she didn't speak to them; but privately to her own disciples she explained everything.
On that day, when evening had come, she said to them, "Let's go over to the other side."
Leaving the multitude, they took her with them, even as she was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with her.
A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled.
She herself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke her up, and told her, "Teacher, don't you care that we are dying?"
She awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" The wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
She said to them, "Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?"
They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey her?"