The Gospel According to
Matthew 13
58 verses≈ 10 min3 peopleBSB
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In this chapter
The Parable of the Sower
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.
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And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.
Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.
He who has ears, let him hear.”
The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables
The disciples
Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”
Jesus
He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
This is why I speak to them in parables:
‘Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:
‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has grown callous;
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 hearts,
and turn, and I would heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
Consider, then, the parable of the sower:
the one who hears the word and understands it
Matthew 13:23
Reflect
What is choking the word?
Jesus names two things that can choke good seed: “the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth.” Which of the two is pressing hardest on you right now? Name it honestly, and ask Him for soil that “hears the word and understands it.”
The Parable of the Weeds
Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
The owner’s servants
The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
The landowner
‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
The owner’s servants
So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”
0:18
Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain
Let both grow together until the harvest.
Matthew 13:30
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field. Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
The Parable of the Leaven
He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”
Question
Quick question
Only Matthew tells the parable of the weeds.
When the servants offer to pull up the weeds, what does the owner tell them?
I Will Open My Mouth in Parables
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable.
So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house.
The disciples
His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
Jesus
He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
The weeds explained
Whiteboard
Jesus decodes His own story, piece by piece. Two sowers work the same field, and for now both crops grow side by side. But “The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels,” and on that day the difference will be plain.
The Parables of the Treasure and the Pearl
in his joy he went and sold all he had
Matthew 13:44
Live it
Worth everything
The man in the field didn’t sell everything grimly. He sold it “in his joy.” Is there something you are still holding on to as if it were worth more than the kingdom? What would it look like to let it go this week, gladly?
The Parable of the Net
Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the men pulled it ashore. Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away.
So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus
Have you understood all these things?”
The disciples
“Yes,” they answered.
The Rejection at Nazareth
Stylised map · locations approximate
Where it happened
Back to His hometown
From the lake, where He taught the crowds from a boat, Jesus goes to “His hometown.” Matthew has already told us its name: Nazareth, where Joseph settled the family after Egypt. Capernaum, His base by the lake, lies about a day’s walk away.
When Jesus had finished these parables, He withdrew from that place.
Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”
And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief.
0:37
Narrated by Bob Souer · BSB audio, public domain
Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.
Matthew 13:57
Pray
Too familiar
The people of Nazareth knew Jesus as “the carpenter’s son,” and that was all they let Him be. “And they took offense at Him.” Ask God to keep you from growing so used to Jesus that you stop expecting Him to act. Ask for eyes that see and ears that hear.
You’ve experienced
Matthew 13
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A verse to carry with you
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Matthew 13:44
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