Kingdom parables, discipleship and a storm
Life of Jesus · Draft · BSB
Content revision: eda9e0991534a466 · No editorial review date recorded
Date: Ministry in Galilee. A guided comparison of Gospel accounts, not a measured calendar or a claim that every parallel follows the same sequence.
Jesus teaches in parables about receiving the word, the kingdom’s growth, its value and final judgment. The linked accounts also describe the cost of following him and his calming a storm as the disciples cross the lake.
This is a collection of teaching and crossing scenes, not one continuous event. Luke places the would-be followers in his later journey narrative; Matthew includes private explanations as well as teaching from the boat.
Primary Scripture
8:18 When Jesus saw a large crowd around Him, He gave orders to cross to the other side of the sea.
8:19 And one of the scribes came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.”
8:20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
8:21 Another of His disciples requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
8:22 But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
8:23 When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.
8:24 Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was engulfed by the waves. But Jesus was sleeping.
8:25 The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”
8:26 “You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.
8:27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
13:1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
13:2 Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.
13:3 And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
13:4 And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
13:5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.
13:6 But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
13:7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.
13:8 Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.
13:9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
13:10 Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”
13:11 He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
13:12 Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13:13 This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
13:14 In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
13:15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’
13:16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
13:17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
13:18 Consider, then, the parable of the sower:
13:19 When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
13:20 The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
13:21 But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
13:22 The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
13:23 But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”
13:24 Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
13:25 But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away.
13:26 When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
13:27 The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
13:28 ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
13:29 ‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them.
13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”
13:31 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field.
13:32 Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
13:33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”
13:34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable.
13:35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
13:36 Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
13:37 He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
13:38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
13:39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
13:40 As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
13:41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness.
13:42 And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
13:44 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.
13:45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.
13:46 When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.
13:47 Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish.
13:48 When it was full, the men pulled it ashore. Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away.
13:49 So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous
13:50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
13:51 Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.
13:52 Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
13:53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He withdrew from that place.
4:1 Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.
4:2 And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said,
4:3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4:4 And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
4:5 Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.
4:6 But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
4:7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.
4:8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”
4:9 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
4:10 As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.
4:11 He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables,
4:12 so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
4:13 Then Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?
4:14 The farmer sows the word.
4:15 Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
4:16 Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
4:17 But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
4:18 Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word,
4:19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
4:20 Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”
4:21 Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand?
4:22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light.
4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
4:24 He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and even more will be added to you.
4:25 For whoever has will be given more. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”
4:26 Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.
4:27 Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how.
4:28 All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within.
4:29 And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
4:30 Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it?
4:31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds sown upon the earth.
4:32 But after it is planted, it grows to be the largest of all garden plants and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of the air nest in its shade.”
4:33 With many such parables Jesus spoke the word to them, to the extent that they could understand.
4:34 He did not tell them anything without using a parable. But privately He explained everything to His own disciples.
4:35 When that evening came, He said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.”
4:36 After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him.
4:37 Soon a violent windstorm came up, and the waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was being swamped.
4:38 But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”
4:39 Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.
4:40 “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”
4:41 Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
8:4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them this parable:
8:5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.
8:6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.
8:7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings.
8:8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
8:9 Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.
8:10 He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
8:11 Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
8:12 The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
8:13 The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.
8:14 The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.
8:15 But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.
8:16 No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.
8:17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known and brought to light.
8:18 Pay attention, therefore, to how you listen. Whoever has will be given more, but whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken away from him.”
8:22 One day Jesus said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side of the lake.” So He got into a boat with them and set out.
8:23 As they sailed, He fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.
8:24 The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm.
8:25 “Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”
9:57 As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.”
9:58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”
9:59 Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
9:60 But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”
9:61 Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.”
9:62 Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Related Scripture
The psalm’s storm and deliverance at sea provides a scriptural comparison for the crossing.
Location evidence
The lake is explicit for the boat teaching and storm. Some teachings in the collection have other or unnamed settings, so the lake symbol does not locate every saying.
Event map marker: Approximate region; [longitude, latitude] = [35.59, 32.8]. This is a teaching marker, not an exact event venue.
Sea of Galilee: Approximate region. Coordinates [longitude, latitude]: [35.59, 32.8]. Classification source: editorial.
Illustrative regional extent: [[35.5,32.69],[35.67,32.92]]; not a measured confidence interval.
Gospel setting; extent is an editorial illustration, not a boundary
Gospel setting; extent is an editorial illustration, not a boundary
For the class
What kinds of response to Jesus are contrasted across the parables and the storm account?
Interpretation and reuse
Narrative order is a reading arrangement, not a proven chronology. Dates retain their stated uncertainty. An identified locality does not establish the exact venue or prove an event. Region extents and routes are illustrative, not surveyed boundaries or ancient roads. Draft material has not completed editorial review.
Record source: theographic (386)
Record source: editorial
Events and places adapted from Theographic Bible Metadata (github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata), CC BY-SA 4.0. This adapted data is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Place coordinates from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding Data, CC BY 4.0.
Teaching stops, summaries and regional extents are original editorial content of this atlas.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. https://berean.bible/licensing.htm