Mark 4:26-41

26Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seeds on the ground.

27He sleeps at night and is awake during the day. The seeds sprout and grow, although the man doesn’t know how.

28The ground produces grain by itself. First the green blade appears, then the head, then the head full of grain.

29As soon as the grain is ready, he cuts it with a sickle, because harvest time has come.”

30Jesus asked, “How can we show what God’s kingdom is like? To what can we compare it?

31It’s like a mustard seed planted in the ground. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds on earth.

32However, when planted, it comes up and becomes taller than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that birds can nest in its shade.”

33Jesus spoke ⌞God’s⌟ word to them using many illustrations like these. In this way people could understand what he taught.

34He did not speak to them without using an illustration. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

35That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side.”

36Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus along in a boat just as he was. Other boats were with him.

37A violent windstorm came up. The waves were breaking into the boat so that it was quickly filling up.

38But he was sleeping on a cushion in the back of the boat. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?”

39Then he got up, ordered the wind to stop, and said to the sea, “Be still, absolutely still!” The wind stopped blowing, and the sea became very calm.

40He asked them, “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith yet?”

41They were overcome with fear and asked each other, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”