11 Jesus said, “Only you can know the secret truth about the kingdom of God. But to other people I tell everything by using stories.
12 I do this so that:‘They will look and look, but they will not learn.They will listen and listen, but they will not understand.If they did learn and understand,they would come back to me and be forgiven.’” Isaiah 6:9-10
13 Then Jesus said to the followers, “Do you understand this story? If you don’t, then how will you understand any story?
14 The farmer is like a person who plants God’s teaching in people.
15 Sometimes the teaching falls on the road. This is like some people. They hear the teaching of God. But Satan quickly comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them.
16 Others are like the seed planted on rocky ground. They hear the teaching and quickly accept it with joy.
17 But they don’t allow the teaching to go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching, they quickly give up.