Matthew 13
13
1 In that day, Jesus, departing from the house, sat down beside the sea.
2 And such great crowds were gathered to him that he climbed into a boat and he sat down. And the entire multitude stood on the shore.
3 And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow seed.
4 And while he was sowing, some fell beside the road, and the birds of the air came and ate it.
5 Then others fell in a rocky place, where they did not have much soil. And they sprung up promptly, because they had no depth of soil.
6 But when the sun rose up, they were scorched, and because they had no roots, they withered.
7 Still others fell among thorns, and the thorns increased and suffocated them.
8 Yet some others fell upon good soil, and they produced fruit: some one hundred fold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold.
9 Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear."
10 And his disciples drew near to him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"
11 Responding, he said to them: "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but it has not been given to them.
12 For whoever has, it shall be given to him, and he shall have in abundance. But whoever has not, even what he has shall be taken away from him.
13 For this reason, I speak to them in parables: because seeing, they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14 And so, in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, who said, 'Hearing, you shall hear, but not understand; and seeing, you shall see, but not perceive.
15 For the heart of this people has grown fat, and with their ears they hear heavily, and they have closed their eyes, lest at any time they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and then I would heal them.'
16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
17 Amen I say to you, certainly, that many of the prophets and the just desired to see what you see, and yet they did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and yet they did not hear it.
18 Listen, then, to the parable of the sower.
19 With anyone who hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, evil comes and carries away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received the seed by the side of the road.
20 Then whoever has received the seed upon a rocky place, this is one who hears the word and promptly accepts it with joy.
21 But he has no root in himself, so it is only for a time; then, when tribulation and persecution occur because of the word, he promptly stumbles.
22 And whoever has received the seed among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the falseness of riches suffocate the word, and he is effectively without fruit.
23 Yet truly, whoever has received the seed into good soil, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, and so he bears fruit, and he produces: some a hundred fold, and another sixty fold, and another thirty fold."
24 He proposed another parable to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 But while the men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds amid the wheat, and then went away.
26 And when the plants had grown, and had produced fruit, then the weeds also appeared.
27 So the servants of the Father of the family, approaching, said to him: 'Lord, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how is it that it has weeds?'
28 And he said to them, 'A man who is an enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Is it your will that we should go and gather them up?'
29 And he said: 'No, lest perhaps in gathering the weeds, you might also root out the wheat together with it.
30 Permit both to grow until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers: Gather first the weeds, and bind them into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather into my storehouse.' "
31 He proposed another parable to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.
32 It is, indeed, the least of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is greater than all the plants, and it becomes a tree, so much so that the birds of the air come and dwell in its branches."
33 He spoke another parable to them: "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of fine wheat flour, until it was entirely leavened."
34 All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds. And he did not speak to them apart from parables,
35 in order to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet, saying: "I will open my mouth in parables. I will proclaim what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."
36 Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. And his disciples drew near to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
37 Responding, he said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man.
38 Now the field is the world. And the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. But the weeds are the sons of wickedness.
39 So the enemy who sowed them is the devil. And truly, the harvest is the consummation of the age; while the reapers are the Angels.
40 Therefore, just as weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the consummation of the age.
41 The Son of man shall send out his Angels, and they shall gather from his kingdom all who lead astray and those who work iniquity.
42 And he shall cast them into the furnace of fire, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the just ones shall shine like the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.
44 The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. When a man finds it, he hides it, and, because of his joy, he goes and sells everything that he has, and he buys that field.
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking good pearls.
46 Having found one pearl of great value, he went away and sold all that he had, and he bought it.
47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea, which gathers together all kinds of fish.
48 When it has been filled, drawing it out and sitting beside the shore, they selected the good into vessels, but the bad they threw away.
49 So shall it be at the consummation of the age. The Angels shall go forth and separate the bad from the midst of the just.
50 And they shall cast them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 Have you understood all these things?" They say to him, "Yes."
52 He said to them, "Therefore, every scribe well-taught about the kingdom of heaven, is like a man, the father of a family, who offers from his storehouse both the new and the old."
53 And it happened that, when Jesus had completed these parables, he went away from there.
54 And arriving in his own country, he taught them in their synagogues, so much so that they wondered and said: "How can such wisdom and power be with this one?
55 Is this not the son of a workman? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Therefore, from where has this one obtained all these things?"
57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house."
58 And he did not work many miracles there, because of their unbelief.
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Matthew 13
13
A Story about a Farmer
(Mark 4:1–20; Luke 8:4–15)
1That same day Jesus left the house and sat down by the Sea of Galilee. 2The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat. He sat in the boat while the entire crowd stood on the shore. 3Then he used stories as illustrations to tell them many things.
He said, “Listen! A farmer went to plant seed. 4Some seeds were planted along the road, and birds came and devoured them. 5Other seeds were planted on rocky ground, where there was little soil. The plants sprouted quickly because the soil wasn’t deep. 6But when the sun came up, they were scorched. They withered because their roots weren’t deep enough. 7Other seeds were planted among thornbushes, and the thornbushes grew up and choked them. 8But other seeds were planted on good ground and produced grain. They produced one hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much as was planted. 9Let the person who has ears listen!”
