10. He said, “You have been chosen to know the secret truths about God’s kingdom. But I use stories to speak to other people. I do this so that ‘They will look, but they will not see, and they will listen, but they will not understand.’ Isaiah 6:9
11. “This is what the story means: The seed is God’s teaching.
12. Some people are like the seed that fell beside the path. They hear God’s teaching, but then the devil comes and causes them to stop thinking about it. This keeps them from believing it and being saved.
13. Others are like the seed that fell on rock. That is like the people who hear God’s teaching and gladly accept it. But they don’t have deep roots. They believe for a while. But when trouble comes, they turn away from God.
14. “What about the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is like the people who hear God’s teaching, but they let the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life stop them from growing. So they never produce a crop.