Matthew 13

13 ¹On that day Jesus went out of the house and sat down beside the sea. ²Large crowds gathered around him, so he got in a boat and sat, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.

³And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Look, a sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵Other seed fell on rocky ground with little soil, and sprang up quickly since the soil lacked depth. ⁶When the sun rose, the plants were scorched; since they had no root, they withered. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. ⁸Other seed fell on good soil, producing grain: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹Whoever has ears, let them hear."

¹⁰Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"

¹¹He said, "You've been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of our Father; they have not. ¹²Whoever has will be given more and have plenty; whoever has none loses even what he has. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables: they look but don't see; they listen but don't hear or understand. ¹⁴In them Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled: 'You will hear and hear, yet never understand; you will see and see, yet never perceive.' ¹⁵For this people's heart has grown 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 heart, and turn, and I would heal them.'

¹⁶But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷I assure you: many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and didn't; to hear what you hear, and didn't.

¹⁸Listen, then, to the parable of the sower. ¹⁹Everyone who hears the kingdom's word and doesn't grasp it—the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown beside the path. ²⁰Seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word, immediately receiving it with joy, ²¹but having no root in themselves, they don't last; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²²The one sown among thorns hears the word, but worry over this age and wealth's deceit choke it, making it unproductive. ²³But the seed sown on good soil hears the word and understands it. It bears fruit—100, sixty, or thirty times what was sown."

Wheat and Weeds in the Field

²⁴He gave them another parable: "The kingdom of our Father is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵But while everyone slept, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. ²⁶When the wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds appeared as well. ²⁷The owner's servants came saying, 'Master, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

²⁸'An enemy did this,' he replied. 'So do you want us to go pull them up?' the servants asked him.

²⁹'No,' he said, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰Let both grow together until harvest. At harvest time I'll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first, bind them in bundles to burn; then gather the wheat into my barn.'"

A Mustard Seed Becomes a Tree

³¹He told them another parable: "The kingdom of our Father is like a mustard seed a man took and planted in his field. ³²Though the smallest of all seeds, when grown it becomes the largest of garden plants, a tree where birds come to nest in its branches."

The Kingdom Works Like Hidden Yeast

³³He gave them another parable: "The kingdom of our Father is like yeast a woman took and mixed into about twenty-five pounds of flour, until it spread through all the dough."

³⁴Jesus said all these things to the crowds in parables; he said nothing to them without a parable.

³⁵This fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what's been hidden since the world was founded."

The Father Separates Wheat From Weeds

³⁶Then he left the crowds and entered the house. His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."

³⁷He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸The field is the world. The good seed is the kingdom's children; the weeds are the evil one's children. ³⁹The enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age; the harvesters are angels. ⁴⁰As the weeds are gathered and burned in fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The Son of Man will send his angels to weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴²They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there is weeping and grinding of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. The one with ears should listen."

The Kingdom Is Worth Everything

⁴⁴The kingdom of our Father is like treasure hidden in a field. A man found it, hid it again, then joyfully sold all he had to buy that field.

⁴⁵"Again, the kingdom of our Father is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. ⁴⁶Finding one priceless pearl, he went and sold all he had and bought it.

The Net Catches All Kinds

⁴⁷Again, our Father's kingdom is like a net cast into the lake, gathering fish of every kind. ⁴⁸When full, the fishermen pulled it ashore, sat down, and collected the good fish in baskets, throwing out the bad. ⁴⁹So it will be at the age's end: angels will go out and separate the wicked from among the righteous, ⁵⁰and throw them into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and grind their teeth."

⁵¹"Have you understood all these things?" "Yes," they replied.

⁵²He said to them, "Every teacher of the law trained for our Father's kingdom is like a homeowner who brings treasures new and old out of his storeroom."

Jesus Rejected in His Hometown

⁵³When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there.

⁵⁴Returning to his hometown, he taught in their synagogue, and they were amazed: "Where does this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ⁵⁵Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother named Mary, and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? ⁵⁶Aren't all his sisters here with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"

⁵⁷They took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown and in his own household."

⁵⁸He didn't do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.