Matthew
Chapter 13: 24-43
The Parable of the Weeds
24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man
who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy
came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted
and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good
seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
28" 'An enemy did this,' he replied.
"The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may
root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At
that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to
be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
31He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard
seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32Though it is the smallest of
all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree,
so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches."
33He told them still another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast
that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the
dough."
34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say
anything to them without using a parable. 35So was fulfilled what was spoken
through the prophet:
"I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of
the world."
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and
said, "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 stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are
the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The
harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the
end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed
out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 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. He who has ears, let
him hear.
