Matthew 13

King James Version

Full text for Matthew Chapter 13

1¶ The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

2And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, ‹Behold, a sower went forth to sow;›

4‹And when he sowed, some [seeds] fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:›

5‹Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:›

6‹And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.›

7‹And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:›

8‹But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.›

9‹Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.›

10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

11He answered and said unto them, ‹Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.›

12‹For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.›

13‹Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.›

14‹And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:›

15‹For this people's heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.›

16‹But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.›

17‹For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see [those things] which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear [those things] which ye hear, and have not heard [them].›

18‹Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.›

19‹When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.›

20‹But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;›

21‹Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.›

22‹He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.›

23‹But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.›

24¶ Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, ‹The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:›

25‹But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.›

26‹But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.›

27‹So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?›

28‹He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?›

29‹But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.›

30‹Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.›

31Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, ‹The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:›

32‹Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.›

33Another parable spake he unto them; ‹The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.›

34All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

35That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

36Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

37He answered and said unto them, ‹He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;›

38‹The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one];›

39‹The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.›

40‹As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.›

41‹The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;›

42‹And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.›

43‹Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.›

44¶ ‹Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.›

45‹Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:›

46‹Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.›

47‹Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:›

48‹Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.›

49‹So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,›

50‹And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.›

51Jesus saith unto them, ‹Have ye understood all these things?› They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

52Then said he unto them, ‹Therefore every scribe [which is] instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man [that is] an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure [things] new and old.›

53¶ And it came to pass, [that] when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

54And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this [man] this wisdom, and [these] mighty works?

55Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this [man] all these things?

57And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, ‹A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.›

58And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Jesus taught great multitudes by the sea, speaking many things in parables concerning the Kingdom of Heaven. He explained to His disciples that parables reveal spiritual mysteries to those given understanding, while obscuring them from others who are spiritually dull, fulfilling prophecy. Key parables included the Sower, the Tares, the Mustard Seed, and the Leaven, illustrating the nature, growth, and challenges of the Kingdom. Later parables emphasized the Kingdom's supreme value and the final separation of the righteous from the wicked.

Medium Summary

Matthew chapter 13 records Jesus teaching numerous parables about the Kingdom of Heaven from a ship to a great multitude. He began with the Parable of the Sower, illustrating different responses to the "word of the kingdom" based on the hearer's heart condition. Jesus explained to His disciples that He spoke in parables to reveal mysteries to them, while those "seeing see not" and "hearing hear not," fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy. He then expounded the Parable of the Sower, detailing how various conditions of the heart affect reception of the word. Further parables, such as the Tares, Mustard Seed, and Leaven, described the mixed nature, growth, and pervasive influence of the Kingdom. Later, Jesus privately explained the Parable of the Tares, likening the field to the world, the good seed to the children of the kingdom, and the tares to the children of the wicked one, culminating in a final judgment. He also presented parables of the Hid Treasure, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Net, emphasizing the Kingdom's supreme value and the ultimate separation of the righteous from the wicked at the end of the world. Finally, Jesus faced rejection in His own country due to their unbelief.

Long Summary

In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus departed from a house to teach by the sea, where vast multitudes gathered. He entered a ship and began to speak extensively in parables concerning the Kingdom of Heaven, starting with the Parable of the Sower. This parable depicted seeds falling on different types of ground—wayside, stony, thorny, and good ground—representing various receptions of the "word of the kingdom." When His disciples questioned why He used parables, Jesus explained that it was given to them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom, but not to others, thereby fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah concerning spiritual blindness and dullness of heart. He then provided a detailed interpretation of the Sower parable, clarifying that the seed is the word, and the grounds represent hearts that either fail to understand, lack root, are choked by worldly cares, or truly hear and bear fruit. Jesus continued with the Parable of the Tares, where an enemy sowed weeds among good wheat, which were to be left until harvest, signifying the coexistence of the righteous and wicked until the end of the world. He also shared the Parable of the Mustard Seed, illustrating the Kingdom's humble beginnings and eventual great growth, and the Parable of the Leaven, showing its pervasive, transformative power. These parables, Jesus stated, fulfilled a prophecy about speaking hidden things. Later, Jesus privately explained the Parable of the Tares, identifying the sower as the Son of man, the field as the world, the good seed as the children of the Kingdom, the tares as the children of the wicked one, the enemy as the devil, the harvest as the end of the world, and the reapers as angels who will gather and burn the wicked, while the righteous shine forth. He further described the Kingdom's supreme value through the parables of the Hid Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price, where individuals sacrifice all for its acquisition. The Parable of the Net depicted the final separation of the good from the bad at the end of the world, casting the wicked into a furnace of fire. After confirming His disciples' understanding, Jesus likened a scribe instructed in the Kingdom to a householder bringing forth new and old treasures. Finally, upon returning to His own country, Jesus was rejected by the people of Nazareth who questioned His wisdom and works due to their familiarity, leading Him to perform few mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Core Concepts

  • Parables of the KingdomJesus teaches about the nature, growth, and future of the Kingdom of Heaven using various illustrative stories. These parables serve to reveal spiritual truths to those who are receptive and to obscure them from those who are not, fulfilling prophecy.
  • The Sower and the SoilsThis parable describes how the "word of the kingdom" is received differently by various heart conditions: some hear and do not understand, some receive with joy but lack depth, some are choked by worldly cares, and others hear, understand, and bear abundant fruit. It illustrates the varied effectiveness of spiritual sowing based on the hearer's disposition.
  • The Tares and the WheatThis parable depicts an enemy sowing tares among good wheat, which are allowed to grow together until the harvest. It signifies the coexistence of the righteous and the wicked in the world until the end, when angels will separate them for judgment.
  • Growth and Pervasiveness of the KingdomIllustrated by the Mustard Seed and Leaven parables, the Kingdom of Heaven starts small but grows into something great and influential. It also subtly but powerfully permeates and transforms its surroundings, affecting the whole.
  • Value and Cost of the KingdomThe parables of the Hid Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price emphasize the immense worth of the Kingdom of Heaven. They show that finding it leads to great joy and requires a willingness to sacrifice all earthly possessions to acquire it.
  • Final Separation and JudgmentThe Parable of the Net, along with the explanation of the Tares, foretells a future time of judgment at the "end of the world." Angels will gather and separate the wicked from the just, casting the former into a furnace of fire where there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
  • Rejection in His Own CountryUpon returning to Nazareth, Jesus was met with astonishment and offense from His own people, who questioned His wisdom and authority due to their familiarity with His earthly origins. This unbelief limited the mighty works He performed there, fulfilling the saying that a prophet is without honour in his own country.