Crowds Follow Jesus^(A)

⁷ Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.^{(B) 8} When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.^{(C) 9} Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. ¹⁰ For he had healed many,^(D) so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him.^{(E) 11} Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”^{(F) 12} But he gave them strict orders not to tell others about him.^(G)

Jesus Appoints the Twelve^(H)

¹³ Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him.^{(I) 14} He appointed twelve^[a](J) that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach ¹⁵ and to have authority to drive out demons.^{(K) 16} These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter),^{(L) 17} James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), ¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot ¹⁹ and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law^(M)(N)

²⁰ Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered,^(O) so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.^{(P) 21} When his family^[b] heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”^(Q)

²² And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem^(R) said, “He is possessed by Beelzebul!^(S) By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”^(T)

²³ So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables:^(U) “How can Satan^(V) drive out Satan? ²⁴ If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. ²⁵ If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. ²⁶ And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. ²⁷ In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.^{(W) 28} Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, ²⁹ but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”^(X)

³⁰ He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived.^(Y) Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. ³² A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

³³ “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

The Parable of the Sower^(Z)(AA)

4 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake.^(AB) The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. ² He taught them many things by parables,^(AC) and in his teaching said: ³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.^{(AD) 4} As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”^(AE)

⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(AF)

¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God^(AG) has been given to you. But to those on the outside^(AH) everything is said in parables ¹² so that,

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word.^{(AJ) 15} Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan^(AK) comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth^(AL) and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

A Lamp on a Stand

²¹ He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?^{(AM) 22} For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.^{(AN) 23} If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”^(AO)

²⁴ “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.^{(AP) 25} Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”^(AQ)

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.^(AR) A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”^(AS)

The Parable of the Mustard Seed^(AT)

³⁰ Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,^(AU) or what parable shall we use to describe it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. ³² Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

³³ With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.^{(AV) 34} He did not say anything to them without using a parable.^(AW) But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.