1. Another time Jesus began teaching by the lake, and a large crowd gathered around him. He got into a boat so that he could sit and teach from the lake. All the people stayed on the shore near the water.
2. Jesus used stories to teach them many things. One of his lessons included this story:
3. “Listen! A farmer went out to sow seed.
4. While he was scattering the seed, some of it fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed.
5. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where there was not enough dirt. It grew quickly there because the soil was not deep.
6. But then the sun rose and the plants were burned. They died because they did not have deep roots.
7. Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and stopped the good plants from growing. So they did not make grain.
8. But some of the seed fell on good ground. There it began to grow, and it made grain. Some plants made 30 times more grain, some 60 times more, and some 100 times more.”
9. Then Jesus said, “You people who hear me, listen!”
10. Later, Jesus was away from the people. The twelve apostles and his other followers asked him about the stories.
11. Jesus said, “Only you can know the secret truth about God’s kingdom. But to those other people I tell everything by using stories.
12. I do this so that ‘They will look and look but never really see; they will listen and listen but never understand. If they saw and understood, they might change and be forgiven.’” Isaiah 6:9-10
13. Then Jesus said to the followers, “Do you understand this story? If you don’t, how will you understand any story?