The Parable of the Sower
¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ² And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. ⁵ Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, ⁶ but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
This parable should encourage spiritual "farmers"—those who teach, preach, and seek to lead others to the Lord—to keep working even though all their listeners do not respond to the Good News. The farmer sowed good seed, but not all the seed sprouted; even the plants that grew had varying yields. Don't be discouraged if you do not always see results as you faithfully teach the Word. Belief cannot be forced. Teaching others about God's Good News does not follow a mathematical formula (e.g., a 4:1 ratio of seeds planted to seeds sprouted). Rather, God using your words to plant seeds of faith in others is a miracle of his Holy Spirit.
⁹ He who has ears, let him hear."
The Purpose of the Parables
¹⁰ Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"
Human ears hear many sounds, but there is a deeper kind of listening that results in spiritual understanding. When speaking in parables, Jesus was not hiding truth from sincere seekers, because those who were open to spiritual truth understood the illustrations. To others they were merely stories with perhaps good moral messages but no transformative meaning.
¹¹ And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Jesus said that when we take to heart and use well what we do understand, we will be given additional insight and understanding. When people reject Jesus, their hardness of heart drives away or renders useless even the little understanding they had.
¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
"'"You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive."
¹⁵ For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.'
¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. ¹⁷ For truly, I say to you, 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 Parable of the Sower Explained
¹⁸ "Hear then the parable of the sower: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. ²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹ yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. ²² As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
It's easy to agree with Jesus' words initially, but it's also easy to let life's pressures and attractions crowd him out. Distractions and conflicts rob new believers of time to dive deeper into God's Word and grow from it. Those concerns stifle the guidance and support they need from more mature believers. Busyness, worries, and the desire to make more money downgrade God's priorities so our lives continue to produce nothing of real value. Guard your schedule and associations, and resist the desire to acquire more things. The more time you spend with God and his Word, the more you will see what truly productive living looks like.
²³ As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
The four types of soil represent different responses to God's message. People respond differently because they are in different states of readiness. Some are hardened, others are shallow, others don't produce due to distracting worries, and some are receptive. How has God's Word taken root in your life? What kind of soil are you?
The Parable of the Weeds
²⁴ He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, ²⁵ but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. ²⁶ So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. ²⁷ And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' ²⁸ He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' ²⁹ But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, "Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
Jesus gives the meaning of this parable in 13:36-43. All the parables in this chapter teach us about God and his Kingdom. They explain what the Kingdom is really like, as opposed to our expectations of it. The Kingdom of Heaven is not a specific location but a spiritual realm where God rules and we share in his eternal life. We join the Kingdom when we trust in Jesus as Savior.
The young weeds and the young blades of wheat look the same, so these plants can't be distinguished until they are grown and ready for harvest. Weeds (unbelievers) and wheat (believers) must live side by side in this world. God allows unbelievers to remain for a while, just as a farmer allows weeds to remain in his field so the surrounding wheat isn't uprooted with them. At the harvest, the weeds will be uprooted and thrown away. God's harvest (judgment) of all people is coming. We are to make ourselves ready by making sure that our faith is sincere.
The Mustard Seed and the Leaven
³¹ He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
The mustard seed was the smallest seed a farmer would sow. Jesus used this parable to show that the Kingdom has small and seemingly insignificant beginnings but will grow and produce great results.
³³ He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."
In other passages, the Bible uses yeast as a symbol of evil or uncleanness. Here it is a positive symbol of growth. Though yeast seems to be a minor ingredient, it permeates the whole loaf. Although the Kingdom began small and was nearly invisible, it would soon grow and have a great impact on the world.
Prophecy and Parables
³⁴ All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing 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 utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
³⁶ Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "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 the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. ⁴⁰ Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, ⁴² and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Jesus often used these terms to refer to the coming judgment. Weeping indicates sorrow or remorse, and gnashing of teeth shows extreme anxiety or pain. Those who say they don't care what happens to them after they die don't realize what they are saying. They will be punished for living in selfishness and indifference to God.
⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
At the end of the world, angels will separate the evil from the righteous. Today, churches contain true and false believers, but we should be cautious in our judgments because only Jesus is qualified to make the final separation. If you start judging, you may damage some of the good "plants." It's more important to judge your own response to God than to analyze other people's responses.
Those who will "shine like the sun" in God's Kingdom stand in sharp contrast to those who will receive the consequences of their unbelief.
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure
⁴⁴ "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
The Kingdom of Heaven is more valuable than anything else we can have, and a person must be willing to give up everything to obtain it. The man who discovered the treasure hidden in the field stumbled upon it by accident but knew its value when he found it. Although the transaction cost the man everything, he paid nothing for the priceless treasure itself. It came free with the field. Nothing is more precious than the Kingdom of Heaven, yet God gives it to us as a gift.
The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value
⁴⁵ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, ⁴⁶ who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Net
⁴⁷ "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. ⁴⁸ When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. ⁴⁹ So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous
The parable of the fishing net has the same meaning as the parable of the wheat and weeds. We are to obey God and tell others about his grace and goodness, but we cannot dictate who is part of the Kingdom of Heaven and who is not. This sorting will be done at the Last Judgment by those who are infinitely more qualified than we are.
⁵⁰ and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
New and Old Treasures
⁵¹ "Have you understood all these things?" They said to him, "Yes." ⁵² And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
In this chapter, Matthew presents several parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus used many stories, or parables, when speaking to the crowds (13:34). These stories compare something familiar to something unfamiliar, helping us understand spiritual truth by using everyday objects and relationships as illustrations. Jesus' parables draw willing listeners into discovering truth, while at the same time concealing truth from those too lazy or too stubborn to see it. To those who are honestly searching, the truth becomes clear. We must be careful not to read too much into parables, forcing them to say what they don't mean. Each parable has one central meaning unless otherwise specified by Jesus.
Anyone who understands God's real purpose in the law as revealed in the Old Testament has a real treasure. The Old Testament points the way to Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus always upheld its authority and relevance. But those who understand Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven receive a double benefit. This was a new treasure that Jesus was revealing. Both the old and new teaching give practical guidelines for faith and for living in the world. The teachers of religious law, however, were trapped in the old and blind to the new. They were looking for a future kingdom preceded by judgment. Jesus, however, taught that the Kingdom was now and the judgment was in the future. The religious leaders were looking for a physical and temporal kingdom (via military rebellion and physical rule), but they were blind to the spiritual significance of the Kingdom that Jesus brought.
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
⁵³ And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, ⁵⁴ and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? ⁵⁵ Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
The residents of Jesus' hometown had known Jesus since he was a young child and were acquainted with his family; they could not bring themselves to believe in his message. They were too close to the situation. Jesus had come to them as a prophet, one who challenged them to respond to unpopular spiritual truth. They were so offended that they did not listen to Jesus' timeless message. They could not see beyond the man and what they thought they knew about him.
⁵⁶ And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?"
⁵⁷ And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household."
Jesus was not the first prophet to be rejected in his own country. Jeremiah had experienced rejection in his hometown, even by members of his own family (Jeremiah 12:5-6).
⁵⁸ And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
Jesus did few miracles in his hometown "because of their unbelief." Unbelief blinds people to the truth and robs them of hope. How tragic that these people missed the very Messiah they were longing for. Where do you stand between faith and unbelief? If you can't see God at work around you, perhaps you are struggling with stubbornness and unbelief more than you realize. Don't assume you know it all. Ask God to open your eyes to the reality of Jesus. Then look at him with the eyes of faith.