10The disciples asked him, “Why do you use stories as illustrations when you speak to people?”
11Jesus answered, “Knowledge about the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you. But it has not been given to the crowd. 12Those who understand ⌞these mysteries⌟ will be given ⌞more knowledge⌟, and they will excel ⌞in understanding them⌟. However, some people don’t understand ⌞these mysteries⌟. Even what they understand will be taken away from them. 13This is why I speak to them this way. They see, but they’re blind. They hear, but they don’t listen. They don’t even try to understand. 14So they make Isaiah’s prophecy come true:
‘You will hear clearly but never understand.
You will see clearly but never comprehend.
15These people have become close-minded
and hard of hearing.
They have shut their eyes
so that their eyes never see.
Their ears never hear.
Their minds never understand.
And they never return to me for healing!’
16“Blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. 17I can guarantee this truth: Many prophets and many of God’s people longed to see what you see but didn’t see it, to hear what you hear but didn’t hear it.
18“Listen to what the story about the farmer means. 19Someone hears the word about the kingdom but doesn’t understand it. The evil one comes at once and snatches away what was planted in him. This is what the seed planted along the road illustrates. 20The seed planted on rocky ground ⌞is the person who⌟ hears the word and accepts it at once with joy. 21Since he doesn’t have any root, he lasts only a little while. When suffering or persecution comes along because of the word, he immediately falls ⌞from faith⌟. 22The seed planted among thornbushes ⌞is another person who⌟ hears the word. But the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of riches choke the word so that it can’t produce anything. 23But the seed planted on good ground ⌞is the person who⌟ hears and understands the word. This type produces crops. They produce one hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much as was planted.”
A Story about Weeds in the Wheat
24Jesus used another illustration. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seed in his field. 25But while people were asleep, his enemy planted weeds in the wheat field and went away. 26When the wheat came up and formed kernels, weeds appeared.
27“The owner’s workers came to him and asked, ‘Sir, didn’t you plant good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?’
28“He told them, ‘An enemy did this.’
“His workers asked him, ‘Do you want us to pull out the weeds?’
29“He replied, ‘No. If you pull out the weeds, you may pull out the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. When the grain is cut, I will tell the workers to gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned. But I’ll have them bring the wheat into my barn.’ ”
Stories about a Mustard Seed and Yeast
(Mark 4:30–34; Luke 13:18–21)
31Jesus used another illustration. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone planted in a field. 32It’s one of the smallest seeds. However, when it has grown, it is taller than the garden plants. It becomes a tree that is large enough for birds to nest in its branches.”
33He used another illustration. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman mixed into a large amount of flour until the yeast worked its way through all the dough.”
34Jesus used illustrations to tell the crowds all these things. He did not tell them anything without illustrating it with a story. 35So what the prophet had said came true:
“I will open my mouth to illustrate points.
I will tell what has been hidden since the world was made.”
The Meaning of the Weeds in the Wheat
36When Jesus had sent the people away, he went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain what the illustration of the weeds in the field means.”
37He answered, “The one who plants the good seeds is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world. The good seeds are those who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are those who belong to the evil one. 39The enemy who planted them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world. The workers are angels. 40Just as weeds are gathered and burned, so it will be at the end of time. 41The Son of Man will send his angels. They will gather everything in his kingdom that causes people to sin and everyone who does evil. 42The angels will throw them into a blazing furnace. People will cry and be in extreme pain there. 43Then the people who have God’s approval will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let the person who has ears listen!
Stories about a Treasure, a Merchant, and a Net
44“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. When a man discovered it, he buried it again. He was so delighted with it that he went away, sold everything he had, and bought that field.
45“Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who was searching for fine pearls. 46When he found a valuable pearl, he went away, sold everything he had, and bought it.
47“Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea. It gathered all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, they pulled it to the shore. Then they sat down, gathered the good fish into containers, and threw the bad ones away. 49The same thing will happen at the end of time. The angels will go out and separate the evil people from people who have God’s approval. 50Then the angels will throw the evil people into a blazing furnace. They will cry and be in extreme pain there.
51“Have you understood all of this?”
“Yes,” they answered.
52So Jesus said to them, “That is why every student of the Scriptures who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a home owner. He brings new and old things out of his treasure chest.”
53When Jesus had finished these illustrations, he left that place.
Nazareth Rejects Jesus
(Mark 6:1–6; Luke 4:14–30)
54Jesus went to his hometown and taught the people in the synagogue in a way that amazed them. People were asking, “Where did this man get this wisdom and the power to do these miracles? 55Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary? Aren’t his brothers’ names James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 56And aren’t all his sisters here with us? Where, then, did this man get all this?” 57So they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, “The only place a prophet isn’t honored is in his hometown and in his own house.”
58He didn’t work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
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