Matthew 13
13
The Story of the Farmer
1That same day Jesus left the house and sat by the Sea of Galilee. 2Large crowds gathered around him. So he got into a boat and sat down. All the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things using stories. He said, “A farmer went out to plant his seed. 4He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. Birds came and ate it up. 5Some seed fell on rocky places, where there wasn’t much soil. The plants came up quickly, because the soil wasn’t deep. 6When the sun came up, it burned the plants. They dried up because they had no roots. 7Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and crowded out the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It produced a crop 100, 60 or 30 times more than what was planted. 9Whoever has ears should listen.”
10The disciples came to him. They asked, “Why do you use stories when you speak to the people?”
11He replied, “Because you have been given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. It has not been given to outsiders. 12Everyone who has this kind of knowledge will be given more knowledge. In fact, they will have very much. If anyone doesn’t have this kind of knowledge, even what little they have will be taken away from them. 13Here is why I use stories when I speak to the people. I say,
“They look, but they don’t really see.
They listen, but they don’t really hear or understand.
14In them the words of the prophet Isaiah come true. He said,
“ ‘You will hear but never understand.
You will see but never know what you are seeing.
15The hearts of these people have become stubborn.
They can barely hear with their ears.
They have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes.
They might hear with their ears.
They might understand with their hearts.
They might turn to the Lord, and then he would heal them.’ (Isaiah 6:9,10)
16But blessed are your eyes because they see. And blessed are your ears because they hear. 17What I’m about to tell you is true. Many prophets and godly people wanted to see what you see. But they didn’t see it. They wanted to hear what you hear. But they didn’t hear it.
18“Listen! Here is the meaning of the story of the farmer. 19People hear the message about the kingdom but do not understand it. Then the evil one comes. He steals what was planted in their hearts. Those people are like the seed planted on a path. 20The seed that fell on rocky places is like other people. They hear the message and at once receive it with joy. 21But they have no roots. So they last only a short time. They quickly fall away from the faith when trouble or suffering comes because of the message. 22The seed that fell among the thorns is like others who hear the message. But then the worries of this life and the false promises of wealth crowd it out. They keep the message from producing fruit. 23But the seed that fell on good soil is like those who hear the message and understand it. They produce a crop 100, 60 or 30 times more than the farmer planted.”
The Story of the Weeds
24Jesus told the crowd another story. “Here is what the kingdom of heaven is like,” he said. “A man planted good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came. The enemy planted weeds among the wheat and then went away. 26The wheat began to grow and form grain. At the same time, weeds appeared.
27“The owner’s slaves came to him. They said, ‘Sir, didn’t you plant good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
28“ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The slaves asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’
29“ ‘No,’ the owner answered. ‘While you are pulling up the weeds, you might pull up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the workers what to do. Here is what I will say to them. First collect the weeds. Tie them in bundles to be burned. Then gather the wheat. Bring it into my storeroom.’ ”
The Stories of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
31Jesus told the crowd another story. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Someone took the seed and planted it in a field. 32It is the smallest of all seeds. But when it grows, it is the largest of all garden plants. It becomes a tree. Birds come and rest in its branches.”
33Jesus told them still another story. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast,” he said. “A woman mixed it into 60 pounds of flour. The yeast worked its way all through the dough.”
34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd using stories. He did not say anything to them without telling a story. 35So the words spoken by the prophet came true. He had said,
“I will open my mouth and tell stories.
I will speak about things that were hidden since the world was made.” (Psalm 78:2)
Jesus Explains the Story of the Weeds
36Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him. They said, “Explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”
37He answered, “The one who planted the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world. The good seed stands for the people who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39The enemy who plants them is the devil. The harvest is judgment day. And the workers are angels.
40“The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. That is how it will be on judgment day. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels. They will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin. They will also get rid of all who do evil. 42They will throw them into the blazing furnace. There people will weep and grind their teeth. 43Then God’s people will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Whoever has ears should listen.
The Stories of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that was hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again. He was very happy. So he went and sold everything he had. And he bought that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who was looking for fine pearls. 46He found one that was very valuable. So he went away and sold everything he had. And he bought that pearl.
The Story of the Net
47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net. It was let down into the lake. It caught all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and gathered the good fish into baskets. But they threw the bad fish away. 49This is how it will be on judgment day. The angels will come. They will separate the people who did what is wrong from those who did what is right. 50They will throw the evil people into the blazing furnace. There the evil ones will weep and grind their teeth.
51“Do you understand all these things?” Jesus asked.
“Yes,” they replied.
52He said to them, “Every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house. He brings new treasures out of his storeroom as well as old ones.”
A Prophet Without Honor
53Jesus finished telling these stories. Then he moved on from there. 54He came to his hometown of Nazareth. There he began teaching the people in their synagogue. They were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom? Where did he get this power to do miracles?” they asked. 55“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary? Aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56Aren’t all his sisters with us? Then where did this man get all these things?” 57They were not pleased with him at all.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own town and in his own home.”
58He did only a few miracles in Nazareth because the people there had no faith.
