An Explanation for Parables

10 And the disciples came up and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 And [a]Jesus answered them, (A)To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 (B)For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while (C)seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And [b]in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

[c](D)You shall keep on listening, [d]but shall not understand;
And [e]you shall keep on looking, [f]but shall not perceive;
15 (E)For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
Understand with their heart, and return,
And I would heal them.’

16 (F)But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that (G)many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Sower Explained

18 (H)Listen then to the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears (I)the [g]word of the kingdom and does not understand it, (J)the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road. 20 The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the [h]word, immediately he [i](K)falls away. 22 And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of (L)the [j]world and the (M)deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it [k]becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some (N)a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:11 Lit He
  2. Matthew 13:14 Lit for them
  3. Matthew 13:14 Lit With a hearing you shall hear; a Heb idiom
  4. Matthew 13:14 Lit and
  5. Matthew 13:14 Lit Seeing you shall see
  6. Matthew 13:14 Lit and
  7. Matthew 13:19 I.e., message
  8. Matthew 13:21 I.e., message
  9. Matthew 13:21 I.e., from the faith
  10. Matthew 13:22 Or age
  11. Matthew 13:22 Or proves to be unfruitful

10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven(A) has been given to you,(B) but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.(C) 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.(D)

14 In them is fulfilled(E) the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    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.’[a](F)

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.(G) 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see(H) but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom(I) and does not understand it, the evil one(J) comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.(K) 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth(L) choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”(M)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:15 Isaiah 6:9,10 (see Septuagint)

(A)Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable [a]meant. 10 And He said, (B)To you it has been granted to know the [b]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are told in parables, so that [c](C)while seeing they may not see, and [d]while hearing they may not understand.

11 “Now this is the parable: (D)the seed is the word of God. 12 And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky soil are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and yet these do not have a firm root; [e]they believe for a while, and in a time of temptation they [f]fall away. 14 And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word [g]with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with [h]perseverance.

Parable of the Lamp

16 “Now (E)no one lights a lamp and covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in may see the light. 17 (F)For nothing is concealed that will not become evident, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. 18 So take care how you listen; (G)for whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he [i]thinks he has will be taken away from him.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 8:9 Lit was
  2. Luke 8:10 I.e., secrets
  3. Luke 8:10 Or though seeing, they will not
  4. Luke 8:10 Or though hearing, they will not
  5. Luke 8:13 Lit who believe
  6. Luke 8:13 I.e., from the faith
  7. Luke 8:15 Or in
  8. Luke 8:15 Or endurance
  9. Luke 8:18 Or seems to have

His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you,(A) but to others I speak in parables, so that,

“‘though seeing, they may not see;
    though hearing, they may not understand.’[a](B)

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.(C) 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.(D) 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches(E) and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

A Lamp on a Stand

16 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.(F) 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.(G) 18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.”(H)

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 8:10 Isaiah 6:9

21 And He was saying to them, (A)A lamp is not brought to be put under a [a]basket, or under a bed, is it? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22 (B)For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23 (C)If anyone has ears to hear, [b]let him hear.” 24 And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. [c](D)By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. 25 (E)For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”

Parable of the Seed

26 And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27 and he goes to bed at night and gets up daily, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28 The soil produces crops by itself; first the stalk, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29 Now when the crop permits, he immediately [d](F)puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 4:21 Lit peck-measure
  2. Mark 4:23 Or hear! or listen!
  3. Mark 4:24 Lit By what measure you measure
  4. Mark 4:29 Lit sends forth

A Lamp on a Stand

21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?(A) 22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.(B) 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”(C)

24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.(D) 25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”(E)

The Parable of the Growing Seed

26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like.(F) A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”(G)

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Weeds among Wheat

24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, (A)The kingdom of heaven [a]is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed [b]weeds among the wheat, and left. 26 And when the [c]wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also became evident. 27 And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? [d]How then does it have weeds?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘[e]An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he *said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but (B)gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:24 Lit has been compared to
  2. Matthew 13:25 Prob. darnel, a weed resembling wheat
  3. Matthew 13:26 Lit grass
  4. Matthew 13:27 Lit From where
  5. Matthew 13:28 Lit A hostile person

The Parable of the Weeds

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like(A) a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “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?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 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 and bring it into my barn.’”(B)

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Parable of the Mustard Seed

30 (A)And He was saying, “How shall we [a](B)picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is the smallest of all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32 yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants, and forms large branches, with the result that (C)the birds of the sky can nest under its shade.”

