The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4

¹ Again _v he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, _w so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. ² And _x he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ³ "Listen! _y A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. ⁶ And _z when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, _a it withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among _b thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. ⁸ And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and _c a hundredfold." ⁹ And he said, _d "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

1. Cross References
   Mark 4:1 - 12
   Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.
   Matthew 13:1 - 15
   That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
   Luke 8:4 - 10
   And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable:
   
2. Cross References
   Mark 3:9
   And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him.
   Luke 5:1 - 3
   On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.
   
3. Cross References
   Mark 4:1 - 12
   Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.
   Matthew 13:1 - 15
   That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
   Luke 8:4 - 10
   And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable:
   
4. Cross References
   Mark 4:33
   With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.
   
5. Cross References
   Isaiah 55:10
   For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater.
   Amos 9:13
   Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord, "when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.
   
6. Cross References
   James 1:11
   For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
   
7. Cross References
   John 15:6
   If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
   
8. Cross References
   Jeremiah 4:3
   For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: "Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
   
9. Cross References
   Mark 4:20
   But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
   Genesis 26:12
   And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him.
   
10. Cross References
    Matthew 11:15
    He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
    

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.