Mark 4:21-41

New English Translation

The Parable of the Lamp

²¹He also said to them, “A lamp^[a] isn’t brought to be put under a basket^[b] or under a bed, is it? Isn’t it to be placed on a lampstand? ²²For nothing is hidden except to be revealed,^[c] and nothing concealed except to be brought to light. ²³If anyone has ears to hear, he had better listen!”^[d] ²⁴And he said to them, “Take care about what you hear. The measure you use will be the measure you receive,^[e] and more will be added to you. ²⁵For whoever has will be given more, but^[f] whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”^[g]

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶He also said, “The kingdom of God^[h] is like someone who spreads seed on the ground. ²⁷He goes to sleep and gets up, night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸By itself the soil produces a crop, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain^[i] in the head. ²⁹And when the grain is ripe, he sends in the sickle^[j] because the harvest has come.”^[k]

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰He also asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God,^[l] or what parable can we use to present it? ³¹It is like a mustard seed^[m] that when sown in the ground, even though it is the smallest of all the seeds in the ground— ³²when it is sown, it grows up,^[n] becomes the greatest of all garden plants, and grows large branches so that the wild birds^[o] can nest in its shade.”^[p]

The Use of Parables

³³So^[q] with many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear. ³⁴He did not speak to them without a parable. But privately he explained everything to his own disciples.

Stilling of a Storm

³⁵On that day, when evening came, Jesus^[r] said to his disciples, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.”^[s] ³⁶So^[t] after leaving the crowd, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat,^[u] and other boats were with him. ³⁷Now^[v] a great windstorm^[w] developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. ³⁸But^[x] he was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” ³⁹So^[y] he got up and rebuked^[z] the wind, and said to the sea,^[aa] “Be quiet! Calm down!” Then^[ab] the wind stopped, and it was dead calm. ⁴⁰And he said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?” ⁴¹They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, “Who then is this?^[ac] Even the wind and sea obey him!”^[ad]

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Footnotes

Mark 4:21 sn The lamp is probably an ancient oil burning lamp or perhaps a candlestick. Jesus is comparing revelation to light, particularly the revelation of his ministry.
Mark 4:21 tn Or “a bowl”; this refers to any container for dry material of about eight liters (two gallons) capacity. It could be translated “basket, box, bowl” (L&N 6.151).
Mark 4:22 tn Or “disclosed.”
Mark 4:23 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9; Luke 8:8; 14:35).
Mark 4:24 tn Grk “by the measure with which you measure it will be measured to you.”
Mark 4:25 tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
Mark 4:25 sn What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.
Mark 4:26 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. The nature of the kingdom of God in the NT and in Jesus’ teaching has long been debated by interpreters and scholars, with discussion primarily centering around the nature of the kingdom (earthly, heavenly, or both) and the kingdom’s arrival (present, future, or both). An additional major issue concerns the relationship between the kingdom of God and the person and work of Jesus himself.
Mark 4:28 tn KJV “corn” is the result of British English, in which “corn” refers to the main cereal crop of a district, wheat in England and oats in Scotland (British English uses “maize” to refer to American corn).
Mark 4:29 tn The Greek word εὐθύς (euthus, often translated “immediately” or “right away”) has not been translated here. It sometimes occurs with a weakened, inferential use (BDAG 406 s.v. 2), not contributing significantly to the flow of the narrative. For further discussion, see R. J. Decker, Temporal Deixis of the Greek Verb in the Gospel of Mark with Reference to Verbal Aspect (SBG 10), 73-77.
Mark 4:29 sn Because the harvest has come. This parable is found only in Mark (cf. Matt 13:24-30) and presents a complete picture of the coming of God’s kingdom: (1) sowing; (2) growth; (3) harvest. Some understand the parable as a reference to evangelism. While this is certainly involved, it does not seem to be the central idea. In contrast to the parable of the sower which emphasizes the quality of the different soils, this parable emphasizes the power of the seed to cause growth (with the clear implication that the mysterious growth of the kingdom is accomplished by God), apart from human understanding and observation.
Mark 4:30 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus’ teaching. See the note on this phrase in v. 26.
Mark 4:31 sn Mustard seeds are known for their tiny size.
Mark 4:32 tn Mark 4:31-32 is fairly awkward in Greek. Literally the sentence reads as follows: “As a mustard seed, which when sown in the earth, being the smallest of all the seeds in the earth, and when it is sown, it grows up…” The structure has been rendered in more idiomatic English, although some of the awkward structure has been retained for rhetorical effect.
Mark 4:32 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
Mark 4:32 sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of a small plant that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.
Mark 4:33 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
Mark 4:35 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Mark 4:35 tn The phrase “of the lake” is not in the Greek text but is clearly implied; it has been supplied here for clarity.
Mark 4:36 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the response to Jesus’ request.
Mark 4:36 tn It is possible that this prepositional phrase modifies “as he was,” not “they took him along.” The meaning would then be “they took him along in the boat in which he was already sitting” (see 4:1).sn A boat that held all the disciples would be of significant size. See the note at Mark 1:19 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Mark 4:37 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
Mark 4:37 tn Or “a squall.”sn The Sea of Galilee is located in a depression some 700 ft (200 m) below sea level and is surrounded by hills. Frequently a rush of wind and the right mix of temperatures can cause a storm to come suddenly on the lake. Storms on the Sea of Galilee were known for their suddenness and violence.
Mark 4:38 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
Mark 4:39 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
Mark 4:39 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
Mark 4:39 sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Pss 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea he was making a statement about who he was.
Mark 4:39 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Mark 4:41 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about who he was exactly (Who then is this?). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.
Mark 4:41 sn This section in Mark (4:35-5:43) contains four miracles: (1) the calming of the storm; (2) the exorcism of the demon-possessed man; (3) the giving of life to Jairus’ daughter; (4) the healing of the woman hemorrhaging for twelve years. All these miracles demonstrate Jesus’ right to proclaim the kingdom message and his sovereign authority over forces, directly or indirectly, hostile to the kingdom. The last three may have been brought together to show that Jesus had power over all defilement, since contact with graves, blood, or a corpse was regarded under Jewish law as causing a state of ritual uncleanness.

New English Translation (NET)