Today's Reading
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Mark Chapter 4
Daily readings posted here at midnight ET
Mark 4:1-41, KJV:
1 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
14 The sower soweth the word.
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?
22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
23 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25 For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
30 And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?
31 It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth:
32 But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.
33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.
34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.
35 And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
36 And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
37 And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Reflection Questions
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In the parable of the sower, what stands out to you about the different ways people receive and respond to Jesus’ message?
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Why do you think Jesus used parables when teaching, and what effect do they have on the way you engage with what He is saying?
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What thoughts or questions come to mind as you consider Jesus’ teaching about the lamp and what is hidden or revealed?
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What do the parables of the growing seed and the mustard seed make you consider about the Kingdom of God and how it grows?
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What stands out to you about the disciples’ response to the storm and their interaction with Jesus during it?
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At the end of the chapter, the disciples ask one another who Jesus is. After everything you have read in Mark so far, how would you answer that question for yourself?
Answer one, a few, or all of the reflection questions in the comments below, or simply share any thoughts, insights, or questions you’re left with after today’s reading. You’ll need to be logged in to comment.
Want to dig a little deeper? Use the optional 90 Days with Jesus Printable Study Companion alongside today’s reading.
The growing seed parable in verses 26-29 remind me of my zinnia patch. I did absolutely nothing besides scatter the seeds on the ground and now I have gorgeous flowers. I am not the best at teaching the word of God, but I can drop the "seeds" everywhere I go. Sometimes, I get caught up in the idea that I have to do every part of whatever I'm doing. It's the same with spreading God's word. I tend to think I have to do every part of leading a person to Christ and become overwhelmed. This reminds me that I can scatter those seeds, and then He will use them to open up doors for those people to hear the Word. That may be people having those additional conversations with me or someone totally different. It might also be those people aren't ready, but the seed has been planted. The Bible tells us that His Word will not return void, so as long as I keep scattering seeds and listening to Him, I know that His will is always accomplished.
Hi! I believe Jesus spoke in parables because it would weed out the ones who werent able to have faith. To have eyes and see and to have ears and hear....but even more, to understand what He is conveying. To have a heart that can understand Jesus' message is beautiful and only those with the desire to seek Him sill receive it.
In the parable of the sower, what stands out to you about the different ways people receive and respond to Jesus’ message?
When Jesus explained to the disciples of the differences, he was speaking of in his parable… it explains that we must do more than just read God‘s word we must live God‘s word, be rooted in it…so others can be see and we can be good examples of how wonderful life can be when we live God’s words 😊
In the parable of the sower, what stands out to you about the different ways people receive and respond to Jesus’ message?
What stands out to me is that you have to have a root (Jesus) in your life in order to produce good sustainable fruit. Without a root, you may think you have it handled and are doing great on your own, but life catches up to you.
Why do you think Jesus used parables when teaching, and what effect do they have on the way you engage with what He is saying?
I think he uses parables to make people think more deeply about the meaning and who he is. I think it helps keep people more engaged.
What thoughts or questions come to mind as you consider Jesus’ teaching about the lamp and what is hidden or revealed?
No matter what we hide or try and hide from God, it will always come to light. This reminds me of a child or anyone of that fact tryng to hide or lie about something they did. We might not find out at that time but it will always be brought to the surface at some point for us to find out.
At the end of the chapter, the disciples ask one another who Jesus is. After everything that you have read in Mark so far, how would you answer that question for yourself?
If I were in the disciples’ shoes, I would definitely think of Jesus as someone who has supernatural authority. Reading this as a believer, I would be saying, Jesus is using these different circumstances to show that He is the Son of God and that He has been sent to us.
Even after everything they had seen and experienced, the disciples still lacked faith at times. This reminds me to start each day new and give myself grace when I stumble.
I believe Jesus taught in parables using terms and objects that the people were familiar with so they could better understand his message.
When we sow seeds for God we may never actually see the end result. Most of the growth is done underground for a long time before you see the finished product.