The Story of the Farmer
1Again Jesus began to teach by the Sea of Galilee. The crowd that gathered around him was very large. So he got into a boat. He sat down in it out on the lake. All the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2He taught them many things using stories. In his teaching he said, 3“Listen! A farmer went out to plant his seed. 4He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. Birds came and ate it up. 5Some seed fell on rocky places, where there wasn’t much soil. The plants came up quickly, because the soil wasn’t deep. 6When the sun came up, it burned the plants. They dried up because they had no roots. 7Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and crowded out the plants. So the plants did not bear grain. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It grew up and produced a crop 30, 60, or even 100 times more than the farmer planted.”
9Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears should listen.”
10Later Jesus was alone. The 12 disciples asked him about the stories. So did the others around him. 11He told them, “The secret of God’s kingdom has been given to you. But to outsiders everything is told using stories. 12In that way,
“ ‘They will see but never know what they are seeing.
They will hear but never understand.
Otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ ” (Isaiah 6:9,10)
13Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this story? Then how will you understand any stories of this kind? 14The seed the farmer plants is God’s message. 15What is seed scattered on a path like? The message is planted. The people hear the message. Then Satan comes. He takes away the message that was planted in them. 16And what is seed scattered on rocky places like? The people hear the message. At once they receive it with joy. 17But they have no roots. So they last only a short time. They quickly fall away from the faith when trouble or suffering comes because of the message. 18And what is seed scattered among thorns like? The people hear the message. 19But then the worries of this life come to them. Wealth comes with its false promises. The people also long for other things. All of these are the kinds of things that crowd out the message. They keep it from producing fruit. 20And what is seed scattered on good soil like? The people hear the message. They accept it. They produce a good crop 30, 60, or even 100 times more than the farmer planted.”
A Lamp on a Stand
21Jesus said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a large bowl or a bed? Don’t you put it on its stand? 22What is hidden is meant to be seen. And what is put out of sight is meant to be brought out into the open. 23Whoever has ears should listen.”
24“Think carefully about what you hear,” he said. “As you give, so you will receive. In fact, you will receive even more. 25Whoever has something will be given more. Whoever has nothing, even what they have will be taken away from them.”
The Story of the Growing Seed
26Jesus also said, “Here is what God’s kingdom is like. A farmer scatters seed on the ground. 27Night and day the seed comes up and grows. It happens whether the farmer sleeps or gets up. He doesn’t know how it happens. 28All by itself the soil produces grain. First the stalk comes up. Then the head appears. Finally, the full grain appears in the head. 29Before long the grain ripens. So the farmer cuts it down, because the harvest is ready.”
The Story of the Mustard Seed
30Again Jesus said, “What can we say God’s kingdom is like? What story can we use to explain it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32But when you plant the seed, it grows. It becomes the largest of all garden plants. Its branches are so big that birds can rest in its shade.”
33Using many stories like these, Jesus spoke the word to them. He told them as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a story. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything.
Jesus Calms the Storm
35When evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” 36They left the crowd behind. And they took him along in a boat, just as he was. There were also other boats with him. 37A wild storm came up. Waves crashed over the boat. It was about to sink. 38Jesus was in the back, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him up. They said, “Teacher! Don’t you care if we drown?”
39He got up and ordered the wind to stop. He said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down. And it was completely calm.
40He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Don’t you have any faith at all yet?”
41They were terrified. They asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Prispodoba o sijaču
(Mt 13:1-23; Lk 8:4-15)
1Isus opet počne poučavati na obali jezera. K njemu nagrne toliko ljudi da je ušao u lađicu na jezeru, sjeo u nju i odande propovijedao, a sve je mnoštvo ostalo na obali. 2Zatim stane poučavati ljude brojnim prispodobama. Evo jedne od njih: 3“Slušajte! Neki je ratar sijao sjeme. 4Dok ga je sijao po polju, nešto sjemena padne na stazu. Dođu ptice i pozobaju ga. 5Dio sjemena padne na kamenito tlo gdje je zemlja bila plitka, pa odmah nikne. 6Ali kad je granulo sunce, izgori i osuši se jer nije imalo duboka korijena. 7Dio sjemena padne u trnje pa ono poraste i uguši ga, tako da nije donijelo roda. 8Dio ga, napokon, padne na dobru zemlju i donese trideseterostruk, šezdeseterostruk, a neka čak i stostruk urod.
9Slušajte, kad već imate uši!”
