Matthew 13:3–58

³Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred,^w sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹Whoever has ears, let them hear.”^x

¹⁰The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven^y has been given to you,^z but not to them. ¹²Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.^{a 13}This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;

though hearing, they do not hear or understand.^b

¹⁴In them is fulfilled^c the prophecy of Isaiah:

“ ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;

you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

¹⁵For this people’s heart has become 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 hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’^ad

¹⁶But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.^{e 17}For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see^f but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

¹⁸“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹When anyone hears the message about the kingdom^g and does not understand it, the evil one^h comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.^{i 22}The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth^j choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”^k

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^l a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, 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 answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”^m

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

13:31,32pp—Mk 4:30–32 13:31–33pp—Lk 13:18–21

³¹He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is likeⁿ a mustard seed,^o which a man took and planted in his field. ³²Though 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 come and perch in its branches.”^p

³³He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like^q yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds^b of flour^r until it worked all through the dough.”^s

³⁴Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.^{t 35}So was fulfilled^u what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,

I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”^cv

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable^w of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.^{x 38}The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,^{y 39}and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest^z is the end of the age,^a and the harvesters are angels.^b

⁴⁰“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man^c will send out his angels,^d and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{e 43}Then the righteous will shine like the sun^f in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.^g

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like^h 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.ⁱ

⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like^j a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

⁴⁷“Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like^k a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds^l of fish. ⁴⁸When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. ⁴⁹This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous^{m 50}and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.ⁿ

⁵¹“Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

⁵²He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

A Prophet Without Honor

13:54–58pp—Mk 6:1–6

⁵³When Jesus had finished these parables,^o he moved on from there. ⁵⁴Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue,^p and they were amazed.^q “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. ⁵⁵“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?^r Isn’t his mother’s^s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers^t James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” ⁵⁷And they took offense^u at him.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.”^v

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