Matthew 13

13 ¹ On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat down beside the sea. ² Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore. ³ And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Look, a sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil, and it sprang up quickly, since the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun rose, the plants were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. ⁸ Other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop — a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear."

¹⁰ Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

¹¹ He replied, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of our Father, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables: though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. ¹⁴ In them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled: 'You will indeed hear but never understand; you will indeed see but never perceive. ¹⁵ For this people's heart has grown calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes — otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.'

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ Truly 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.

¹⁸ Listen, then, to the parable of the sower. ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy, ²¹ but since they have no root in themselves, they don't last long; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²³ But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who bears fruit and yields a hundredfold, sixty, or thirty times what was sown."

Wheat and Weeds in the Field

²⁴ He put another parable before them: "The kingdom of our Father is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds appeared as well. ²⁷ The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Master, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

²⁸ 'An enemy did this,' he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

²⁹ 'No,' he said, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.'"

A Mustard Seed Becomes a Tree

³¹ He put another parable before them: "The kingdom of our Father is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."

The Kingdom Works Like Hidden Yeast

³³ He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of our Father is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about twenty-five pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough."

³⁴ Jesus said all these things to the crowds in parables; indeed, he did not say anything to them without using a parable. ³⁵ This fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables; I will declare things hidden since the foundation of the world."

The Father Separates Wheat From Weeds

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 weeds in the field."

³⁷ He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. ⁴⁰ As the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil, ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

The Kingdom Is Worth Everything

⁴⁴ "The kingdom of our Father is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁴⁵ "Again, the kingdom of our Father is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ When he found one pearl of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Net Catches All Kinds

⁴⁷ "Again, the kingdom of our Father is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ When it was full, the fishermen pulled it ashore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish into baskets but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹ This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁵¹ "Have you understood all these things?" "Yes," they replied.

⁵² He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been trained for the kingdom of our Father is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom treasures both new and old."

Jesus Rejected in His Hometown

⁵³ When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. ⁵⁴ Coming to his hometown, he taught the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. ⁵⁵ "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶ Aren't all his sisters here with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" ⁵⁷ And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown and in his own household."

⁵⁸ And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.