10Kad je Isus poslije ostao sam s Dvanaestoricom i s drugima koji su ga slijedili, upitaju ga o značenju te prispodobe.
11On im odgovori: “Vama je dopušteno razumjeti tajnu o Božjemu kraljevstvu. A ostalima, koji su vani, govorim u prispodobama. 12Kao što piše u Svetome pismu:
‘Gledat će moja djela,
ali neće dokučiti njihova značenja;
slušat će moje riječi,
ali ih neće razumjeti.
Neće se odvratiti od svojih grijeha
niti će im biti oprošteno.’4:12 Izaija 6:9-10.
13Ali ako ne možete razumjeti tu jednostavnu priču, kako ćete uopće razumjeti prispodobe? 14Sijač o kojemu sam govorio svatko je onaj tko u ljudska srca sije Božju riječ. 15Sjeme na tvrdu tlu jesu oni koji čuju Riječ, ali odmah dođe Sotona i odnese tu Riječ u njih posijanu. 16Kamenito tlo su oni koji čuju Riječ i odmah ju radosno prihvate, 17ali nemaju korijena i nestalni su. Čim ih zbog Riječi snađe nevolja ili progonstvo, odmah podlegnu. 18Trnovito tlo srca su ljudi koji čuju Riječ i prihvate ju, 19ali tjeskobne brige ovoga svijeta, varavo bogatstvo i požuda za svime ostalime uguše sjeme i ono ostane bez roda. 20Dobro tlo je srce čovjeka koji čuje Riječ, razumije ju i donosi rod—trideseterostruko, šezdeseterostruko ili čak stostruko veći od posijanoga.”
Prispodoba o svjetiljci
(Lk 8:16-18)
21Zatim ih upita: “Kada upalite svjetiljku, stavljate li ju pod košaru ili pod postelju da prigušite svjetlost? Nipošto! Stavljate ju na svijećnjak.
22Sve ono što je sada skriveno i što je u potaji učinjeno, jednom će izići na vidjelo. 23Slušajte, kad već imate uši!
24I nastojte svakako pozorno slušati! Kad budete tako činili, bolje ćete razumjeti što vam govorim. 25Onima koji žive po Božjoj mudrosti”, reče im, “Bog će dati još više mudrosti. A oni koji ne postupaju prema njegovoj mudrosti, izgubit će ubrzo i ono malo od nje što imaju.”
Sjeme koje samo raste
26Isus nastavi: “Božje je kraljevstvo poput ovoga: ratar baci sjeme na zemlju, 27a zatim ode dalje za svojim poslom. Lijegao je noću i ustajao danju, a sjeme je niknulo i izraslo a da on to nije ni znao. 28Zemlja sama od sebe donese rod: najprije izraste stabljika, zatim klas, pa se popuni zrelim zrnima. 29Čim zrno sazre, dođe ratar i požanje ga srpom.”
Prispodoba o gorušičinom sjemenu
(Mt 13:31-32; Lk 13:18-19)
30Isus upita: “Kako da vam još opišem Božje kraljevstvo? S čime da ga usporedim? 31Ono je poput sitna gorušičina zrna, najmanjega od svakog sjemena koje se sije u zemlju. 32Ali kad se posije, izraste veće od svake biljke u povrtnjaku, s velikim granama u kojih se sjenu mogu skloniti ptice nebeske.”
33Isus je govorio takve prispodobe da pouči narod Riječi onoliko koliko su mogli shvatiti. 34Javno je poučavao samo u prispodobama, a nasamo je svojim učenicima sve tumačio.
Isus smiruje oluju
(Mt 8:18, 23-27; Lk 8:22-25)
35Kad se spustila večer, Isus reče učenicima: “Prijeđimo na drugu stranu jezera.” 36Oni otpustiše narod i povezoše ga u lađici iz koje je propovijedao. Za njima se otisnu i druge lađice. 37Odjednom se podiže silna oluja. Visoki valovi počnu se prelijevati u lađicu tako da se gotovo posve napunila vodom. 38Isus je spavao na krmi s glavom na jastuku. U panici su ga probudili vičući: “Učitelju! Zar ti uopće ne mariš što ćemo izginuti?”
39Isus se probudi, zaprijeti vjetru te reče moru: “Utišaj se! Umukni!” Vjetar prestane i nastane velika tišina. 40On upita učenike: “Što ste se toliko prestrašili? Zar još nemate vjere?”
41Oni su bili silno prestrašeni. Pitali su jedan drugoga: “Pa tko je on da mu se i vjetar i more pokoravaju?”