1. That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.
2. A large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat and sat down. All the people stayed on the shore.
3. Then Jesus used stories to teach them many things. He told them this story: “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 very fast there, because the soil was not deep.
6. But when the sun rose, it burned the plants. The plants 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.
8. But some of the seed fell on good ground. There it grew and made grain. Some plants made 100 times more grain, some 60 times more, and some 30 times more.
9. You people who hear me, listen!”
10. The followers came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you use these stories to teach the people?”