TCNT MAT Chapter 13

The Parable of the Sower

13 On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea, 2 and large crowds gathered around him. So he got into [fn]the boat and sat down, while the entire crowd stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up immediately because they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched. And because they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced fruit, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times more than what was sown. 9 He who has ears [fn]to hear, let him hear.”

The Purpose of Parables

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do yoʋ speak to the people in parables?” 11 Jesus answered [fn]them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 That is why I speak to them in parables, [fn]because ‘they see but do not perceive, and they hear but do not listen or understand.’ 14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says,

‘Yoʋ will hear but never understand,

and you will see but never perceive.

15 For the heart of this people has become dull;

with their ears they have barely heard,

and their eyes they have closed,

lest they should see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart and turn back,

and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous people desired to see the things you see but did not see them, and to hear the things you hear but did not hear them.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and [fn]snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed sown on rocky ground is he who hears the word and immediately [fn]receives it with joy. 21 Yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary. When tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, he immediately falls away. 22 The seed sown among the thorns is he who hears the word, but the cares of [fn]this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the seed sown on the good soil is he who hears the word and understands it, who bears fruit and produces a hundred, sixty, or thirty times more than what was sown.”

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a person who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and then went away. 26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did yoʋ not sow good seed in yoʋr field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Do yoʋ want us to go and gather them up?’ 29 He said, ‘No, lest in gathering the tares you uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let them both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “Gather the tares first and bind them into bundles to burn them up, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

31 He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which is indeed smaller than all the seeds, but when it is grown, it is larger than [fn]the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”

The Parable of the Leaven

33 He spoke to them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour until it had all been leavened.”

The Use of Parables

34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; he [fn]did not speak to them without using a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables;

I will declare things hidden from the foundation [fn]of the world.”

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares Explained

36 Then Jesus left the crowds and went into [fn]the house, and his disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 He answered [fn]them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom. The tares are the sons 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 Therefore, just as the tares are gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of [fn]this age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who practice lawlessness. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears [fn]to hear, let him hear.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

44 “[fn]Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and out of his joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. 46 When he found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Dragnet

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered together fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, the fishermen drew it to shore. Then they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad ones they threw out. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of [fn]teeth.”

New and Old Treasures

51 Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “[fn]Yes, Lord.” 52 Then he said to them, “Therefore every scribe that has been trained as a disciple for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he departed from there. 54 Then he went to his hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55 Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother's name Mary, and are not his brothers James, [fn]Joses, Simon, and Judas? 56 Are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.