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MARK 
more will be given to you.h 25To the one who has, more will be given; i
from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Seed Grows of Itself. 26He said, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God;* it is as if a man were to scatter seedj on the land 27and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. 28Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”
The Mustard Seed. 30k He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? 31It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. 32* But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” 33With many such parablesl he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. 34Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
The Calming of a Storm at Sea. 35* On that day, as evening drew on, he said to them, “Let us cross to the other side.”m 36Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. 38Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!”* The wind ceased and there was great calm. 40Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” 41* n They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”
4:25
“To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what
he has will be taken away.” Jesus’ words sound very unfair if we take them out
of context. They must be read in light of the words that immediately precede them: “The measure with which you measure will
be measured out to you” (4:24). In the time of the nal judgment, we will receive
in proportion to what we give. If we are generous now, more will be given us on that day. If we are not, then we will be left with nothing.
Our actions matter.
Christ asleep in the boat, by Jules Joseph Meynier
4:38
“This sleep. of Christ is
a sign of a high mystery.. Christ is asleep in you. What does this mean, Christ is asleep in you?
You have forgotten Christ. Rouse Him up then, call Christ to mind, let Christ awake in you, give heed to him.. If the wind should drive us on, and stir up the a ections of our souls, let
us not despair; let us awake Christ, that we may sail on a tranquil sea, and so come to our country” (St. Augustine).
* [4:26–29] Only Mark records the parable of the seed’s growth. Sower and harvester are the same. The emphasis is on the power of the seed to grow of itself without human intervention (Mk 4:27). Mysteriously it produces blade and ear and full grain (Mk 4:28). Thus the kingdom of God initiated by Jesus in proclaiming the word develops quietly yet powerfully until it is fully established by him at the nal judgment (Mk 4:29); cf. Rev 14:15.
* [4:32] The universality of the kingdom of God is indicated here; cf. Ez 17:23; 31:6; Dn 4:17–19.
* [4:35–5:43] After the chapter on parables, Mark narrates four miracle stories: Mk 4:35–41; 5:1–20; and two joined together in Mk 5:21–43. See also notes on Mt 8:23–34 and 9:8–26.
* [4:39] Quiet! Be still!: as in the case of silencing a demon (Mk 1:25), Jesus rebukes the wind and subdues the turbulence of the sea by a mere word; see note on Mt 8:26.
* [4:41] Jesus is here depicted as exercising power over wind and sea. In the Christian community this event was seen as a sign of Jesus’ saving presence amid persecutions that threatened its existence.
Chapter 4
a. [4:1–12] Mt 13:1–13; Lk 8:4–10.
b. [4:1] 2:13; Lk 5:1.
c. [4:12] Is 6:9; Jn 12:40; Acts 28:26; Rom 11:8. d. [4:13–20] Mt 13:18–23; Lk 8:11–15.
e. [4:21–25] Lk 8:16–18.
f. [4:21] Mt 5:15; Lk 11:33. g. [4:22] Mt 10:26; Lk 12:2. h. [4:24] Mt 7:2; Lk 6:38.
i. [4:25] Mt 13:12; Lk 19:26.
j. [4:26–29] Jas 5:7.
k. [4:30–32] Mt 13:31–32; Lk 13:18–19.
l. [4:33–34] Mt 13:34.
m. [4:35–40] Mt 8:18, 23–37; Lk 8:22–25. 87 n. [4:41] 1:27.