Matthew 13

The Parable of the Sower

1 “Jesus left the house and went to sit by the lake.”

2 “A huge crowd gathered around Him, so He got into a boat and sat down while the crowd stood on the shore.”

3 “He started teaching them in parables, saying, ‘A farmer went out to plant seeds.’”

4 “‘As he scattered the seeds, some fell on the path, and birds came and ate them.’”

5 “‘Some fell on rocky ground where there was not much soil. They sprouted quick because the soil was shallow,’”

6 “‘but when the sun came up, they got scorched and withered because they did not have roots.’”

7 “‘Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns choked them out.’”

8 “‘But some seeds fell on good soil, and they grew, producing 30, 60, or even 100 times what was planted.’”

9 “‘If you got ears, listen up!’”

Why Jesus Used Parables

10 “The disciples came up and asked, ‘Why You always teaching in parables?’”

11 “Jesus said, ‘I am letting you all in on the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not everyone gets that privilege.’”

12 “‘Those who understand will be given more and have plenty. But those who do not get it will lose even what little they have.’”

13 “‘That is why I speak in parables, so people can see but not really see, hear but not really hear, and not understand.’”

14 “‘This fulfills Isaiah’s prophecy: “You will hear but not understand; you will see but not perceive.”’”

15 “‘These people’s hearts are hard. They have closed their eyes and ears. Otherwise, they would turn to Me, and I would heal them.’”

16 “‘But blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear.’”

17 “‘Many prophets and righteous people wanted to see what you see and hear what you hear, but they did not.’”

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “‘Alright, here is what the parable of the sower means.’”

19 “‘The seeds on the path are like people who hear the message about the kingdom but do not understand it. The devil snatches it away from their hearts.’”

20 “‘The seeds on rocky ground are people who hear the word and get hyped, but it does not sink deep.’”

21 “‘When trouble or persecution comes, they fall off because they do not have roots.’”

22 “‘The seeds among the thorns are people who hear the word but get caught up in worries and chasing money. That chokes the word, and they do not grow.’”

23 “‘The seeds on good soil are people who hear the word, understand it, and produce fruit, 30, 60, or even 100 times what was planted.’”

The Parable of the Weeds

24 “Jesus told another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who planted good seeds in his field.’”

25 “‘But at night, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and dipped.’”

26 “‘When the wheat sprouted, so did the weeds.’”

27 “‘The workers asked the man, “Did you not plant good seeds, Where did the weeds come from?”’”

28 “‘The man said, “An enemy did this.” The workers asked, “Should we pull up the weeds?”’”

29 “‘The man said, “Nah, you might pull up the wheat too. Let them grow together until harvest.’”

30 “‘At harvest time, I will tell the workers to gather the weeds, tie them up, and burn them. Then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and Yeast

31 “Jesus told another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. It is the smallest seed,’”

32 “‘but when it grows, it is the biggest plant, turning into a tree where birds can chill in its branches.’”

33 “‘The kingdom of heaven is also like yeast that a woman mixed into flour until the whole batch rose.’”

34 “Jesus spoke to the crowd only in parables, fulfilling the prophecy.”

35 “‘I will open My mouth in parables; I will explain things hidden since the world began.’”

The Weeds Explained

36 “After the crowd left, the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Listen, explain the parable of the weeds.’”

37 “Jesus said, ‘The one who planted the good seed is the Son of Man.’”

38 “‘The field is the world, the good seeds are the people of the kingdom, and the weeds are the people of the evil one.’”

39 “‘The enemy is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the workers are angels.’”

40 “‘Just like weeds get pulled and burned, that is how it will be at the end.’”

41 “‘The Son of Man will send His angels to take out all the evil and sin.’”

42 “‘They will throw them into the fiery furnace where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

43 “‘Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. If you got ears, listen up!’”

The Parables of Treasure, Pearls, and the Net

44 “‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man finds it, he hides it again, sells everything he has, and buys the field.’”

45 “‘It is also like a merchant looking for fine pearls.’”

46 “‘When he finds a pearl worth everything, he sells all he owns and buys it.’”

47 “‘The kingdom is like a net thrown into the sea that catches all kinds of fish.’”

48 “‘When it is full, the fishermen pull it to shore, sort the good fish into baskets, and toss the bad ones.’”

49 “‘That is how it will be at the end of the age. Angels will separate the wicked from the righteous,’”

50 “‘and throw them into the fiery furnace where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

A Prophet Without Honor

51 “Jesus asked, ‘You all get all this,’ They said, ‘Yeah.’”

52 “‘Every teacher of the law who becomes a disciple in the kingdom is like a homeowner who brings out new and old treasures.’”

53 “When Jesus finished these parables, He left.”

54 “He went to His hometown and taught in the synagogue, but the people were like, ‘Where did He get this wisdom and power?’”

55 “‘Is not this the carpenter’s son, Is not His mom Mary, And His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas,’”

56 “‘Do not His sisters live here too, Where is He getting all this?’”

57 “They took offense at Him, but Jesus said, ‘A prophet is honored everywhere except his hometown and his own house.’”

58 “And He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”