Currently Selected:
Matthew 13: NIrV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Matthew 13
13
A Story About a Farmer Sowing Seed
(Mk. 4:1–9; Lk. 8:4–8)
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2A large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat and sat down. All the people stayed on the shore. 3Then Jesus used stories to teach them many things. He told them this story:
“A farmer went out to sow seed. 4While he was scattering the seed, some of it fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where there was not enough dirt. It grew very fast there, because the soil was not deep. 6But when the sun rose, it burned the plants. The plants died because they did not have deep roots. 7Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and stopped the good plants from growing. 8But some of the seed fell on good ground. There it grew and made grain. Some plants made 100 times more grain, some 60 times more, and some 30 times more. 9You people who hear me, listen!”
Why Jesus Used Stories to Teach
(Mk. 4:10–12; Lk. 8:9–10)
10The followers came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you use these stories to teach the people?”
11Jesus answered, “Only you can know the secret truths about God’s kingdom. Those other people cannot know these secret truths. 12The people who have some understanding will be given more. And they will have even more than they need. But those who do not have much understanding will lose even the little understanding that they have. 13This is why I use these stories to teach the people: They see, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really hear or understand. 14So they show that what Isaiah said about them is true:
‘You people will listen and listen,
but you will not understand.
You will look and look,
but you will not really see.
15Yes, the minds of these people are now closed.
They have ears, but they don’t listen.
They have eyes, but they refuse to see.
If their minds were not closed,
they might see with their eyes;
they might hear with their ears;
they might understand with their minds.
Then they might turn back to me and be healed.’ Isaiah 6:9-10
16But God has blessed you. You understand what you see with your eyes. And you understand what you hear with your ears. 17I can assure you, many prophets and godly people wanted to see what you now see. But they did not see it. And many prophets and godly people wanted to hear what you now hear. But they did not hear it.
Jesus Explains the Story About Seed
(Mk. 4:13–20; Lk. 8:11–15)
18“So listen to the meaning of that story about the farmer:
19“What about the seed that fell by the path? That is like the people who hear the teaching about God’s kingdom but do not understand it. The Evil One comes and takes away what was planted in their hearts.
20“And what about the seed that fell on rocky ground? That is like the people who hear the teaching and quickly and gladly accept it. 21But they do not let the teaching go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they give up.
22“And what about the seed that fell among the thorny weeds? That is like the people who hear the teaching but let worries about this life and love for money stop it from growing. So it does not produce a crop in their lives.
23“But what about the seed that fell on the good ground? That is like the people who hear the teaching and understand it. They grow and produce a good crop, sometimes 100 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 30 times more.”
A Story About Wheat and Weeds
24Then Jesus used another story to teach them. Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like a man who planted good seed in his field. 25That night, while everyone was asleep, the man’s enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and then left. 26Later, the wheat grew, and heads of grain grew on the plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. 27Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’
28“The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’
“The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’
29“He answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. 30Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At the harvest time I will tell the workers this: First, gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.’”
What Is God’s Kingdom Like?
(Mk. 4:30–34; Lk. 13:18–21)
31Then Jesus told the people another story: “God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his field. 32It is the smallest of all seeds. But when it grows, it is the largest of all garden plants. It becomes a tree big enough for the birds to come and make nests in its branches.”
33Then Jesus told them another story: “God’s kingdom is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour to make bread. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”
34Jesus used stories to tell all these things to the people. He always used stories to teach them. 35This was to make clear the full meaning of what the prophet said:
“I will speak using stories;
I will tell things that have been secrets since the world was made.” Psalm 78:2
Jesus Explains a Hard Story
36Then Jesus left the people and went into the house. His followers came to him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.”
37He answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world. The good seed are the people in God’s kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. 39And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest is the end of time. And the workers who gather are God’s angels.
40“The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. It will be the same at the end of time. 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will find the people who cause sin and all those who do evil. The angels will take those people out of his kingdom. 42They will throw them into the place of fire. There the people will be crying and grinding their teeth with pain. 43Then the godly people will shine like the sun. They will be in the kingdom of their Father. You people who hear me, listen!
Stories About a Treasure and a Pearl
44“God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure. He hid it again and was so happy that he went and sold everything he owned and bought the field.
45“Also, God’s kingdom is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46One day he found a very fine pearl. He went and sold everything he had to buy it.
A Story About a Fishing Net
47“Also, God’s kingdom is like a net that was put into the lake. The net caught many different kinds of fish. 48It was full, so the fishermen pulled it to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets. Then they threw away the bad fish. 49It will be the same at the end of time. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the godly people. 50They will throw the evil people into the place of fire. There the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”
51Then Jesus asked his followers, “Do you understand all these things?”
They said, “Yes, we understand.”
52Then Jesus said to the followers, “So every teacher of the law who has learned about God’s kingdom has some new things to teach. He is like the owner of a house. He has new things and old things saved in that house. And he brings out the new with the old.”
Jesus Goes to His Hometown
(Mk. 6:1–6; Lk. 4:16–30)
53When Jesus finished teaching with these stories, he left there. 54He went to the town where he grew up. He taught the people in the synagogue, and they were amazed. They said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and this power to do miracles? 55Isn’t he just the son of the carpenter we know? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56And don’t all his sisters still live here in town? How is he able to do these things?” 57So they had a problem accepting him.
But Jesus said to them, “People everywhere give honor to a prophet, but in his own town or in his own home a prophet does not get any honor.” 58Jesus did not do many miracles there, because the people did not believe in him.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International