Luke 8:1-23 ▼

1 Shortly after this He visited town after town, and village after village, proclaiming His Message and telling the Good News of the Kingdom of God. The Twelve were with Him,

2 and certain women whom He had delivered from evil spirits and various diseases--Mary of Magdala, out of whom seven demons had come,

3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many other women, all of whom contributed to the support of Jesus and His Apostles.

4 And when a great crowd was assembling, and was receiving additions from one town after another, He spoke a parable to them.

5 "The sower," He said, "goes out to sow his seed; and as he sows, some of the seed falls by the way-side, and is trodden upon, or the birds of the air come and peck it up.

6 Another part drops upon the rock, and after growing up it withers away for want of moisture.

7 Another part falls among the thorns, and the thorns grow up with it and stifle it.

8 But some of the seed falls into good ground, and grows up and yields a return of a hundred for one." While thus speaking, He cried aloud and said, "Listen, every one who has ears to listen with!"

9 The disciples proceeded to ask Him what this parable meant.

10 "To you," He replied, "it is granted to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God; but all others are taught by parables, in order that they may see and yet not see, and may hear and yet not understand.

11 The meaning of the parable is as follows. The seed is God's Message.

12 Those by the way-side are those who have heard, and then the Devil comes and carries away the Message from their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

13 Those on the rock are the people who on hearing the Message receive it joyfully; but they have no root: for a time they believe, but when trial comes they fall away.

14 That which fell among the thorns means those who have heard, but as they go on their way, the Message is stifled by the anxieties, wealth and gaieties of time, and they yield nothing in perfection.

15 But as for that in the good ground, it means those who, having listened to the Message with open minds and in a right spirit, hold it fast, and patiently yield a return.

16 "When any one lights a lamp, he does not cover it with a vessel or hide it under a couch; he puts it on a lampstand, that people who enter the room may see the light.

17 There is nothing hidden, which shall not be openly seen; nor anything secret, which shall not be known and come into the light of day.

18 Be careful, therefore, how you hear; for whoever has anything, to him more shall be given, and whoever has nothing, even that which he thinks he has shall be taken away from him."

19 Then came to Him His mother and His brothers, but could not get near Him for the crowd.

20 But He was told, "Your mother and brothers are standing on the edge of the crowd, and want to see you."

21 "My mother and my brothers," He replied, "are these who hear God's Message and obey it."

22 One day He went on board a boat--both He and his disciples; and He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side of the Lake." So they set sail.

23 During the passage He fell asleep, and there came down a squall of wind on the Lake, so that the boat began to fill and they were in deadly peril.