Jesus Explains the Parable of the Sower (MRK 4:13-20)

[4:13] Then Jesus asked them, “Don't you understand this parable? How, then, will you ever understand any parable?

[4:14] The sower sows God's message.

[4:15] Some people are like the seeds that fall along the path; as soon as they hear the message, Satan comes and takes it away.

[4:16] Other people are like the seeds that fall on rocky ground. As soon as they hear the message, they receive it gladly.

[4:17] But it does not sink deep into them, and they don't last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once.

[4:18] Other people are like the seeds sown among the thorn bushes. These are the ones who hear the message,

[4:19] but the worries about this life, the love for riches, and all other kinds of desires crowd in and choke the message, and they don't bear fruit.

[4:20] But other people are like seeds sown in good soil. They hear the message, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirty, some sixty, and some one hundred.”