Matthew 13
13
The Parable of the Sower
1That same day Jesus went out of the house #For ver. 1-15, see Mark 4:1-12; Luke 8:4-10and sat beside the sea. 2And great crowds gathered about him, #[Mark 3:9; Luke 5:1-3]so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And #ver. 34 he told them many things in parables, saying: #[Isa. 55:10; Amos 9:13]“A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6but #James 1:11 when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, #John 15:6they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among #Jer. 4:3thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some #ver. 23; Gen. 26:12a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9#See ch. 11:15He who has ears,#13:9 Some manuscripts add here and in verse 43 to hear let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
10Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11And he answered them, #ch. 19:11; Col. 1:27; [1 Cor. 2:6-10; 1 John 2:20, 27]; See ch. 11:25 “To you it has been given to know #See Rom. 16:25the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12#ch. 25:29; Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18; 19:26; [John 15:2; James 4:6] For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, #[Rev. 2:5]even what he has will be taken away. 13This is why I speak to them in parables, because #Deut. 29:4; Jer. 5:21; Ezek. 12:2; Rom. 11:8; 2 Cor. 3:14; 4:4; [Isa. 42:19, 20] seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, #ver. 19, 51; ch. 15:10; 16:12; Mark 8:21nor do they understand. 14Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
#
John 12:40; Acts 28:26, 27; Cited from Isa. 6:9, 10 “‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears #[Heb. 5:11] they can barely hear,
and #[John 9:39, 41] their eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and #[Rom. 10:10] understand with their heart
and # See Luke 22:32 turn, and I would heal them.’
16 But #
Luke 10:23, 24; [ch. 16:17] blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17#[See ver. 16 above] For truly, I say to you, #Heb. 11:13; 1 Pet. 1:10-12; [John 8:56]many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 # For ver. 18-23, see Mark 4:13-20; Luke 8:11-15 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19When anyone hears the word of #ver. 38; ch. 4:23; 8:12 the kingdom and #See ver. 13 does not understand it, #John 17:15; Eph. 6:16; 2 Thess. 3:3; 1 John 2:13, 14; 3:12; 5:18, 19the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately #[Isa. 58:2; Ezek. 33:31, 32; Mark 6:20; John 5:35]receives it with joy, 21yet he has no root in himself, but #Gal. 1:6; [Hos. 6:4; Gal. 5:7] endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately #See ch. 11:6he falls away.#13:21 Or stumbles 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but #See ch. 6:25 the cares of #2 Tim. 4:10 the world and #1 Tim. 6:9, 10, 17; [ch. 19:23; Mark 10:23; Acts 5:1-11; Heb. 3:13]the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and #[See ver. 19 above] understands it. He indeed #Hos. 14:8; John 15:5, 16; Phil. 1:11; Col. 1:6 bears fruit and yields, in one case #ver. 8a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
The Parable of the Weeds
24He put another parable before them, saying, #ver. 37-42; [Mark 4:26-29]“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds#13:25 Probably darnel, a wheat-like weed among the wheat and went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27And the servants#13:27 Or bondservants; also verse 28 of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he said, #[1 Cor. 4:5]‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, #ch. 3:12“Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
31He put another parable before them, saying, #For ver. 31, 32, see Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18, 19 “The kingdom of heaven is like #ch. 17:20; Luke 17:6a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
33He told them another parable. #Luke 13:20, 21 “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in #Gen. 18:6 three measures of flour, till it was #1 Cor. 5:6; Gal. 5:9all leavened.”
Prophecy and Parables
34 # ver. 3; Mark 4:33, 34; [John 16:25, 29] All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:#13:35 Some manuscripts Isaiah the prophet
# Cited from Ps. 78:2 “I will open my mouth in parables;
# [ver. 11; Rom. 16:25, 26; 1 Cor. 2:7] I will utter what has been hidden #ch. 25:34; Luke 11:50; [John 17:24; Eph. 1:4; 1 Pet. 1:20]since the foundation of the world.”
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36Then he left the crowds and went into #ver. 1 the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, #ver. 24-30; [ch. 15:15]“Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed is #[ver. 43] the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are #John 8:44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:10; [ch. 23:15]; See ver. 19the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. #Joel 3:13; Rev. 14:15 The harvest is #ver. 49; ch. 24:3; 28:20; [Dan. 12:13; Heb. 9:26]the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40Just as the weeds #John 15:6; [ch. 3:12] are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at #[See ver. 39 above]the end of the age. 41#ch. 24:31 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all #ch. 18:7; [Zeph. 1:3] causes of sin and #ch. 7:23all law-breakers, 42#ver. 50; Rev. 9:2; [Rev. 19:20; 20:10] and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place #See ch. 8:12there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then #Prov. 4:18; Dan. 12:3; [1 Cor. 15:41, 42] the righteous will shine like the sun #[ver. 38; ch. 25:34; 26:29; Luke 12:32] in the kingdom of their Father. #See ch. 11:15He who has ears, let him hear.
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44 “The kingdom of heaven #
Prov. 2:4 is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy # [ch. 25:9; Prov. 23:23; Phil. 3:7, 8] he goes and sells all that he has and # [Isa. 55:1; Rev. 3:18] buys that field.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46who, on finding #ch. 7:6 one pearl of great value, #[See ver. 44 above] went and sold all that he had and #[See ver. 44 above]bought it.
The Parable of the Net
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is # ch. 4:19 like a net that was thrown into the sea and # [ver. 38; ch. 22:10; 25:2] gathered fish of every kind. 48When it was full, #John 21:11men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49So it will be at #See ver. 39 the end of the age. The angels will come out and #ch. 25:32; [ver. 41]separate the evil from the righteous 50#See ver. 42and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place #See ver. 42there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
New and Old Treasures
51 # ver. 10-16; [John 10:6; 16:29] “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52And he said to them, “Therefore every #ch. 23:34 scribe #ch. 28:19 who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who #[ch. 12:35]brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
53And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54#For ver. 54-58, see Mark 6:1-6; [Luke 4:16-30] and coming to #ch. 2:23; Luke 4:23 his hometown #See ch. 4:23 he taught them in their synagogue, so that #See ch. 7:28they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55#[Luke 4:22; John 6:42] Is not this #[Mark 6:3] the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not #See ch. 12:46his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And #See ch. 11:6 they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, #Luke 4:24; John 4:44; [Jer. 11:21; 12:6; John 7:5]“A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58And he did not do many mighty works there, #[ch. 17:20]because of their unbelief.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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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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