Matthew:13:1-53

---

Seeker Overlay ON

* That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea . * And great crowds gathered about him , so that he got into a boat and sat there ; and the whole crowd stood on the beach . * And he told them many things in parables , saying : "A sower went out to sow . * And as he sowed , some seeds fell along the path , and the birds came and devoured them . * Other seeds fell on rocky ground , where they had not much soil , and immediately they sprang up , since they had no depth of soil , * but when the sun rose they were scorched ; and since they had no root they withered away . * Other seeds fell upon thorns , and the thorns grew up and choked them . * Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain , some a hundredfold , some sixty , some thirty . * He who has ears , let him hear ." * Then the disciples came and said to him , "Why do you speak to them in parables ?" * And he answered them , "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven , but to them it has not been given . * For to him who has will more be given , and he will have abundance ; but from him who has not , even what he has will be taken away . * This is why I speak to them in parables , because seeing they do not see , and hearing they do not hear , nor do they understand . * With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says : `You shall indeed hear but never understand , and you shall indeed see but never perceive . * For this people 's heart has grown dull , and their ears are heavy of hearing , and their eyes they have closed , lest they should perceive with their eyes , and hear with their ears , and understand with their heart , and turn for me to heal them .' * But blessed are your eyes , for they see , and your ears , for they hear . * Truly , I say to you , many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see , and did not see it , and to hear what you hear , and did not hear it . * "Hear then the parable of the sower . * When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it , the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart ; this is what was sown along the path . * As for what was sown on rocky ground , this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy ; * yet he has no root in himself , but endures for a while , and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word , immediately he falls away . * As for what was sown among thorns , this is he who hears the word , but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word , and it proves unfruitful . * As for what was sown on good soil , this is he who hears the word and understands it ; he indeed bears fruit , and yields , in one case a hundredfold , in another sixty , and in another thirty ." * Another parable he put before them , saying , "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field ; * but while men were sleeping , his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat , and went away . * So when the plants came up and bore grain , then the weeds appeared also . * And the servants of the householder came and said to him , `Sir , did you not sow good seed in your field ? How then has it weeds ?' * He said to them , `An enemy has done this .' The servants said to him , `Then do you want us to go and gather them ?' * But he said , `No ; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them . * Let both grow together until the harvest ; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers , Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned , but gather the wheat into my barn .'" * Another parable he put before them , saying , "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field ; * it is the smallest of all 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 ." * He told them another parable . "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour , till it was all leavened ." * All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables ; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable . * This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet : "I will open my mouth in parables , I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world ." * Then he left the crowds and went into the house . And his disciples came to him , saying , "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field ." * He answered , "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man ; * the field is the world , and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom ; the weeds are the sons of the evil one , * and the enemy who sowed them is the devil ; the harvest is the close of the age , and the reapers are angels . * Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire , so will it be at the close of the age . * The Son of man will send his angels , and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers , * and throw them into the furnace of fire ; there men will weep and gnash their teeth . * Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father . He who has ears , let him hear . * "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field , which a man found and covered up ; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field . * "Again , the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls , * who , on finding one pearl of great value , went and sold all that he had and bought it . * "Again , the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind ; * when it was full , men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad . * So it will be at the close of the age . The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous , * and throw them into the furnace of fire ; there men will weep and gnash their teeth . * "Have you understood all this ?" They said to him , "Yes ." * And he said to them , "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old ." * And when Jesus had finished these parables , he went away from there ,

---