33 And with many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to [b]understand it; 34 and He did not speak to them (D)without a parable; but He was (E)explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 4:30 Lit compare
  2. Mark 4:33 Lit hear

The Parable of the Mustard Seed(A)

30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like,(B) or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.(C) 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable.(D) But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

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The Mustard Seed

31 He presented another parable to them, saying, (A)The kingdom of heaven is like (B)a mustard seed, which a person took and sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all the other seeds, but when it is fully grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that (C)the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”

The Leaven

33 He spoke another parable to them: (D)The kingdom of heaven is like [a]leaven, which a woman took and hid in (E)three [b]sata of flour until it was all leavened.”

34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak anything to them (F)without a parable. 35 This was so that what was spoken through the prophet would be [c]fulfilled:

(G)I will open My mouth in parables;
I will proclaim things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

The Weeds Explained

36 Then He left the crowds and went into (H)the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “(I)Explain to us the parable of the [d]weeds of the field.” 37 And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is (J)the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are (K)the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are (L)the sons of (M)the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is (N)the [e]end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at (O)the [f]end of the age. 41 (P)The Son of Man (Q)will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom [g]all (R)stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and they (S)will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place (T)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 (U)Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (V)The one who has ears, [h]let him hear.

Hidden Treasure

44 (W)The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from [i]joy over it he goes and (X)sells everything that he has, and buys that field.

A Costly Pearl

45 “Again, (Y)the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it.

A Dragnet

47 “Again, (Z)the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So it will be at (AA)the [j]end of the age: the angels will come forth and remove the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and they (AB)will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place (AC)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51 “Have you understood all these things?” They *said to Him, “Yes.” 52 And [k]Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure new things and old.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:33 I.e., fermented dough
  2. Matthew 13:33 A Gr term for a Heb measure, totaling about 48 lb. or 22 kg of flour
  3. Matthew 13:35 Lit fulfilled, saying
  4. Matthew 13:36 Prob. darnel, a weed resembling wheat
  5. Matthew 13:39 Or consummation
  6. Matthew 13:40 Or consummation
  7. Matthew 13:41 Or everything that is offensive
  8. Matthew 13:43 Or hear! Or listen!
  9. Matthew 13:44 Or his joy, he goes
  10. Matthew 13:49 Or consummation
  11. Matthew 13:52 Lit He

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast(A)(B)

31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like(C) a mustard seed,(D) which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”(E)

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like(F) yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour(G) until it worked all through the dough.”(H)

34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.(I) 35 So was fulfilled(J) what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”[b](K)

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable(L) of the weeds in the field.”

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.(M) 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,(N) 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest(O) is the end of the age,(P) and the harvesters are angels.(Q)

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man(R) will send out his angels,(S) and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(T) 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun(U) in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.(V)

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like(W) treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.(X)

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like(Y) a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like(Z) a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds(AA) of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous(AB) 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.(AC)

51 “Have you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

52 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 13:33 Or about 27 kilograms
  2. Matthew 13:35 Psalm 78:2

Jesus Stills the Sea

35 (A)On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, “Let’s go over to the other side.” 36 After dismissing the crowd, they *took Him along with them (B)in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37 And a fierce gale of wind *developed, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling with water. 38 And yet Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 And He got up and (C)rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and [a]it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you [b]afraid? (D)Do you still have no faith?” 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who, then, is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

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Footnotes

  1. Mark 4:39 Lit a great calm occurred
  2. Mark 4:40 Lit cowardly

Jesus Calms the Storm(A)

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat.(B) There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”(C)

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

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Jesus Calms the Storm

23 (A)When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And behold, a [a]violent storm developed on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. 25 And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “(B)Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” 26 He *said to them, “Why are you [b]afraid, (C)you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and [c]it became perfectly calm. 27 The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 8:24 Lit great
  2. Matthew 8:26 Or cowardly
  3. Matthew 8:26 Lit a great calm occurred

Jesus Calms the Storm(A)(B)

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 He replied, “You of little faith,(C) why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.(D)

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

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Jesus Stills the Sea

22 (A)Now on one of those days [a]Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of (B)the lake.” So they launched out. 23 But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on (C)the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. 24 They came up to Jesus and woke Him, saying, “(D)Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and (E)rebuked the wind and the surging [b]waves, and they stopped, and [c]it became calm. 25 And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” But they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 8:22 Lit He
  2. Luke 8:24 Lit waves of water
  3. Luke 8:24 Lit a calm occurred

Jesus Calms the Storm(A)(B)

22 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23 As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

24 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master,(C) we’re going to drown!”

He got up and rebuked(D) the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm.(E) 25 “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

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