Old/New Testament
31 He put another parable to them.
“The kingdom of heaven,” he said, “is like a grain of mustard seed, which someone took and sowed in his field. 32 It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when it grows it turns into the biggest of the shrubs. It becomes a tree, and the birds in the sky can then come and nest in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable.
“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven,” he said, “which a woman took and hid inside three measures of flour, until the whole thing was leavened.”
34 Jesus said all these things to the crowds in parables. He didn’t speak to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
I will open my mouth in parables,
I will tell the things that were hidden
since the very foundation of the world.
The parable of the weeds explained
36 Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came and joined him.
“Explain to us,” they said, “the parable of the weeds in the field.”
37 “The one who sows the good seed,” said Jesus, “is the son of man. 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one; 39 the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40 “So: when the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, that’s what it will be like at the close of the age. 41 The son of man will send out his angels, and they will collect together out of his kingdom everything that causes offense, and everyone who acts wickedly. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father. If you have ears, then hear!”
Other parables
44 “The kingdom of heaven,” Jesus continued, “is like treasure hidden in a field. Someone found it and hid it, and in great delight went off and sold everything he possessed, and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who was looking for fine pearls, 46 and who found one that was spectacularly valuable. He went off and sold everything he possessed, and bought it.
47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea, and collected every type of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen brought it to shore. They sat down and selected the good ones, which they put into a bucket; but they threw out the bad ones. 49 That’s what it will be like at the close of the age. The angels will go off and separate the wicked from the righteous, 50 and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all this?” asked Jesus.
“Yes,” they answered.
52 “Well, then,” he said to them, “every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his storeroom some new things and some old things.”
53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there.
Opposition in Nazareth
54 Jesus came to the town where he had been brought up. He taught them in their synagogue, and they were astonished.
“Where did this fellow get this wisdom, and these powers?” they said.
55 “Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judah? 56 And aren’t all his sisters here with us? So where does he get it all from?” 57 They were offended by him.
So Jesus said to them, “No prophet lacks respect—except in his own town and his own house!”
58 And he didn’t perform many mighty works there, because they didn’t believe.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.