³⁴ He did not speak to them ^(A)without a parable, but ^(B)privately to his own disciples he ^(C)explained everything.

I Have Overcome the World

²⁵ “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. ^(A)The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father.

²⁷ And ^(A)beginning with ^(B)Moses and ^(C)all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

The Purpose of the Parables

¹⁰ And ^(A)when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.

¹⁵ But Peter said to him, ^(A)“Explain the parable to us.” ¹⁶ And he said, ^(B)“Are you also still without understanding? ¹⁷ Do you not see that ^(C)whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?^{[a] 18} But ^(D)what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. ¹⁹ For out of the heart come ^(E)evil thoughts, ^(F)murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, ^(G)slander. ^20 (H)These are what defile a person. But ^(I)to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into ^(A)the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, ^(B)“Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” ³⁷ He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed is ^(C)the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are ^(D)the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. ^(E)The harvest is ^(F)the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Just as the weeds ^(G)are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at ^(H)the end of the age. ^41 (I)The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all ^(J)causes of sin and ^(K)all law-breakers, ^42 (L)and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place ^(M)there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then ^(N)the righteous will shine like the sun ^(O)in the kingdom of their Father. ^(P)He who has ears, let him hear.

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, ^(A)“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, ^(B)that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then ^(C)he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus ^(D)it is written, ^(E)that the Christ should suffer and on the third day ^(F)rise from the dead,

The Purpose of the Parables

⁹ And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, ¹⁰ he said, ^(A)“To you it has been given to know ^(B)the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so ^(C)that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’

¹⁷ And when he had entered ^(A)the house and left the people, ^(B)his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸ And he said to them, “Then ^(C)are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ since it enters not his heart ^(D)but his stomach, and is expelled?”^[a] (^(E)Thus he declared all foods clean.) ²⁰ And he said, ^(F)“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, ^(G)murder, adultery, ²² coveting, wickedness, deceit, ^(H)sensuality, ^(I)envy, ^(J)slander, ^(K)pride, ^(L)foolishness. ^23 (M)All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”