A Story about a Farmer
(Matthew 13.1-9Luke 8.4-8)1 The next time Jesus taught beside Lake Galilee, a big crowd gathered. It was so large that he had to sit in a boat out on the lake, while the people stood on the shore. 2 He used stories to teach them many things, and this is part of what he taught:
3 Now listen! A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. 4 While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. 5 Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn't very deep. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have deep roots. 7 Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked out the plants. So they did not produce any grain. 8 But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants grew and produced 30 or 60 or even 100 times as much as was scattered.
9 Then Jesus said, “If you have ears, pay attention.”
Why Jesus Used Stories
(Matthew 13.10-17Luke 8.9Luke 10)10 When Jesus was alone with the twelve apostles and some others, they asked him about these stories. 11 He answered:
I have explained the secret about God's kingdom to you, but for others I can use only stories. 12 The reason is,
“These people will look
and look, but never see.
They will listen and listen,
but never understand.
If they did,
they would turn to God
and be forgiven.”
Jesus Explains the Story about the Farmer
(Matthew 13.18-23Luke 8.11-15)13 Jesus then told them:
If you don't understand this story, you won't understand any others. 14 What the farmer is spreading is really the message about the kingdom. 15 The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But Satan soon comes and snatches it away from them. 16 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it at once. 17 But they don't have roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.
18 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. 19 But they start worrying about the needs of this life. They are fooled by the desire to get rich and to have all kinds of other things. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. 20 The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and welcome the message. They produce 30 or 60 or even 100 times as much as was planted.
Light
(Luke 8.16-18)21 Jesus also said:
You don't light a lamp and put it under a clay pot or under a bed. Don't you put a lamp on a lampstand? 22 There is nothing hidden that will not be made public. There is no secret that will not be well known. 23 If you have ears, pay attention!
24 Listen carefully to what you hear! The way you treat others will be the way you will be treated—and even worse. 25 Everyone who has something will be given more. But people who don't have anything will lose what little they have.
Another Story about Seeds
26 Again Jesus said:
God's kingdom is like what happens when a farmer scatters seed in a field. 27 The farmer sleeps at night and is up and around during the day. Yet the seeds keep sprouting and growing, and he doesn't understand how. 28 It is the ground that makes the seeds sprout and grow into plants that produce grain. 29 Then when harvest season comes and the grain is ripe, the farmer cuts it with a sickle.
A Mustard Seed
(Matthew 13.31Matthew 32Luke 13.18Luke 19)30 Finally, Jesus said:
What is God's kingdom like? What story can I use to explain it? 31 It is like what happens when a mustard seed is planted in the ground. It is the smallest seed in all the world. 32 But once it is planted, it grows larger than any garden plant. It even puts out branches that are big enough for birds to nest in its shade.
The Reason for Teaching with Stories
(Matthew 13.34Matthew 35)33 Jesus used many other stories when he spoke to the people, and he taught them as much as they could understand. 34 He did not tell them anything without using stories. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.
A Storm
(Matthew 8.23-27Luke 8.22-25)35 That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let's cross to the east side.” 36 So they left the crowd, and his disciples started across the lake with him in the boat. Some other boats followed along. 37 Suddenly a storm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.
38 Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, “Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?”
39 Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.
40 Jesus asked his disciples, “Why were you afraid? Don't you have any faith?”
41 Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Omasanekero womukune
(Mt 13:1-9Lk 8:4-8)1 Jesus wa utire okuhonga ovandu rukwao meṋe yOmuronga wa Galilea. Otjimbumba tjovandu tji tja woronganena pu ye tja ri otjingi tjinene nai nga eye tja ṱokukaronda mokayaha ku ka ri momeva na kahaama mu ko, nu ihi otjimbumba tjovandu tja kuramene pomukuro womuronga. 2 Eye we ve honga oviṋa ovingi momasanekero na tja ku wo:
3 “Purateneye! Eyuva rimwe omukune wa ya okukakuna. 4 Neye ngunda ama kunu ozondwi motjikunino, tjiva za wira meṋe yondjira, nozonḓera ze ya naze ze ri. 5 Tjiva za wira mehi romawe, pu pe ha ri nehi enyingi, nozo za pita tjimanga, ehi tjinga ari ha hitire oukoto. 6 Nu eyuva tji ra pita, ra nyosa ozondwi nḓa nḓa pita, nozo tjinga aze ha nangananisire nawa omize vyazo mehi, za hakahana okukukuta. 7 Ozongwao za wira mokati kozohongwe; nozohongwe za hapa naze ṋee inḓa ozondwi, nozondwi kaze twire ko ovihape. 8 Nungwari ozondwi tjiva za wira mehi ewa, nozo za hapa, aze nyomoka naze twako ovihape; tjiva za twako omirongo vitatu, tjiva aze twako omirongo hamboumwe, nozongwao zarwe aze twako esere.”
9 Jesus wa mana nomambo nga: “Ngu nomatwi okuzuva nga zuve!”
Omaheero womasanekero
(Mt 13:10-17Lk 8:9-10)10 Jesus tja kakara erike, ovahongewa ve omurongo na vevari na tjiva vaimba mbe mu zuvire ve ere ku ye, nave mu ningire kutja e ve handjaurire omasanekero ngo. 11 Jesus wa zira a tja: “Eṋe mwa pewa okutjiwa oviundikwa vyouhona wa Ndjambi. Nungwari imba varwe wopendje, mave raerwa avihe momasanekero,
12 Kokutja ‘owo nandi va tara nave tara,
ave ha munu;
nu nandi va puratene nave puratene,
ave ha zuu.
Orondu, ngaave tanaukire ku Ndjambi,
ne ve isire ourunde wawo.’”
