Matthew
Chapter 13
Parable of the Sower
That same day, Jesus left the house and sat down by the lakeside.
Many people gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat down, while the crowds stood on the shore;
and he spoke to them in parables about many things.
Jesus said:
“The sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path; and the birds came and ate them up.
Other seeds fell on rocky ground where there was little soil, and the seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was not deep.
But as soon as the sun rose, the plants were scorched; and they withered, because they had no roots.
Again, other seeds fell among the thistles, which grew and choked the plants.
Still, other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop: some a hundredfold, others sixty, and others thirty.
If you have ears, then hear!”
Then his disciples came to him and asked:
“Why do you speak to them in parables?”
Jesus answered, “To you, it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but not to these people.
For those who have, more will be given, and they will have abundance. But those who do not have will lose even what they do have.
That is why I speak to them in parables; because they look but do not see, hear but do not listen or understand.
Within them, the words of the prophet Isaiah are fulfilled:
Despite hearing,
you do not understand;
you shall indeed look but never see.
For the heart of this people
has grown dull.
Their ears hardly hear,
and their eyes dare not see.
If they were to see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
they would turn back,
and I would heal them.
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
For I tell you, many prophets and righteous people have longed to see the things you see, but they did not see them; and to hear the things you hear, but they did not hear them.
Explanation of the Parable of the Sower
Hear then the parable of the sower.
When someone hears the message of the kingdom but doesn’t take it seriously, the devil comes and takes away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed that fell along the footpath.
The seed that falls on rocky ground represents the person who hears the word and immediately accepts it with joy.
But such a person has no roots and only lasts for a short time. As soon as he is harassed or persecuted because of the word, he gives up.
The seed that falls among the thistles is the one who hears the word but then gets distracted by the worries of life and the love of money, which choke the word so it does not produce fruit.
As for the seed that falls on good soil, it is the one who hears the word and understands it; this seed bears fruit and produces a hundred, sixty, or thirty times more.”
Parable of the Weeds
Jesus told them another parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.
When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also grew.
Then the owner’s servants came and asked him, ‘Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?’
He responded to them, ‘This is the work of an enemy.’ They asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’
He told them, ‘No, when you pull up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with it.
Let them grow together until harvest; and, at harvest time, I will say to the workers: Pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles, and burn them; then gather the wheat into my barn.”
Parable of the Mustard Seed
Jesus shared another parable with them:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
It is smaller than all other seeds, but once it is fully grown, it is bigger than any garden plant; like a tree, the birds come and rest in its branches.”
Parable of the Yeast
He told them another parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until the whole batch of dough began to rise.”
Jesus taught these things to the crowds through parables; he didn’t speak to them without using a parable.
This fulfilled what the Prophet said:
I will speak in parables,
and I will reveal things kept secret
since the beginning of the world.
Explanation of the Parable of the Weeds
Then he sent the crowds away and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
Jesus answered them, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
The field represents the world; the good seed is the people of the kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the evil one.
The enemy who sows the weeds is the devil; the harvest is at the end of time, and the workers are the angels.
Just as weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of time.
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his kingdom all that is scandalous and everyone who does evil.
And these will be thrown into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears, then hear.
Parable of the Hidden Treasure
The kingdom of heaven is like a hidden treasure in a field. The person who finds it buries it again, and so happy is he that he sells everything he has to buy that field.
Parable of the Fine Pearl
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader searching for fine pearls.
Once he finds a pearl of exceptional quality, he leaves, sells everything he has, and buys it.
Parable of the Net
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large fishing net lowered into the sea, catching all kinds of fish.
When the net is full, they pull it ashore. Then they sit down and separate the good fish into buckets, tossing away the bad ones.
That is how it will be at the end of time; the angels will go out to separate the wicked from the just
and cast the wicked into the blazing furnace, where they will weep and gnash their teeth.
The New and the Old
Jesus asked:
“Have you understood all these things?”
“Yes,” they replied.
So he said to them:
“Therefore, every teacher of the law who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who can produce from his store things both new and old.”
In the Synagogue at Nazareth
When Jesus finished these parables, he left that place.
He went to his hometown and taught the people in their synagogue.
They were amazed and said:
“Where did he get this wisdom and these special powers?
Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t Mary his mother, and aren’t James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers?
Aren’t all of his sisters living here? Where did he get all these things?”
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them:
“The only place where a prophet is not welcome is his hometown and in his own family.”
And he did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Commentaries
Parable of the Sower – Explanation of the Parable of the Sower.
Through these parables, we can better understand what Jesus felt and thought about the kingdom of God he was proclaiming, as well as his personal experience of the Father. The parable of the sower vividly illustrates different attitudes toward Jesus’ message. The focus of the parable is not on the challenges but on the sower’s generosity and the abundant harvest of 30, 60, and even 100 times what was sowed. However, only those with open ears will truly understand this (9).
Parable of the Weeds.
The farmers listening on the shore of the lake did not need much explanation to identify the sowers of weeds, the enemies of the kingdom of God, as those Pharisees and temple leaders who opposed, for example, Jesus healing a sick person on the Sabbath (12:9-14); the same ones who marginalized the poor because of their ignorance of the laws and their inability to follow them. It is possible that those simple people, the first called to convert to the kingdom of God, also recognized the weeds within themselves, for Jesus’ action healed the whole person, body and heart (9:2).
Parable of the Mustard Seed.
The tiny mustard seed contains something incredibly great. God values the potential of the small, even when they are dismissed by the powerful and influential. Today, we can expand this image to represent a Church that is a welcoming home for all, where no one feels like a stranger, excluded, or second-class: not the poor because they are poor, not women because they are women, not laypeople. After all, they are laypeople, not dissenters, because they defend their own opinions; a Church where all charisms and services are appreciated.
Parable of the Yeast.
To be yeast that ferments the dough, the Church cannot live apart from the world; instead, it is immersed in social, political, economic, and cultural realities. Jesus confronts the religious mindset that expects an interventionist God who solves everything without human cooperation. Instead, he experienced God’s action silently, working with human response, at his own pace, but effectively.
Explanation of the Parable of the Weeds.
Jesus encourages his disciples to practice tolerance, since it is an ongoing risk to see oneself as “chosen” or “good grass” compared to others, who can easily be labeled as “weeds.” The emphasis is on the final judgment, when, at the end of time, the ultimate judge will separate the “citizens of the kingdom” from the weeds or “subjects of the Evil One” (38).
Parable of the Hidden Treasure – Parable of the Fine Pearl – Parable of the Net.
The first two parables highlight the value of the kingdom of God, to which all other values must be sacrificed. The parable of the net emphasizes the outcome of the kingdom, just as the parable of the weeds has already shown us: fire will destroy the weeds and the rotten fish. Jesus did not hesitate to use this imagery, which was part of his culture and which Matthew wanted to preserve (5:22; 7:19; 13:30; 25:41). He does not intend to threaten or instill fear, but to emphasize the extraordinary importance of the gift being offered and the decisive nature of our response.
In the Synagogue at Nazareth.
The chapter ends in Nazareth, where Jesus goes to preach in the synagogue and faces misunderstanding and rejection. What he has shared in his parables is fulfilled among his own people: “they look but do not see, they listen but do not hear or understand” (13). His image as a prophet conflicts with his family’s humility and his role as a craftsman.