Matthew 13:1–15

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

13On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea.^{f 2}Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.^g

³Then he told them many things in parables,^h saying, “Consider the sower who went out to sow. ⁴As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. ⁸Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown.^{i 9}Let anyone who has ears^A listen.”^j

WHY JESUS USED PARABLES

¹⁰Then the disciples^k came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?”^l

¹¹He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know,^m but it has not been given to them. ¹²For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.^{n 13}That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see,^o and hearing they do not listen or understand.^{p 14}Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You will listen and listen,

but never understand;

you will look and look,

but never perceive.^q

¹⁵For this people’s heart has grown callous;

their ears are hard of hearing,

and they have shut their eyes;

otherwise they might see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears, and

understand with their hearts,

and turn back—

and I would heal them.^Br