Matthew 13
Expanded Bible
A Story About Planting Seed(A)
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake [C the Sea of Galilee]. 2 Large crowds gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat down, while the people stood on the shore. 3 Then Jesus used ·stories [parables] to teach them many things. He said: “A ·farmer [sower] went out to ·plant [sow] his seed. 4 While he was ·planting [sowing], some seed fell ·by the road [along the path], and the birds came and ate it all up. 5 Some seed fell on rocky ground, where there wasn’t much dirt. That seed ·grew [sprang up] very fast, because the ground was not deep. 6 But when the sun rose, the plants ·dried up [were scorched and withered], because they did not have deep roots. 7 Some other seed fell among thorny weeds, which grew and choked the good plants. 8 Some other seed fell on good ground where it grew and produced ·a crop [grain]. Some plants made a hundred times more, some made sixty times more, and some made thirty times more. 9 ·Let those with ears use them and listen [L The one who has ears to hear, let him hear].”
Why Jesus Used Stories to Teach(B)
10 The ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you ·use stories to teach the people [L speak to them in parables]?”
11 Jesus answered, “·You have been chosen [L It has been granted/given to you] to ·know [understand] the ·secrets [mysteries] about the kingdom of heaven, but ·others cannot know these secrets [L it has not been given/granted to those others]. 12 Those who ·have understanding [L have] will be given more, and they will have ·all they need [an abundance]. But those who do not ·have understanding [L have], even what they have will be taken away from them. 13 This is why I ·use stories to teach the people [L speak in parables]: [L Because] They ·see [look], but they don’t ·really see [perceive]. They hear, but they don’t really hear or understand. 14 ·So they show that the things Isaiah said about them are true [L In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says]:
‘You will ·listen and listen [keep on hearing; or listen intently], but you will not understand.
You will ·look and look [keep on seeing; or look intently], but you will not ·learn [perceive; comprehend].
15 For the ·minds [hearts] of these people have become ·stubborn [dull; calloused; hardened].
They ·do not [hardly] hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears.
They might really understand ·in their minds [with their hearts]
and ·come back [turn; return] to me and ·be healed [I would heal them; Is. 6:9–10].’
16 But ·you [L your eyes] are blessed, because you see with your eyes and hear with your ears. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and ·good [righteous; just] people ·wanted [longed] to see the things that you now see, but they did not see them. And they ·wanted [longed] to hear the things that you now hear, but they did not hear them.
Jesus Explains the Seed Story(C)
18 “So listen to the ·meaning of that story about the farmer [parable of the sower]. 19 What is the seed that fell ·by the road [along the path]? That seed is like ·the person [anyone] who hears the ·message [word; teaching] about the kingdom but does not understand it. The Evil One comes and ·takes away [snatches] what was ·planted [sown] in that person’s heart. 20 And what is the seed ·that fell [sown] on rocky ground? That seed is like the person who hears the ·teaching [word; message] and quickly ·accepts [receives] it with joy. 21 But ·he does not let the teaching go deep into his life, so [L since he has no root in himself] ·he keeps it only a short time [he does not endure; it is shortlived]. When trouble or persecution comes because of the ·teaching he accepted [word, message], he ·quickly [immediately] ·gives up [falls away; stumbles]. 22 And what is the seed ·that fell [sown] among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the ·teaching [word; message] but lets worries about this ·life [world; age] and the ·temptation [deceitfulness; seduction] of wealth ·stop that teaching from growing [L choke the word/message]. So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person’s life. 23 But what is the seed ·that fell [sown] on the good ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and understands it. That person grows and produces ·fruit [a crop], sometimes a hundred times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes thirty times more.”
A Story About Wheat and Weeds
24 Then Jesus ·told [presented to] them another ·story [parable]: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who ·planted [sowed] good seed in his field. 25 That night, when everyone was asleep, his enemy came and ·planted [sowed] ·weeds [T tares; C a noxious weed that looks like wheat] among the wheat and then left. 26 Later, the wheat sprouted and the heads of grain grew, but the ·weeds [T tares] also ·grew [appeared]. 27 Then the man’s ·servants [slaves] came to him and said, ‘[Master; Sir] ·You planted [L Didn’t you sow…?] good seed in your field. Where did the ·weeds [T tares] come from?’ 28 The man answered, ‘An enemy ·planted weeds [L did this].’ The ·servants [slaves] asked, ‘Do you want us to ·pull up the weeds [L go and gather them]?’ 29 The man answered, ‘No, because when you ·pull up [gather] the ·weeds [T tares], you might also ·pull up [uproot] the wheat. 30 Let ·the weeds and the wheat [L both] grow together until the harvest time. At harvest time I will tell the ·workers [reapers], “First gather the ·weeds [T tares] and tie them ·together [in bundles] to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.”’”
Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast(D)
31 Then Jesus ·told [presented to them] another ·story [parable]: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man ·planted [sowed] in his field. 32 That seed is the smallest of all seeds [C the mustard seed was the smallest seed known to Jesus’ hearers], but when it grows, it is one of the largest garden plants. It becomes ·big enough [L a tree] for the ·wild birds [L birds of the sky] to come and build nests in its branches.”
33 Then Jesus told another ·story [parable]: “The kingdom of heaven is like ·yeast [leaven] that a woman took and ·hid [mixed] in a large tub [C Greek: three sata; about fifty pounds] of flour until ·it made all the dough rise [L the whole was leavened; Luke 13:20–21].”
