Matthew 13

Jesus Teaches in Parables: The Parable of the Sower (13:1–9)

₁ That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea, ₂ and large crowds were gathered together toward him, so he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. ₃ And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow, ₄ and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. ₅ Others fell on the rocky places where they did not have much soil. They immediately sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. ₆ But when the sun had risen, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. ₇ Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them. ₈ But others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop—some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. ₉ He who has ears, let him hear.”

The Purpose of Parables (13:10–17)

₁₀ And the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” ₁₁ Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the revealed mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been granted. ₁₂ For 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. ₁₃ For this reason I speak to them in parables because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ₁₄ The prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled by them, which says, ‘By hearing you will hear and will not understand; and by seeing you will see but not perceive, ₁₅ for this people’s heart has become calloused; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and change, and I would heal them’ [Isa. 6:9–10]. ₁₆ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. ₁₇ For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people desired 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: 
Receive and Cultivate the Word (13:18–23)

₁₈ “Therefore, hear the parable of the sower. ₁₉ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown by the road. ₂₀ But the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ₂₁ but he has no firm root in himself, so it is only temporary. And when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he is offended. ₂₂ The one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. ₂₃ The one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces—some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

The Wheat and the Tares Must Grow Alongside Each Other 
for a Time (13:24–30)

₂₄ Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, ₂₅ but while the men were sleeping, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away. ₂₆ But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares also appeared. ₂₇ The servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then where do the tares come from?’ ₂₈ He replied, ‘An enemy did this!’ And the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them up?’ ₂₉ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat together with them. ₃₀ Allow 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 gather the wheat into my barn.’”

The Tiny Mustard Seed Flourishes (13:31–32)

₃₁ He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens is comparable to a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. ₃₂ 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 the birds of the air come and find shelter in its branches.”

The Leaven Spreads throughout the Loaf (13:33)

₃₃ He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of the heavens is comparable to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened.”

The Parables Reveal the Plan Established in 
the Council in Heaven (13:34–43)

₃₄ All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and he did not speak to them without a parable, ₃₅ to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things that have been kept covered since the foundation of the world” [Ps. 78:2]. ₃₆ Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” ₃₇ And he said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, ₃₈ and the field is the world. As for the good seed, these are the children of the kingdom. And the tares are the children of the wicked; ₃₉ the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are angels. ₄₀ Therefore, just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the world. ₄₁ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all the scandalous stumbling blocks and doers of lawlessness ₄₂ and will throw them into the furnace of fire. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ₄₃ Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let them hear.”

A Hidden Treasure, a Costly Pearl, and a Net (13:44–52)

₄₄ “The kingdom of the heavens is comparable to a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and he hid again. And from his joy, he goes out and sells all that he has and buys that field.

₄₅ “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is comparable to a merchant seeking fine pearls, ₄₆ and having found one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

₄₇ “Again, the kingdom of the heavens is comparable to a dragnet cast into the sea and gathering fish of every kind. ₄₈ And when it was filled, they drew it up on the shore, and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but they threw away the bad. ₄₉ So it will be at the end of the world; the angels will come forth and separate the wicked from among the righteous, ₅₀ and will cast them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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

Jesus Is Rejected at Nazareth (13:53–58)

₅₃ When Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there. ₅₄ He came to his hometown and taught them in their synagogue, to their astonishment, and they said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? ₅₅ Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary, and his brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? ₅₆ And his sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ₅₇ And they were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is honored except in his hometown and in his own household.” ₅₈ He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faithfulness.