Matthew 13

Jesus Teaches in Parables

1That day Jesus went out of 1the house and was sitting 2by the sea. 2And 3large crowds gathered to Him, so 4He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

3And He spoke many things to them in 5parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7Others fell 6among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a 7hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 98He who has ears, 9let him hear.”

An Explanation

10And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 1110Jesus answered them, “11To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 1212For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while 13seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 1414In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘1516You will keep on hearing, 17but will not understand; 18You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;1519For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’ 1620But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17For truly I say to you that 21many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Sower Explained

18“22Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears 23the 24word of the kingdom and does not understand it, 25the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the 26word, immediately he 2728falls away. 22And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of 29the 30world and the 31deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some 32a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

Tares among Wheat

24Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “33The kingdom of heaven 34may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed 35tares among the wheat, and went away. 26But when the 36wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? 37How then does it have tares?’ 28And he said to them, ‘An 38enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but 39gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Mustard Seed

31He presented another parable to them, saying, “40The kingdom of heaven is like 41a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; 32and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that 42the birds of the 43air come and nest in its branches.”

The Leaven

33He spoke another parable to them, “44The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in 45three 46pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”

34All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them 47without a parable. 35This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “48I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

The Tares Explained

36Then He left the crowds and went into 49the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “50Explain to us the parable of the 51tares of the field.” 37And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is 52the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are 53the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are 54the sons of 55the evil one; 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is 56the 57end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at 58the 59end of the age. 4160The Son of Man 61will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom 62all 63stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42and 64will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place 65there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 4366Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. 67He who has ears, 68let him hear.

Hidden Treasure

44“69The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and 70sells all that he has and buys that field.

A Costly Pearl

45“Again, 71the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

A Dragnet

47“Again, 72the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; 48and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49So it will be at 73the 74end of the age; the angels will come forth and 75take out the wicked from among the righteous, 50and 76will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place 77there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51“Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.” 52And 78Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Jesus Revisits Nazareth

5379When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. 5480He came to 81His hometown and 82began teaching them in their synagogue, so that 83they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these 84miraculous powers? 55Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not 85His mother called Mary, and His 86brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56And 87His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57And they took 88offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “89A prophet is not without honor except in his 90hometown and in his own household.” 58And He did not do many 91miracles there because of their unbelief.