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!”
Eyele lyomukuni
(Mat. 13:1-9Luk. 8:4-8)1 Jesus okwa tameke ishewe okulonga aantu pomunkulo gwefuta. Ongundu onene yaantu oye mu gongalele, onkee okwa li e na okuya mowato e ta kuutumba muyo, momeya. Ongundu ayihe yaantu oya li yi li kevi pomunkulo gwefuta. 2 Oye okwe ya longo iinima oyindji momayele. Mokulonga kwe okwa ti kuyo:
3 “Pulakeneni! Omukuni okwa ka kuna. 4 Ano mokukuna kwe oombuto dhimwe odha gwile mondjila, noondhila odhe ya e tadhi dhi shomona po. 5 Dhimwe odha gwile poshipale pwaa na evi olindji. Onkee odha mene mbalambala, oshoka kapwa li evi ele. 6 Etango sho lya piti, omimeno odha lembe, naasho dha li dhaa na omidhi dha ya muule, odha ganya. 7 Dhimwe odha gwile moongwena. Oongwena sho dha koko, odhe dhi thininike, dhaa vale. 8 Ihe dhimwe odha gwile mevi ewanawa, naasho dha mene, odha koko e tadhi vala: dhimwe olwomilongo ndatu, dhimwe olwomilongo hamano nadhimwe olwethele.”
9 Opo Jesus okwa ti: “Ngoka e na omakutsi gokuuva, nu uve ko!”
10 Ano Jesus manga a li i ikalela, aantu mboka ya li ye mu kundukidha pamwe naalongwa omulongo nayaali, oye mu pula kombinga yomayele ngaka. Oye okwe ya yamukula a ti: 11 “Ne omwa pewa okuuva ko iiholekwa yOshilongo shaKalunga, ihe yalwe yopondje, ashihe otaye shi pewa owala momayele. 12 Onkee:
Okumona ohaa mono,
ihe kaa wete ko.
Okuuva ohaa uvu,
ihe kaa uvite ko,
ando ya galukile kuKalunga,
ye e ya dhimine po.”
13 Jesus okwe ya pula a ti: “Ngele kamu uvite ko eyele ndika, otamu vulu ngiini okuuva ko omayele omakwawo? 14 Omukuni okwa ka kuna oohapu dhaKalunga. 15 Ndhoka dha gwile mondjila, odha fa aantu mboka taa uvu oohapu dhaKalunga, ihe manga taye dhi pulakene, mbalambala Satana ote ya e ta kutha mo oohapu ndhoka dha kunwa muyo. 16 Ndhoka dha kunwa poshipale, odha fa aantu mboka taa uvu oohapu dhaKalunga e taye dhi taamba mbala nenyanyu, 17 ihe itadhi ningine muyo. Otaa dhiginine okathimbo kowala. Uuna tapu ya uudhigu nenge etidhagano molwoohapu, nena otaa etha eitaalo mbala. 18 Ndhoka dha kunwa moongwena, odha fa aantu mboka taa uvu oohapu dhaKalunga, 19 ihe oshimpwiyu shuuyuni mbuka nefundjaleko lyuuyamba nakehe tuu okahalu otayi yi muyo e tayi thininike oohapu, yaa imike iiyimati. 20 Ndhoka dha kunwa mevi ewanawa, odha fa aantu mboka taa uvu oohapu dhaKalunga e taye dhi taamba notaa imike iiyimati: yamwe olwomilongo ndatu, yamwe olwomilongo hamano nayamwe olwethele.”
Olamba kohi yontungwa
(Luk. 8:16-18)21 Jesus okwe ya pula ishewe a ti: “Oku na tuu ngoka te eta mo olamba e te yi tula kohi yontungwa nenge kohi yontala? Ndi shi, oku na oku yi tula koshihukikwa? 22 Oshoka kaku na shoka sha holekwa itaashi ka hololwa, nokaku na shoka sha holama itaashi ka holoka. 23 Ngoka e na omakutsi gokuuva, nu uve ko!”
24 Jesus okwe ya lombwele ishewe a ti: “Ndhindhilikeni shoka tamu shi pulakene. Oshiyelekitho shoka tamu shi yelekitha, nane wo otamu ke shi yelekithwa, mwa gwedhelwa ko nokuli. 25 Oshoka ngoka e na, oye ta pewa, ihe ngoka kee na, oye ota kuthwa naashoka e shi na.”
Eyele lyokukoka kwombuto
26 Jesus okwa ti ishewe: “Oshilongo shaKalunga osha fa omuntu a kunu ombuto mepya. 27 Uusiku okwa ka lala nokwa penduka ongula. Ombuto oya mene e tayi koko, ye ina tseya, nkene sha ningwa, 28 oshoka evi olyo lyene tali kokitha iimeno e tali etithitha oomuma: tango omuno, tagu landulwa komutse, nosho wo oomuma tadhi kolo komutse. 29 Iilya ngele ya kukuta, nena omuteyi ota kutha mbala oshiteyitho, a teye, oshoka eteyo olya thikana.”
Eyele lyomuma yosinapi
(Mat. 13:31-32Luk. 13:18-19)30 Jesus okwa pula a ti: “Oshilongo shaKalunga otatu shi faathanitha nashike, notatu shi yeleke neyele lini? 31 Osha fa omuma yosinapi. Manga tayi kunwa mevi, oyo okamuma okashuushuka ke vulike koomuma adhihe dhokombanda yevi. 32 Ihe ngele ya kunwa, otayi mene e tayi koko yi vule iihwa ayihe notayi ningi iitayi iinene, noondhila dhokegulu otadhi tungile iihandhila miitayi yagwo.”
33 Jesus okwa lombwele aantu oohapu nomayele omakwawo ogendji ga fa ngaka opankondo dhokuuva kwawo. 34 Ine ya lombwela sha itaa popi momayele. Ihe sho a li naalongwa ye oyo ayeke, okwe ya fatululile ayihe.
Jesus ta lotitha oshikungulu
(Mat. 8:23-27Luk. 8:22-25)35 Ano sho kwa ningi ongulohi yesiku ndyoka, Jesus okwa ti kaalongwa ye: “Tu taagulukileni handiyaka yetale.” 36 Aalongwa oya thigi po ongundu yaantu noya landulile Jesus mowato e taa yi pamwe naye. Oowato dhilwe wo odhe ende pamwe nayo. 37 Oshikungulu oshidhigu shombepo osha tukuluka, nomakuthikuthi ogi iyundulile mowato, sigo tayi hala okuudha omeya. 38 Ihe Jesus ye mwene okwa li kosindo yowato a kothela koshigwilo. Aalongwa oye mu pendutha ya ti: “Muhongi, ku na ko nasha nani natse, ngele tatu ningine mo?”
39 Jesus okwa penduka nokwa ganda ombepo e ta ti komakuthikuthi: “Mwena!” Ombepo oya kodha e taku ti thilu. 40 Jesus nokwa ti kuyo: “Omolwashike mwa tila? Kamu na natango eitaalo?”
41 Oyo oya kwatwa kehaluko enene noya pulathana e taa ti: “Nguka olye ano, ombepo nomakuthikuthi sho tayi vulika kuye?”
