Mark 4:26-34

The Parable of the Seed Growing

26 And he said, c "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; d he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once e he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 f And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? 31 It is like g a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

33 h With many such parables he spoke i the word to them, j as they were able to hear it. 34 He did not speak to them k without a parable, but l privately to his own disciples he m explained everything.

  1. Cross References
    Matthew 13:24 - 30
    He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
  2. Cross References
    Ecclesiastes 11:5 - 6
    As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
  3. Cross References
    Joel 3:13
    Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the winepress is full. The vats overflow, for their evil is great.
    Revelation 14:15
    And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.
  4. Cross References
    Mark 4:30 - 32
    And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?
    Matthew 13:31 - 32
    He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
    Luke 13:18 - 19
    He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
  5. Cross References
    Mark 4:30 - 32
    And he said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it?
    Matthew 13:31 - 32
    He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
    Luke 13:18 - 19
    He said therefore, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?
  6. Cross References
    Matthew 17:20
    He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.
    Luke 17:6
    And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.
  7. Cross References
    Matthew 13:34
    All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable.
  8. Cross References
    Mark 4:14
    The sower sows the word.
  9. Cross References
    John 16:12
    I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
    1 Corinthians 3:2
    I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready.
    Hebrews 5:12
    For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food.
  10. Cross References
    John 16:25
    I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.
  11. Cross References
    Mark 4:10
    And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
    Mark 13:3
    And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately.
  12. Cross References
    2 Peter 1:20
    Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.