Matthew 13:24–46

The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

²⁴He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. ^j25But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds ^kamong the wheat, and left. ²⁶When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. ²⁷The landowner’s ^•slaves ^lcame to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’

²⁸“ ‘An enemy did this!’ he told them.

“ ‘So, do you want us to go and gather them up?’ the slaves asked him.

²⁹“ ‘No,’ he said. ‘When you gather up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but store the wheat in my barn.’ ”

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Yeast

³¹He ^mpresented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven ⁿis like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³²It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.” ^o

³³He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds ^pof flour until it spread through all of it.” ^qr

Using Parables Fulfills Prophecy

³⁴Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and He would not speak anything to them without a parable, ^s35so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled:

I will open My mouth in parables;

I will declare things kept secret

from the foundation of the world. ^tu

Jesus Interprets the Wheat and the Weeds

³⁶Then He dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, “Explain the parable of the weeds in the field to us.” ^v

³⁷He replied: “The One who sows the good seed is the ^•Son of Man; ³⁸the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ^w39and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. ^x40Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ^y41The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin ^zand those ^•guilty of lawlessness. ^ab42They will throw them into the blazing furnace ^cwhere there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ^d43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Anyone who has ears ^eshould listen! ^f

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and of the Priceless Pearl

⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. ^g

⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls. ⁴⁶When he found one priceless ^hpearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it. ⁱ