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Jesus Teaches The Crowds Using Parables

13 On that day Jesus, having gone out of the house, sat beside the sea. And large crowds were gathered-together with Him so that He, having gotten into a boat, sits-down [to teach]. And the whole crowd was standing on the shore. And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying—

The Sower’s Seed Falls On Different Kinds of Soil. Only The Good Soil Produces Fruit

“Behold— the one sowing went out that he might sow. And during his sowing, some seeds fell along the road. And having come, the birds ate them up. And others fell on the rocky[a] places where they were not having much soil. And immediately they sprang-up, because of not having a depth of soil. But the sun having risen, they were scorched. And because of not having a root, they were dried-up. And others fell on the thorns. And the thorns came up and choked[b] them. And others fell on the good soil and were giving fruit— one a hundred, and another sixty, and another thirty. Let the one having ears, hear”.

Jesus Tells His Disciples He Uses Parables To Both Hide And Reveal The Truth

10 And having come to Him, the disciples said to Him, “For what reason are You speaking to them in parables?” 11 And the One, having responded, said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know[c] the mysteries[d] of the kingdom of the heavens. But it has not been given to those ones. 12 For whoever has— it will be given to him, and he will be caused to abound. But whoever does not have— even what he has will be taken-away from him. 13 For this reason I am speaking to them in parables— because while seeing, they are not seeing; and while hearing, they are not hearing, nor understanding. 14 And the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled in them, the one[e] saying [in Isa 6:9-10]: ‘In hearing, you will hear and by no means understand. And while seeing, you will see and by no means perceive. 15 For the heart of this people became dull[f], and they hardly[g] heard with their ears, and they closed their eyes that[h] they might not ever see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand in their heart and turn-back, and I shall heal[i] them’. 16 But blessed[j] are your eyes because they are seeing, and your ears, because they are hearing. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous ones desired to experience[k] the things which you are seeing, and they did not experience them, and to hear the things which you are hearing, and they did not hear them.

Jesus Explains The Parable of The Sower To His Disciples

18 You therefore, hear the parable of the one having sown: 19 Anyone hearing the word[l] of the kingdom and not understanding it— the evil one comes and snatches-away the thing having been sown in his heart. This person is the one having been sown the seed along the road. 20 And the one having been sown the seed on the rocky places— this person is the one hearing the word and immediately receiving it with joy. 21 And he does not have a root in himself, but is temporary[m]. And affliction or persecution having come about because of the word— immediately he is caused-to-fall. 22 And the one having been sown the seed into the thorns— this person is the one hearing the word, and the anxiety[n] of the age[o] and the deceitfulness[p] of riches is choking the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one having been sown the seed on the good soil— this person is the one hearing the word and understanding[q] it, who indeed[r] is bearing-fruit[s] and producing: one a hundred, and another sixty, and another thirty”.

A Field Is Sown With Good And Bad Seed: At Harvest The Weeds Will Be Burned

24 He put-before them another parable, saying, “The kingdom of the heavens became-like[t] a man having sown good seed in his field. 25 But during the men’s sleeping, his enemy came and re-sowed[u] darnel[v] between the wheat, and went away. 26 Now when the grass budded and produced fruit[w], then the darnel appeared also. 27 And having come to him, the slaves of the house-master said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then from where does it have the darnel?’ 28 And the one said to them, ‘A hostile man did this’. And the slaves say to him, ‘Then do you want us, having gone, to collect them?’ 29 But the one says, ‘No, that while collecting the darnel, you may not perhaps uproot the wheat together with them. 30 Permit both to grow together until the harvest. And at the time of the harvest I will say to the harvesters, “Collect first the darnel, and bind them into bundles so-as to burn them up. But gather the wheat into my barn”’”.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:5 That is, bedrock or rocky outcroppings.
  2. Matthew 13:7 Or, strangled, suffocated.
  3. Matthew 13:11 Or, understand.
  4. Matthew 13:11 That is, the things formerly hidden, but now being revealed by Jesus.
  5. Matthew 13:14 That is, the prophecy saying.
  6. Matthew 13:15 Or, thick, fat, insensitive.
  7. Matthew 13:15 That is, with difficulty. They are spiritually hard of hearing.
  8. Matthew 13:15 This expresses the purpose of the people. They willfully closed their eyes to God that they might not ever see what they did not want to see, and never have to change their ways and return to God.
  9. Matthew 13:15 Or, would heal. This is what God would do if they saw, heard, understood, and turned back, but they refuse to take this path.
  10. Matthew 13:16 Or, fortunate.
  11. Matthew 13:17 Or, see, but not the same word as next.
  12. Matthew 13:19 Or, message.
  13. Matthew 13:21 Or, transitory.
  14. Matthew 13:22 Or, concern, care.
  15. Matthew 13:22 Or, world; that is, this life.
  16. Matthew 13:22 Or, deception.
  17. Matthew 13:23 This is in contrast with the first soil, v 19.
  18. Matthew 13:23 Or, now, at this time; or, therefore.
  19. Matthew 13:23 This is in contrast with the second two soils.
  20. Matthew 13:24 Or, was like. Jesus may be speaking prophetically from the point of view of the end of the age; or, He may mean this in a timeless sense, ‘is like’.
  21. Matthew 13:25 Or, over-sowed.
  22. Matthew 13:25 This is a weed that is indistinguishable from wheat in its early stages.
  23. Matthew 13:26 That is, heads of grain.

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