Mark 4:11

Jesus said, “These stories have a secret meaning. The stories are all about how God will be the king over everything in a new way. You men follow me, so I will tell you what those stories mean. People that are not in God's family will hear the stories but they will not understand them.

Barkly (portions)

In The King James Version

And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

In Context

10Later on, Jesus was sitting down with his 12 close followers, and there were other people sitting with them. His close followers said to Jesus, “We don't understand the stories that you tell us. Can you tell us what they mean?”

12That way, what God told Isaiah to say a long time ago will come true.” This is what Isaiah said, People will look with their eyes, but they will not understand what they see. People will hear with their ears, but they will not understand what they hear. If people did look and listen properly, they would turn around and come back to God, and he would forgive them. And you can read this story in Matthew 13:18-23 and in Luke 8:11-15

Read all of Mark 4

Matthew Henry on Mark 4:2-21

The Parable of the Sower. 1 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, 3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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