Mark 4:1-9
Parable of the Sower and Soils
1 Again Jesus began to teach beside the sea [of Galilee]. And a very large crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat [anchoring it a short distance out] on the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore.(A)
2 And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them,
3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow seed;
4 and as he was sowing, some seed fell by the road, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Other seed fell on rocks where there was not much soil; and immediately a plant sprang up (a)because the soil had no depth.
6 And when the sun came up, the plant was scorched; and because it had no root, it dried up and withered away.
7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.
8 And other seed fell into good soil, and as the plants grew and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundred times [as much as had been sown].”
9 And He said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear and heed My words.”
Footnotes:
a.
Mark 4:5: In many parts of Israel a layer of limestone lies an inch or so beneath the surface of the ground. This layer traps the moisture, and for a brief period of time a plant growing there may appear to flourish. But as soon as a dry spell comes, the moisture quickly dissipates. Due to the layer of limestone, the plant cannot sink roots and soon withers and dies (v 6).