Mk. 4:24. And He said to them: take heed what you hear; with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you, and more shall be added to you who hear.
Mk. 4:25. For whoever has, to him it will be given, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. The Lord urges the disciples to vigilance. Take heed, He says, what you hear; do not let anything I have said pass you by. "With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you," that is, to the degree that you are attentive, to that degree you will also receive benefit. To the listener who is always attentive, and moreover to the highest degree, God will also give a great reward, while for the sluggish person the profit of recompense will be proportionate. Whoever has zeal and diligence will also be given a reward, but whoever does not have zeal and diligence, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him. For on account of laziness, even that small spark which he formerly had is extinguished in him, just as through diligence it is kindled.
Mk. 4:26. And He said: The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed into the ground,
Mk. 4:27. and sleeps, and rises night and day; and how the seed sprouts and grows, he does not know,
Mk. 4:28. For the earth brings forth fruit of itself: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
Mk. 4:29. When the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come. By the Kingdom of God He means God's providence concerning us. The "man" is God Himself, Who for our sake became man. He cast "seed into the ground," that is, the evangelical preaching. Having cast it, He "sleeps," that is, He ascended into the heavens; nevertheless, He also "rises night and day." For although God apparently sleeps, that is, is longsuffering, He rises: He rises at night when through temptations He rouses us to the knowledge of Him; He rises by day when He fills our life with joys and consolations. The seed grows as if without His knowledge, because we are free, and it depends on our will whether this seed grows or does not grow. We bear fruit not by compulsion, but voluntarily, that is, we bear fruit of ourselves. At first, when we are infants who have not yet attained to the measure of the stature of Christ, we put forth "the blade," showing the beginning of good; then "the ear," when we are already able to withstand temptations as well, for the ear is already bound by joints, stands upright, and has already reached greater development; then "the full grain in the ear" is formed — this is when one brings forth the fruit of perfection. And when the "harvest" comes, then the "sickle" gathers the fruits. This "sickle" is the Word of God, and the "harvest" is the time of death.
Mk. 4:30. And He said: to what shall we liken the Kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we represent it?
Mk. 4:31. 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;
Mk. 4:32. But when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can shelter under its shade.
Mk. 4:33. And with many such parables He spoke the word to them, as much as they were able to hear.
Mk. 4:34. And without a parable He did not speak to them, but privately He explained everything to His disciples. The word of faith is small: because one need only believe in Christ, and you shall be saved. You see that this word is as small as a mustard seed. But the preaching of the word, once sown upon the earth, expanded and grew, so that the birds of the air rest upon it, that is, all people of lofty and elevated mind and knowledge. Indeed, how many wise men found rest in this preaching, having abandoned Greek wisdom! Thus the preaching became greater than all else and put forth great branches. For the apostles went forth like branches: one to Rome, another to India, a third to Achaia, and the rest to other lands of the earth. The Lord speaks to the people in many parables, offering parables suited to the condition of His listeners. Since the people were simple and unlearned, He therefore reminds them of the mustard seed, of grass and seed, so that through things familiar and ordinary to them He might teach them something profitable or cause them to approach and ask, and through their questioning understand what was unclear. Thus He explained everything to the disciples privately, since they came directly to Him and asked. He explained only those things about which they asked and did not know, and not absolutely everything, including what was already clear. For when they understood what they had asked about, other things became clear to them from this as well, and in this way everything was resolved for them.
Mk. 4:35. In the evening of that day He said to them: let us cross over to the other side.
Mk. 4:36. And they, having dismissed the crowd, took Him with them, just as He was in the boat; and other boats were also with Him.
Mk. 4:37. And there arose a great storm of wind; and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was now filling with water.
Mk. 4:38. But He was sleeping on the stern on a pillow. They wake Him and say to Him: Teacher! Do You not care that we are perishing?
Mk. 4:39. And He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea: Peace, be still.
Mk. 4:40. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said to them: Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?
Mk. 4:41. Fear and a great dread fell upon them, and they said to one another: Who then is This, that even the wind and the sea obey Him? Matthew narrated this differently (Matt. 8:23–27) than Mark: what the one said at greater length, the other abbreviated, and conversely, what the first set forth briefly, the latter said at greater length. The Lord takes with Him the disciples alone, allowing them to be witnesses of the coming miracle. But so that they would not become proud because He sent the others away and took them, and at the same time, to teach them to endure dangers, He allows them to be in danger from the storm. And He sleeps during this with the purpose that the miracle would seem all the more important to them, after they had become frightened. Otherwise, if the storm had occurred while Christ was awake, they would not have been frightened or would not have turned to Him with a plea for salvation. And so He allows them to be in fear from danger, so that they would come to an awareness of His power. Since they had only seen Christ's benefactions toward others but had not themselves experienced anything similar, there was a danger that they would become careless; therefore the Lord allows the storm to occur. He sleeps at the stern of the ship (it was, of course, wooden). Having awakened, Christ rebukes first the wind, since it is the cause of the agitation of the sea, and then calms the sea as well. He also rebukes the disciples for not having faith. For if they had had faith, they would have believed that even while sleeping He could preserve them unharmed. The disciples said among themselves, "Who then is this?" because they still had an indefinite conception of Him. Since Christ calmed the sea by a single command, and not with a rod, like Moses, not with a prayerful cry, like Elisha at the Jordan, not with an ark, like Joshua, for this reason He appeared to them as more than a man; but in that He slept, He appeared to them again as a man.