The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 Jesus went on to say, “The Kingdom of God is like this. A man scatters seed in his field.
27 He sleeps at night, is up and about during the day, and all the while the seeds are sprouting and growing. Yet he does not know how it happens.
28 The soil itself makes the plants grow and bear fruit; first the tender stalk appears, then the head, and finally the head full of grain.
29 When the grain is ripe, the man starts cutting it with his sickle, because harvest time has come.
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 “What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like?” asked Jesus. “What parable shall we use to explain it?
31 It is like this. A man takes a mustard seed, the smallest seed in the world, and plants it in the ground.
32 After a while it grows up and becomes the biggest of all plants. It puts out such large branches that the birds come and make their nests in its shade.”
33 Jesus preached his message to the people, using many other parables like these; he told them as much as they could understand.
34 He would not speak to them without using parables, but when he was alone with his disciples, he would explain everything to them.
Jesus Calms a Storm
35 On the evening of that same day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.”
36 So they left the crowd; the disciples got into the boat in which Jesus was already sitting, and they took him with them. Other boats were there too.
37 Suddenly a strong wind blew up, and the waves began to spill over into the boat, so that it was about to fill with water.
38 Jesus was in the back of the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The disciples woke him up and said, “Teacher, don't you care that we are about to die?”
39 Jesus stood up and commanded the wind, “Be quiet!” and he said to the waves, “Be still!” The wind died down, and there was a great calm.
40 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Why are you frightened? Do you still have no faith?”
41 But they were terribly afraid and began to say to one another, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Jesus Heals a Man with Evil Spirits
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1 Jesus and his disciples arrived on the other side of Lake Galilee, in the territory of Gerasa.
2 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, he was met by a man who came out of the burial caves there. This man had an evil spirit in him
3 and lived among the tombs. Nobody could keep him tied with chains any more;
4 many times his feet and his hands had been tied, but every time he broke the chains and smashed the irons on his feet. He was too strong for anyone to control him.
5 Day and night he wandered among the tombs and through the hills, screaming and cutting himself with stones.
6 He was some distance away when he saw Jesus; so he ran, fell on his knees before him,
7 and screamed in a loud voice, “Jesus, Son of the Most High God! What do you want with me? For God's sake, I beg you, don't punish me!” (
8 He said this because Jesus was saying, “Evil spirit, come out of this man!”)
9 So Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
The man answered, “My name is ‘Mob’—there are so many of us!”
10 And he kept begging Jesus not to send the evil spirits out of that region.
11 There was a large herd of pigs near by, feeding on a hillside.
12 So the spirits begged Jesus, “Send us to the pigs, and let us go into them.”
13 He let them go, and the evil spirits went out of the man and entered the pigs. The whole herd—about two thousand pigs in all—rushed down the side of the cliff into the lake and was drowned.
14 The men who had been taking care of the pigs ran away and spread the news in the town and among the farms. People went out to see what had happened,
15 and when they came to Jesus, they saw the man who used to have the mob of demons in him. He was sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were all afraid.
16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the man with the demons, and about the pigs.
17 So they asked Jesus to leave their territory.
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had had the demons begged him, “Let me go with you!”
19 But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he told him, “Go back home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how kind he has been to you.”
20 So the man left and went all through the Ten Towns, telling what Jesus had done for him. And all who heard it were amazed.
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