A Story about a Farmer
(Matthew 13.1-9Luke 8.4-8)1 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 13.10-17Luke 8.9Luke 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 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 13.18-23Luke 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 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 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 Listen carefully to what you hear! The way you treat others will be the way you will be treated—and even worse. 25 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 Then when harvest season comes and the grain is ripe, the farmer cuts it with a sickle.
A Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13.31Matthew 32Luke 13.18Luke 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 13.34Matthew 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 8.23-27Luke 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!”
1 WA biqa yu‘allim an-nās fi ṭaraf al-baḥar wa itlammū lēhu nās ketīrīn khalās ḥattan Yasū‘ dakhal fi-l-murkab eṣ-ṣag̠h̠āiyir wa ‘allamahum min al-baḥar wa hum qā‘idīn fi qēf al-baḥar. 2 Wa huwa ‘allamahum kitīr bi amsāl wa qal lēhum, 3 Isma‘ū, az-zarrā‘ ḵh̠arag fi s̠h̠ān yezra‘ tērābu. 4 Wa wakit huwa zara‘, ba‘ḍ min et-tērāb waqa‘at fi-d-derib, wa-ṭuyūr as-samā akalatha. 5 Wa ba‘ḍ minnaha waqa‘at fi-l-wāṭā el fōqa ḥasḥās, mā fōqa ṭin semiḥ, wa ṭala‘at bi sirā‘. 6 Wa lākin lamman as̠h̠-s̠h̠amis s̠h̠araqat nis̠h̠fat fi s̠h̠ān mā ‘indaha ‘urūq. 7 Wa ba‘ḍ minnaha waqa‘at fi wasṭ as̠h̠-s̠h̠ōk el khanaqūha, wa mā gābat samar. 8 Wa ba‘ḍ minnaha waqa‘at fi-l-arḍ as-semḥa wa qāmat wa zādat wa gābat dura, minnaha telātīn ḥabba wa minnaha sittīn ḥabba wa minnaha miyat ḥabba. 9 Wa Yasū‘ qāl lēhum, El ‘indu aḍān li sima‘ yesma‘.
10 Wa lamman huwa kān barāhu ḥērānu wa-n-nās at-tānyīn ṭalabū minnu yefassir lēhum al-masal. 11 Wa huwa qāl, Intu māshyīn ta‘rifū sirr Malakūt Allah, lākin aḥaddis an-nās al-barraniyyīn bi-l-amsāl sākit. 12 Ḥatta hum yeqdarū yu‘āyinū wa lākin mā yes̠h̠ūfū, wa yeqdarū yesma‘ū wa lākin mā yefhamū wa yerga‘ū li-r-Rabb wa yitsāmiḥū. 13 Wa qāl lēhum, Intu lilēla mā bita‘rifū ma‘nat al-masal da, kān kadi kēfin teqdarū tefhamū al-amsāl al-bāqiyīn. 14 Az-zarrā‘ biyezra‘ kalimat Allah. 15 Wa el waqa‘at fi-d-derib dōl el yesma‘ū kalām Allah lākin ḥālan yigi Iblīs wa yeḵh̠tif al-kalām min qu-lūbahum. 16 Wa el mazrū‘a fi-l-wāṭā el fōqa ḥasḥās hum dōl el yesma‘ū kalām Allah wa yeqbalūhu wa yinbasiṭū. 17 Lākin mā fōqun ‘urūq, yeqdarū yistaḥmilū s̠h̠wāiya wa lākin fi wakit as-sa‘ūba yeqa‘ū. 18 Wa-l-mazrū‘a fi wasiṭ as̠h̠-s̠h̠ōk dōl el yesma‘ū kalām Allah. 19 Wa ba‘dēn humūm ad-dunya wa s̠h̠ahawātha wa g̠h̠urūr al-gh̠inna yekhnuqun wa yebqū aqrin. 20 Wa-l-mazrū‘ fi-l-arḍ as-semḥa dōl el yesma‘ū kalām Allah wa yeqbalūhu wa yegībū tērāb, ya‘ni ‘amāl ḥasina, telatīn au sittīn au miyat ḥabba.
21 Wa huwa qāḥ Tekhuttu al-fānūs wēn? Taḥit al-melwa au taḥit al-‘anqarēb, au terfa‘ū-hu fōq li yeḍawwī li-n-nās? 22 Mā fi madsūsa illa yabīn wa mā fi sirr illa yinkas̠h̠if. 23 El ‘indu aḍān yesma‘. 24 Wa qāl lēhum, Khallū bālkum s̠h̠īn tesma‘ū; bi-l-kēla el tekayyilū biha li-n-nās hum kamān yekayyilū lēkum. Wa intu el tesma‘ū yaddūkum ziyāda. 25 Fi s̠h̠ān el ‘indu ketīr yezīdu lēh, wa-l-‘indu s̠h̠wāiya yes̠h̠īlu minnu. 26 Wa qāl lēhum, Malakūt Allah yes̠h̠ba wāḥid el ramā tērābu fi-l-arḍ. 27 Wa nām wa qām lēl wa nahār wa ba‘dēn at-tērāb ṭala‘ wa huwa mā ya‘rif kēfin yeṭla‘. 28 Fi s̠h̠ān al-arḍ min nafsaha tegīb ḥabbāb, fi-l-awwal teqūmal-qasaba waba‘dēnal-qandūḥ 29 Wa lamman ad-dura yengad, yersal al-muaggarīn li yehishs̠hū bi-l-malōda fi shān gā wakit lamm al-‘ēs̠h̠.
30 Wa huwa qāh̠ Nes̠h̠ebbah Malakūt Allah bi s̠h̠inū, au bi yātū masal nemassilū? 31 Ma-lakut Allah mitil ḥabbat khardal fi s̠h̠ān lamman mazrū‘ tekūn aṣg̠h̠ār min kull al-ḥabūb fi-d-dunya. 32 Wa lākin lamman teqūm tebqa akbar min kull as̠h̠-s̠h̠adar wa tefarra‘ furū‘ kubār ḥattan kull ṭuyūr as-samā yuriqū fi ḍullaha.
33 Wa Yasū‘ ‘allamahum bi amsāl kutār mitil dōḥ qadir ma yeqdarū yesma‘ū. 34 Wa lākin bilā masal mā ‘allamahum abadan, wa lamman kānū barāhum fassar kull s̠h̠ī li ḥērānu.
35 Wa nafs al-yōm fi-l-mag̠h̠rib huwa qāl, Khallīna neqta‘ al-baḥar. 36 Wa ba‘di ma sarafū an-nās kulluhum, ḥērānu akhadūhu ma‘-hum fi-l-murkab, wa kānū ma‘hum, marākib ṣugh̠ār kamān. 37 Wa qām ‘alēhum habūb s̠h̠edīd wa-l-mōg ḍarabat al-murkab wa malatha. 38 Wa Yasū‘ kān nāyim fi mukhar al-murkab wa rāsu fōq makhadda, wa hum tawwarūhu wa qālū lēh, Ya sīdi, inta mudi tahimmaka wa neḥna neg̠h̠raq? 39 Wa huwa qām wa sakkat la-habūb wa qāl li-l-baḥar, Uskut sākit. Wa-l-habūb wa-l-baḥar inkatamat. 40 Wa huwa qāl lēhum, Lē tekhāfū kadi? Lē s̠h̠inū mā ‘indakum īmān? 41 Wa ḵh̠āfū ketīr ḵh̠alās wa qālū ba‘ḍibi ba‘ḍ, Ar-rāgil da ginsu s̠h̠inū fi s̠h̠ān al-habūb wa-l-baḥar yesma‘ū kalāmu?