12. ‘They see clearly but don’t perceive.They hear clearly but don’t understand.They never return to meand are never forgiven.’ ”
13. Jesus asked them, “Don’t you understand this story? How, then, will you understand any of the stories I use as illustrations?
14. “The farmer plants the word.
15. Some people are like seeds that were planted along the road. Whenever they hear the word, Satan comes at once and takes away the word that was planted in them.
16. Other people are like seeds that were planted on rocky ground. Whenever they hear the word, they accept it at once with joy.
17. But they don’t develop any roots. They last for a short time. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, they immediately fall ⌊from faith⌋.
18. Other people are like seeds planted among thornbushes. They hear the word,
19. but the worries of life, the deceitful pleasures of riches, and the desires for other things take over. They choke the word so that it can’t produce anything.
20. Others are like seeds planted on good ground. They hear the word, accept it, and produce crops—thirty, sixty, or one hundred times as much as was planted.”
21. Jesus said to them, “Does anyone bring a lamp into a room to put it under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a lamp stand?
22. There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light.
23. Let the person who has ears listen!”
24. He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you’re listening to! ⌊Knowledge⌋ will be measured out to you by the measure ⌊of attention⌋ you give. This is the way knowledge increases.
25. Those who understand ⌊these mysteries⌋ will be given ⌊more knowledge⌋. However, some people don’t understand ⌊these mysteries⌋. Even what they understand will be taken away from them.”
26. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground.
27. He sleeps at night and is awake during the day. The seeds sprout and grow, although the man doesn’t know how.
28. The ground produces grain by itself. First the green blade appears, then the head, then the head full of grain.
29. As soon as the grain is ready, he cuts it with a sickle, because harvest time has come.”
30. Jesus asked, “How can we show what the kingdom of God is like? To what can we compare it?
31. It’s like a mustard seed planted in the ground. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds on earth.