13That same day Jesus left the house and sat by the Sea of Galilee. ²Large crowds gathered around him. So he got into a boat. He sat down in it. All the people stood on the shore. ³Then he told them many things by using stories.

He said, “A farmer went out to plant his seed. ⁴He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. Birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some seed fell on rocky places, where there wasn’t much soil. The plants came up quickly, because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶When the sun came up, it burned the plants. They dried up because they had no roots. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and crowded out the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil. It produced a crop 100, 60 or 30 times more than what was planted. ⁹Those who have ears should listen.”

¹⁰The disciples came to him. They asked, “Why do you use stories when you speak to the people?”

¹¹He replied, “You have been given the chance to understand the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. It has not been given to outsiders. ¹²Everyone who has that kind of knowledge will be given more. In fact, they will have very much. If anyone doesn’t have that kind of knowledge, even what little he has will be taken away from him. ¹³Here is why I use stories when I speak to the people. I say,

“They look, but they don’t really see.

They listen, but they don’t really hear or understand.

¹⁴“In them the words of the prophet Isaiah come true. He said,

“ ‘You will hear but never understand.

You will see but never know what you are seeing.

¹⁵The hearts of these people have become stubborn.

They can barely hear with their ears.

They have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes.

They might hear with their ears.

They might understand with their hearts.

They might turn to the Lord, and then he would heal them.’

¹⁶“But blessed are your eyes because they see. And blessed are your ears because they hear. ¹⁷What I’m about to tell you is true. Many prophets and godly people wanted to see what you see. But they didn’t see it. They wanted to hear what you hear. But they didn’t hear it.

¹⁸“Listen! Here is the meaning of the story of the farmer. ¹⁹People hear the message about the kingdom but do not understand it. Then the evil one comes. He steals what was planted in their hearts. Those people are like the seed planted on a path. ²⁰Others received the seed that fell on rocky places. They are those who hear the message and at once receive it with joy. ²¹But they have no roots. So they last only a short time. They quickly fall away from the faith when trouble or suffering comes because of the message. ²²Others received the seed that fell among the thorns. They are those who hear the message. But then the worries of this life and the false promises of wealth crowd it out. They keep it from producing fruit. ²³But still others received the seed that fell on good soil. They are those who hear the message and understand it. They produce a crop 100, 60 or 30 times more than the farmer planted.”

The Story of the Weeds

²⁴Jesus told the crowd another story. “Here is what the kingdom of heaven is like,” he said. “A man planted good seed in his field. ²⁵But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came. The enemy planted weeds among the wheat and then went away. ²⁶The wheat began to grow and form grain. At the same time, weeds appeared.

²⁷“The owner’s servants came to him. They said, ‘Sir, didn’t you plant good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’

²⁸“ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull the weeds up?’

²⁹“ ‘No,’ the owner answered. ‘While you are pulling up the weeds, you might pull up the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the workers what to do. Here is what I will say to them. First collect the weeds. Tie them in bundles to be burned. Then gather the wheat. Bring it into my storeroom.’ ”

The Stories of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

³¹Jesus told the crowd another story. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Someone took the seed and planted it in a field. ³²It is the smallest of all your seeds. But when it grows, it is the largest of all garden plants. It becomes a tree. Birds come and rest in its branches.”

³³Jesus told them still another story. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast,” he said. “A woman mixed it into a large amount of flour. The yeast worked its way all through the dough.”

³⁴Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd by using stories. He did not say anything to them without telling a story. ³⁵So the words spoken by the prophet came true. He had said,

“I will open my mouth and tell stories.

I will speak about things that were hidden since the world was made.”

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