Jesus ma handjaura omasanekero womukune
(Mt 13:18-23Lk 8:11-15)13 Jesus we ve pura a tja: “Omasanekero nga kamu nakuyezuva nawa are? Nu tji pe ri nao, nambano omasanekero aehe omakwao maamu ye zuu vi nai? 14 Omukune ma kunu embo ra Ndjambi. 15 Ovandu tjiva ve ri otja ozondwi nḓa wira meṋe yondjira, nu tjimanga owo tji va zuu indi embo, Satan eya ne ve yeka embo ndi. 16 Ovandu tjiva ve ri otja ozondwi nḓa wira mehi romawe; nu tjimanga owo tji va zuu indi embo, ave yakura ro nenyando. 17 Nungwari embo ndi kari hara omize mu wo, notji ve zikama mu ro okaruveze okasupi. Ombamisiro nomatatumisiro tji vye ya mena raindi embo, otji ve poka ku ro tjimanga. 18 Rukwao ovandu varwe ve ri otja ozondwi nḓa kunwa mokati kozohongwe. Owo ombe ri imba mbe zuva embo, 19 nungwari omerikendero wouye mbwi, notjiwova tjoutumbe, nomananukiro woviṋa vyarwe avihe vi ya mu wo navi ṋee indi embo, noro ari ha twamo ovihape mu wo. 20 Nungwari ovandu varwe ve ri otja ozondwi nḓa nḓa wira mehi ewa. Owo ve zuva indi embo, ave yakura ro nave kara novihape: Tjiva a rire omirongo vitatu, tjiva a rire omirongo hamboumwe, nu tjiva a rire esere.”
Emunine ndi ri kehi yotjitjuma
(Lk 8:16-18)21 Jesus wa hungira komurungu a tja: “Hapo pena omundu ngu ma twa emunine kehi yotjitjuma poo kehi yombete, nu kakombanda yotjikurameno tjomamunine are? 22 Orondu otjiṋa ngamwa atjihe tji tja horekwa maatji horoka, nu ngamwa atjihe tji tja vandekwa maatji vandururwa. 23 Ngu nomatwi okuzuva nga zuve!”
24 Eye wina wa tja ku wo: “Ṱakamiseye nawa imbi mbi mamu zuu! Eṋe mamu sanekwa notjisaneke ihi eṋe tjinga a mamu saneke na tjo ovakweṋu; nungwari ma tji rire otjizeu okukapita. 25 Omundu ngu notjiṋa eye ma wezirwako komeho; nu ingwi ngu hi notjiṋa ma yekwa nangarire inga okaṱiṱi ke na ko.”
Omasanekero wondwi ndji mai hapa
26 Jesus wa hungira rukwao a tja: “Ouhona wa Ndjambi u ri nai. Omundu ma kunu ozondwi mehi re romakunino. 27 Ouṱuku eye ma rara, nomutenya a penduka, ozondwi tjandje nai maze piti naze hapa eye ngunda e hi nokutjiwa kutja avihe vya kayenda vi. 28 Ehi orini ondi hapisa ozondwi, nozo aze eta ovikurya; rutenga a rire omukono, tjazumba a rire omangura mozondjaṱu, nu korusenina a rire ovikokotwa mbya papa nawa mozondjaṱu. 29 Novikokotwa tji vya horo, omundu otji ma hakahana okuvikonda notjikonde tje, orondu tjandje oruveze rwomakondero rwa yenene.”
Omasanekero wondwi yomuti omumosteri
(Mt 13:31-32, Mt 34Lk 13:18-19)30 Jesus wa pura a tja: “Ouhona wa Ndjambi matu u sasaneke na tjike? Nu matu u handjaura notjisanekero tjiṋe? 31 Owo u ri tjimuna ondwi yomuti omumosteri. Ondwi ndji tji ya kunwa mehi, oyo ondji ri onḓiṱinḓiṱi pozondwi azehe kombanda yehi. 32 Nungwari kombunda oyo tji ya hapa, i kura a i rire onenenene povikunwa avihe. Oyo i tandavarisa otutavi otunene nga ozonḓera zeyuru tji maze tungu ko oviruwo vyazo momuzire wayo.”
33 Jesus aa zuvarisa ombuze ye kovandu ama serekarere omasanekero omakwao otja inga, owo punga aave sora okuzuva. 34 Eye ka hungirire ku wo nokuhinomasanekero, nungwari eye tja kakara erike puna ovahongewa ve, ee ve handjaurire oviṋa avihe.
Jesus ma porimanisa otjivepo
(Mt 8:23-27Lk 8:22-25)35 Mongurova yeyuva tjingero ndo, Jesus wa tja nai kovahongewa ve: “Ngatu konde munda mbwina womuronga.” 36 Owo va isa otjimbumba tjovandu, ave karonda mokayaha nga Jesus ma tengere okukahaama; nu otji va twaerera Jesus puna wo. Wina pa ri ouyaha oukwao poṋa mbo. 37 Tjimanga otji kwa hinga otjivepo otjinamasa, nozongazona za uta okuhita mokayaha nga oko tji ka ri pokuura nomeva. 38 Jesus wa ri kongotwe mokayaha a rara na haverisa otjiuru tje kotjihaverwa. Ovahongewa ve mu pendura ave tja: “Muhonge, ko na ko na tja kutja matu ṱu are?”
39 Jesus otja penduka, a vere otjivepo na tja kozongazona: “Mwina! Porimana!” Otjivepo otji tja yaruka pehi, nu aku mwina kumwi. 40 Nu Jesus a tja nai kovahongewa ve: “Mwa mumaparere tjike? Ngamba kamuya kara nongamburiro are?”
41 Nungwari owo va tira tjinene nave purasana amave tja: “Hapo omundu ngwi owaṋi, ngu zuvirwa i otjivepo nozongazona?”