34 Jesus used ·stories [parables] to tell all these things to the people; he ·always used stories to teach them [L did not speak to them without parables; Mark 4:33–34]. 35 This ·is as [fulfills what] the prophet said:
“I will ·speak using [L open my mouth in] ·stories [parables];
I will ·tell [announce; utter] things ·that have been secret [hidden] since the ·world was made [creation/foundation of the world. Ps. 78:2].”
Jesus Explains About the Weeds
36 Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His ·followers [disciples] came to him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the ·story [parable] about the ·weeds [T tares] in the field.”
37 Jesus answered, “The man who ·planted [sowed] the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed are ·all of God’s children who belong to the kingdom [L the children/sons of the kingdom]. The ·weeds [T tares] are ·those people who belong to the Evil One [L the children/sons of the Evil One]. 39 And the enemy who ·planted [sowed] the bad seed is the devil. The harvest time is the end of the age, and the ·workers who gather [harvesters; reapers] are God’s angels.
40 “Just as the ·weeds [T tares] are ·pulled up [gathered] and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will ·gather [remove; weed] out of his kingdom ·all who [or all things that] ·cause sin [T are stumbling blocks] and all who ·do evil [break God’s law]. 42 The angels will throw them into the blazing furnace [Dan. 3:6], where ·the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [L there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; C indicating agony and remorse]. 43 Then the ·good people [righteous] will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father [Dan. 12:3]. ·Let those with ears use them and listen [L The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.].
Stories of a Treasure and a Pearl
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure, and then he hid it in the field again. He was so ·happy [joyful; excited] that he went and sold everything he owned to buy that field.
45 “Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found a very valuable pearl, he went and sold everything he had and bought it.
A Story of a Fishing Net
47 “Also, the kingdom of heaven is like a ·net [dragnet; C a net dragged between two boats, or between a boat and the shore] that was put into the ·lake [sea] and caught many different kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled the net to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets and threw away the ·bad [worthless] fish. 49 It will be this way at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the ·good [righteous] people. 50 The angels will throw the evil people into the blazing furnace [Dan. 3:11, 19–30], where ·people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [L there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; v. 42].”
51 Jesus asked his ·followers [disciples], “Do you understand all these things?”
They answered, “Yes.”
52 Then Jesus said to them, “So every ·teacher of the law [scribe] who has ·been taught about [become a disciple of] the kingdom of heaven is like the ·owner [head] of a house. He brings out both new things and old things ·he has saved [L from his treasure/storeroom; C knowledge of the Old Testament provides insight into Jesus’ “new” message of the kingdom of God].”
Jesus Goes to His Hometown(E)
53 When Jesus finished teaching [see 7:28] with these ·stories [parables], he left there. 54 He went to his hometown [C Nazareth; 2:23; Luke 2:39] and taught the people in their synagogue, and they were ·amazed [astonished]. They said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and this power to do miracles? 55 ·He is just [Isn’t this…?] the son of ·a [L the] carpenter. ·His mother is Mary [L Isn’t his mother called Mary…?], and his brothers are James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. 56 And all his sisters are here with us. Where then does this man get all these things?” 57 So the people were ·upset with [offended by] Jesus.
But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is ·honored everywhere [not dishonored] except in his hometown and in his own ·home [family; household].”
58 So he did not do many miracles there because ·they had no faith [of their unbelief].
Matthew 13
The Message
A Harvest Story
13 1-3 At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.
3-8 “What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn’t put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.
9 “Are you listening to this? Really listening?”
Why Tell Stories?
10 The disciples came up and asked, “Why do you tell stories?”
11-15 He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward a welcome awakening. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again:
Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing.
Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing.
The people are stupid!
They stick their fingers in their ears
so they won’t have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
so they won’t have to look,
so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face
and let me heal them.
16-17 “But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance.
The Meaning of the Harvest Story
18-19 “Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn’t take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person’s heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.
20-21 “The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
22 “The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.
23 “The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.”
* * *
24-26 He told another story. “God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.
27 “The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn’t it? Where did these thistles come from?’
28 “He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.’
“The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?’
29-30 “He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.’”
31-32 Another story. “God’s kingdom is like an acorn that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge oak tree, and eagles build nests in it.”
33 Another story. “God’s kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread—and waits while the dough rises.”
34-35 All Jesus did that day was tell stories—a long storytelling afternoon. His storytelling fulfilled the prophecy:
I will open my mouth and tell stories;
I will bring out into the open
things hidden since the world’s first day.
The Curtain of History
36 Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, “Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field.”
37-39 So he explained. “The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels.
40-43 “The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father.
“Are you listening to this? Really listening?
44 “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field.
45-46 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for exquisite pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it.
47-50 “Or, God’s kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That’s how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won’t do any good.”
51 Jesus asked, “Are you starting to get a handle on all this?”
They answered, “Yes.”
52 He said, “Then you see how every student well-trained in God’s kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it.”
53-57 When Jesus finished telling these stories, he left there, returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He stole the show, impressing everyone. “We had no idea he was this good!” they said. “How did he get so wise, get such ability?” But in the next breath they were cutting him down: “We’ve known him since he was a kid; he’s the carpenter’s son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?” They got all bent out of shape.
58 But Jesus said, “A prophet is taken for granted in his hometown and his family.” He didn’t do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson