Chapter Text
The Parable of the Sower
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;
4And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9Who 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.
12For 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.
13Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14And 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:
15For 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.
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17For 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.
18Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19When 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.
20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21Yet 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.
22He 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.
23But 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.
The Parable of the Weeds
24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27So 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?
28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30Let 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.
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and Leaven
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:
32Which 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;
38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41The 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;
42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
The Parables of the Treasure and the Pearl
44Again, 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.
45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
47Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
48Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
50And 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.
A Prophet Without Honor
53And 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.
Summary
Jesus teaches a series of parables about the kingdom of heaven. The parable of the sower describes four types of soil representing different responses to the Word. He explains why He teaches in parables and privately interprets the sower parable for His disciples.
He tells the parables of the wheat and tares, the mustard seed, the leaven, the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, and the dragnet. He is rejected in His hometown of Nazareth, where the people take offense at His humble origins.
Meaning
The parables reveal that the kingdom of heaven operates in ways the world does not expect. It begins small but grows beyond measure. It is mixed with counterfeit until the final judgment. It is so valuable that a person should give everything to possess it.
The parable of the sower teaches that the same seed of God's Word produces different results depending on the condition of the heart that receives it. Jesus' rejection at Nazareth illustrates how familiarity and unbelief blind people to the truth standing right before them.
Background
Parables were a common form of rabbinic teaching, using everyday imagery to convey spiritual truth. Jesus indicated that parables served a dual purpose: revealing truth to receptive hearts while concealing it from the hardened.
Nazareth was a small, obscure village in lower Galilee. Jesus had grown up there as a carpenter's son, and His neighbors could not reconcile His humble background with His extraordinary teaching and power.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-9The Parable of the Sower
- vv. 10-17Why Jesus Speaks in Parables
- vv. 18-23The Sower Explained
- vv. 24-30The Wheat and the Tares
- vv. 31-35Mustard Seed and Leaven
- vv. 36-43The Tares Explained
- vv. 44-52Treasure, Pearl, and Net
- vv. 53-58Rejection at Nazareth
Key Verses
“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.”— 13:23
The climax of the Parable of the Sower, defining genuine discipleship as hearing, understanding, and bearing fruit. It establishes the standard by which all responses to the gospel are measured.
“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.”— 13:44
One of the shortest yet most beloved parables, capturing the surpassing worth of the kingdom and the joyful abandonment it inspires in those who discover it.
“And 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.”— 13:57
A proverbial saying that has entered common speech, illustrating the tragic irony of familiarity breeding unbelief among those closest to Christ.
People & Places
People
- Jesus — The teacher of the parables, identified as the Son of man who sows good seed in the world.
- The disciples — Jesus' followers who privately ask the meaning of the parables and receive the mysteries of the kingdom.
- Esaias (Isaiah) — The Old Testament prophet whose words about hardened hearts Jesus quotes to explain why he teaches in parables.
- Mary — The mother of Jesus, named by the people of Nazareth who question his origins.
- James, Joses, Simon, and Judas — The brethren of Jesus, named by his hometown neighbors as evidence of his ordinary family.
Places
- The sea side — The shore of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus taught the multitudes from a boat.
- His own country (Nazareth) — Jesus' hometown, where he was rejected by those who had known him as the carpenter's son.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
This chapter contains two explicit fulfillments. In verses 14-15, Jesus applies Isaiah 6:9-10 to his hearers, showing that their failure to perceive his teaching fulfills the prophet's warning of judicial hardening. In verse 35, Matthew cites Psalm 78:2 ('I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world'), presenting Jesus' parabolic method as the fulfillment of Asaph's inspired pattern of revealing hidden mysteries. Together these texts frame the parables as both judgment on unbelief and revelation to faith.
Devotional
Jesus' parables hold up a mirror to the soul. The same word falls on every heart, but the soil determines the harvest. Are cares, riches, or shallow enthusiasm choking what God has planted in you?
Yet take courage from the mustard seed and the hidden leaven: the kingdom often begins small and unseen, working quietly until it transforms everything. And remember the man who found treasure in a field — when Christ becomes your great joy, surrendering everything else feels less like sacrifice and more like wisdom. Listen carefully today; cultivate good ground.
Literary Style
Narrative gospel framing a sustained discourse of seven kingdom parables, marked by agricultural and domestic imagery, refrain formulas ('the kingdom of heaven is like'), private allegorical interpretation, and a closing rejection scene that contrasts revelation with unbelief.