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The Farmer and the Field

¹ One day Jesus rode down to the lake. There was such a large crowd that he jumped up on a stack of hay. ² He taught them a lot of things by telling them stories.

He said, ³ "A farmer went out to plant his fields. ⁴ As he planted, some of the seeds fell on the road, and the birds ate it all up. ⁵ Other seeds fell next to some rocks where there wasn't much dirt. The seeds took root quickly in the shallow soil, ⁶ but they withered quickly because there was nowhere for the roots to go. ⁷ Other seeds fell among the cactus and thistles. They sprouted, but were choked out by the thorns. ⁸ And finally, some seeds found good soil and produced a lot of grain. Some of it yielded thirty times as much, some sixty, and still some a hundred times. ⁹ Whoever has ears should be listening."

¹⁰ Later on, when they were alone, some of his cowboys asked about the stories. ¹¹ He told them, "The secret of the Boss's outfit has been given to you. But for the sake of everyone else, I teach with stories ¹² so this old saying would come true, 'They look, but cannot see. They hear, but they cannot understand. If they could see and understand, they would turn to me and be forgiven.'"

¹³ Then Jesus said, "If you can't understand this simple story about the seeds, how are you going to understand all the other stories? ¹⁴ The farmer spreads God's good news to others. ¹⁵ The seed that fell on the road stands for those who hear the good news, but they let Satan take it away before it does anything to them. ¹⁶ The seed in the rocks stands for those who love the good news and immediately act like it changes their whole world. ¹⁷ But they don't last long because it was all emotion and no faith. They wither quickly when faced with any kind of adversity. ¹⁸ The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear God's good news, ¹⁹ but the words that could save them are choked out by worry, lusting after money, and the desire for materialistic things. ²⁰ And finally, the seed that found good ground are those people who hear the good news and do something with it. They produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as has been planted."

A Lamp in a Bedroll

²¹ Then Jesus posed a question to them, "Would you light a lamp and then stick it in your bedroll? Of course not. A lamp is lifted up high so its light can shine far. ²² Everything in the dark will eventually be revealed. ²³ If you got ears, you'd best use them for listening to what I'm saying."

²⁴ Then he added, "Don't let what I'm saying go in one ear and out the other. The closer you listen the more you'll start getting—and when you start getting it, you'll be given even more. ²⁵ Those who listen and apply what I say to do, they'll start catching on even more and more. But if you ignore the things I say, you'll end up losing more than you started with."

Story about Growing

²⁶ Jesus also told them, "God's Green Pasture is like a farmer that plants seeds in a field. ²⁷ Whether he is asleep at night or working a horse in the arena, those seeds are starting to grow. ²⁸ He has no idea how it works, but he knows it does. The earth makes things grow. First, a little green leaf pokes up through the dirt. Then the head of wheat forms. ²⁹ And finally, the grain is ready for harvest. Then the farmer comes and cuts the wheat with a sickle."

Mustard Seeds

³⁰ Jesus said, "How can I tell you about the Boss's outfit? What kind of cowboy tale will help you understand? ³¹ It is like a tiny little mustard seed. It may start out tiny, ³² but it grows to be the biggest plant in the garden. It grows large and ends up providing shade and protection."

³³ Jesus used a lot of stories like these in his clinics. ³⁴ Truth be told, he never gave a public clinic without using stories, but later when it was just him and his cowboys, he'd explain everything to them.

Jesus Squelches the Squall

³⁵ When the sun finally set that day, Jesus told his cowboys, "Let's get our tack and cross the lake to the other side." ³⁶ So they found a boat, leaving all the crowds behind. ³⁷ But soon, after they had bedded down for the night, a terrible storm came upon them. Lightning struck all around and the wind threatened to blow them all away . . . if the waves didn't drown them first.

³⁸ Jesus was sleeping in his bedroll with his head on his saddle. The cowboys woke him up, yelling, "Boss, don't you care that this storm is going to kill us all?"

⁴¹ The cowboys looked at each other with wide eyes. "Who are we riding with? Even the wind and lightning give to his hand."