Mark 4:24-34

²⁴Then Jesus said, “Make sure you listen to me properly and think about what I say. When you really take notice of my message, God will help you understand it, and he will help you to know more and more of his word. But if you don’t want to listen to my message, God will stop you from understanding anything you do hear.”

²⁶Jesus kept on teaching, and said, “I want you to know the way God’s family grows. This is another picture story. A man wanted to grow some seed food, so he threw some seeds on the ground. The seeds fell on the ground and after that the man walked away and left the seeds there. Those seeds grew all by themselves and that man didn’t know what made those seeds grow. He just left them there for many days and they grew. God made those seeds grow in the ground. At first the long stick part grew, and after that the head part grew with all the seeds inside it. At the right time God made the seeds get hard, ready for people to cut down those plants and pick up the seed food. God is boss for everyone and his family will grow just like the seeds in that story.”

³⁰Jesus talked some more. He said, “Do you know what God’s family is like? I will tell you another picture story to help you understand it.

³¹God’s family is like a really little seed. You know that gum tree? Its seeds are very small.

³²When one of those small seeds falls into the ground it grows and grows. Later it gets really big with lots of branches, and birds can sit down in the shade on those branches, and they can make their nests there. Well, God’s family will grow like that.”

³³Jesus taught the people this way whenever they were ready to listen.

³⁴He only used picture stories when he talked to all the people. But later, when Jesus was sitting down with only his followers, he told them what the stories really mean.