Matthew 13
13
The Parable of the Sower
Mk 4:1–9; Lk 8:4–8
1#Mt 13:36; Mk 2:13That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2#Lk 5:3Great crowds assembled around Him, so that He went into a boat and sat there. And the whole assembly stood on the shore. 3#Mt 13:10–13; 13:34–35Then He told them many things in parables, saying, “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4While he sowed, some seeds fell beside the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5But other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up because they did not have deep soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And because they did not take root, they withered away. 7Some seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8#Ge 26:12; Mt 13:23But other seeds fell into good ground and produced grain: a hundred, sixty, or thirty times as much. 9#Mt 11:15; Rev 2:7Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The Purpose of the Parables
Mk 4:10–12; Lk 8:9–10
10The disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11#1Jn 2:27; Mt 16:17He answered them, “It is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12#Mt 25:29; Lk 8:18For to him who has, will more be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13#Jer 5:21; Eze 12:2Therefore I speak to them in parables:
‘Because they look, but do not see.
And they listen, but they do not hear, neither do they understand.’#Isa 56:7.
14#Isa 6:9–10; Mk 4:12In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says:
‘By hearing, you will hear and shall not understand,
and seeing, you will see and shall not perceive;#Isa 6:9.
15#Heb 5:11; Ps 119:70 for this people’s heart has grown dull.
Their ears have become hard of hearing,
and they have closed their eyes,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts,
and turn, and I should heal them.’#A talent was worth several hundred pounds.
16#Mt 16:17; Lk 10:23–24But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17#Jn 8:56; Heb 11:13For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
Mk 4:13–20; Lk 8:11–15
18“Therefore listen to the parable of the sower. 19#Mt 4:23; 13:38When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one who received seed beside the path. 20#Isa 58:2; Eze 33:31–32But he who received the seed on rocky ground is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21#Mt 11:6; Hos 6:4yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, eventually he falls away. 22#1Ti 6:9–10; 6:17He also who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23#Mt 13:8; Jn 15:16; Php 1:11But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit. Some produce a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”
The Parable of the Weeds
24#Mt 13:33; 13:47He told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26But when the shoots had sprung up and produced fruit, the weeds also appeared.
27“So the servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
28“He said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’
“The servants said to him, ‘Will you then have us go and gather them up?’
29“But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the weeds, you pull up also the wheat with them. 30#Mt 3:12Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and theYeast
Mk 4:30–32; Lk 13:18–21
31#Mt 13:24; Mk 4:30–32He told them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. 32#Eze 31:6; Da 4:12This indeed is the least of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is the greatest among herbs and is a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.”
33#Lk 13:21; Gal 5:9He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast which a woman took and mixed in sixty pounds#Gk. 3 sata, about 22 liters each. of meal until it had leavened the whole batch.”
The Use of Parables
Mk 4:33–34
34#Mk 4:33–34; Jn 16:25Jesus said all these things to the crowds in parables. And without a parable He did not speak to them, 35#Ps 78:2; Ro 16:25–26to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying:
“I will open My mouth in parables;
I will say things which have been kept secret since the foundation of the world.”#Ps 78:2.
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36#Mt 13:1Then Jesus sent the crowds away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
37He answered, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38#Jn 8:44; Ac 13:10the field is the world, and the good seed are the sons ofthe kingdom. But the weeds are the sons of the evil one. 39#Mt 24:3; Joel 3:13The enemy who sowed them is thedevil, the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels.
40“Therefore as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so shall it be in the end of this world. 41#Mt 24:31; 18:7The Son of Man shall send out His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who do evil, 42#Mt 8:12; 13:50; 22:13and will throw them into a fiery furnace. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43#Da 12:3; Mt 11:15Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun#Da 12:3. in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
44#Isa 55:1; Pr 23:23“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid. And with joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46who, on finding one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Net
47#Mt 4:19“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and gathered all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, they drew it to shore, sat down, and gathered the good into baskets, but threw the bad away. 49#Mt 13:39So shall it be at the end of the world. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50#Mt 8:12; 13:42and throw them into the fiery furnace. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Treasures New and Old
51#Mt 13:11Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all of these things?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
52#Mt 12:35; 23:34Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who is discipled for the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is master of the household who brings out of his treasure new and old things.”
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
Mk 6:1–6; Lk 4:16–30
53When Jesus finished these parables, He departed from there. 54#Mt 2:23; 4:23When He came to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55#Mk 6:3; Lk 3:23Is He not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?” 57#Lk 4:24; Jn 4:44And 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.”
58And He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
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Matthew 13: MEV
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Military Bible Association
Matthew 13
13
The Parable of the Sower
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears#13.9 Other ancient authorities add to hear listen!”
The Purpose of the Parables
10Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets#13.11 Or mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ 14With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:
‘You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
15For this people's heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.’
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.#13.21 Gk stumbles 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat
24He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
31He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
The Parable of the Yeast
33He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with#13.33 Gk hid in three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
The Use of Parables
34Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. 35This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:#13.35 Other ancient authorities read the prophet Isaiah
“I will open my mouth to speak in parables;
I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.”#13.35 Other ancient authorities lack of the world
Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds
36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “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 are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears#13.43 Other ancient authorities add to hear listen!
Three Parables
44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Treasures New and Old
51“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” 52And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” 53When Jesus had finished these parables, he left that place.
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
54He came to his hometown and began to teach the people#13.54 Gk them in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? 55Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” 57And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” 58And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.