Matthew 13:24–46

The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat

²⁴He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field,^{* 25}but while everybody was asleep an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away. ²⁶So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. ²⁷And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ ²⁸He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ ²⁹But he replied, ‘No, for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. ³⁰Let both of them grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”^*

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³¹He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;^{* 32}it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”^*

The Parable of the Yeast

³³He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with^o three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”^*

The Use of Parables

³⁴Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing.^{* 35}This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:^p

“I will open my mouth to speak in parables;

I will proclaim what has been hidden since the foundation.”^q*

Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds

³⁶Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” ³⁷He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; ³⁸the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one,^{* 39}and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.^{* 40}Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.^{* 41}The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin^r and all evildoers,^{* 42}and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{* 43}Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears^s listen!^*

Three Parables

⁴⁴“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.^*

⁴⁵“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; ⁴⁶on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.