1On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake.

2And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit while the whole crowd stood on the shore.

3He told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow.

4And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

5Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep.

6But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered.

7Other seeds fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked them.

8But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.

9The one who has ears had better listen!”

10Then the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

11He replied, “You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not.

12For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.

13For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand.

14And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: ‘You will listen carefully yet will never understand,
you will look closely yet will never comprehend.

15For the heart of this people has become dull;
they are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

16“But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear.

17For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

18“So listen to the parable of the sower:

19When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown along the path.

20The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy.

21But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away.

22The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing.

23But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”

The Parable of the Weeds

24He presented them with another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field.

25But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.

26When the plants sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

27So the slaves of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’

28He said, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’

29But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them.

30Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

31He gave them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

32It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its branches.”

The Parable of the Yeast

33He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.”

The Purpose of Parables

34Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable.

35This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.”

Explanation for the Disciples

36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

37He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.

38The field is the world and the good seed are the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,

39and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

40As the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age.

41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers.

42They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!

Parables on the Kingdom of Heaven

44“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.

46When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.

47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish.

48When it was full, they pulled it ashore, sat down, and put the good fish into containers and threw the bad away.

49It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous

50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

51“Have you understood all these things?” They replied, “Yes.”

52Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.”

Rejection at Nazareth

53Now when Jesus finished these parables, he moved on from there.

54Then he came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?

55Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? And aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?

56And aren’t all his sisters here with us? Where did he get all this?”

57And so they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own house.”

58And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.