The Parable of the Sower
13 That same day Jesus went out of
the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he
got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then
he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his
seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds
came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much
soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun
came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still
other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or
thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
10 The disciples came to him and
asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the
knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but
not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an
abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy
of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never
understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has
become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise, they might see with their
eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’[Isaiah 6:9,10 (see Septuagint)]
16 But blessed are your eyes because
they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, 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 “Listen then to what the parable
of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does
not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their
heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky
ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or
persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed
falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries
of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it
unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears
the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a
hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
The Parable of the Weeds
24 Jesus told them another parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But
while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat,
and went away. 26 When 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 uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let
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
31 He told them another parable:
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in
his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is
the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and
perch in its branches.”
33 He told them still another
parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into
about sixty pounds[Or about 27 kilograms] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
34 Jesus spoke all these things to
the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
35 So 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.”[Psalm 78:2 ]
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36 Then 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.”
37 He answered, “The one who sowed
the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed
stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,
39 and 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. 41 The 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. 42 They will throw them into the blazing
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. Whoever has
ears, let them hear.
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure
and the Pearl
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like
treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in
his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is
like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value,
he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
The Parable of the Net
47 “Once again, the kingdom of
heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of
fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they
sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49
This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate
the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 “Have you understood all these
things?” Jesus asked.
“Yes,” they replied.
52 He said to them, “Therefore every
teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like
the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as
old.”
A Prophet Without Honor
53 When Jesus had finished these
parables, he moved on from there. 54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching
the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get
this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55 “Isn’t this the
carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James,
Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t 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 own town and in his own home.”
58 And he did not do many miracles
there because of their lack of faith.
NOTES:
NOTES:
13:1–53 The discourse in parables is the third great
discourse of Jesus in Matthew and constitutes the second part of the third book
of the gospel. Matthew follows the Marcan outline (Mk 4:1–35) but has only two
of Mark’s parables, the five others being from Q and M. In addition to the
seven parables, the discourse gives the reason why Jesus uses this type of
speech (Mt 13:10–15), declares the blessedness of those who understand his teaching
(Mt 13:16–17), explains the parable of the sower (Mt 13:18–23) and of the weeds
(Mt 13:36–43), and ends with a concluding statement to the disciples (Mt
13:51–52).
13:3 In parables: the word “parable” (Greek parabolē) is
used in the LXX to translate the Hebrew māshāl, a designation covering a wide
variety of literary forms such as axioms, proverbs, similitudes, and
allegories. In the New Testament the same breadth of meaning of the word is
found, but there it primarily designates stories that are illustrative
comparisons between Christian truths and events of everyday life. Sometimes the
event has a strange element that is quite different from usual experience
(e.g., in Mt 13:33 the enormous amount of dough in the parable of the yeast);
this is meant to sharpen the curiosity of the hearer. If each detail of such a
story is given a figurative meaning, the story is an allegory. Those who
maintain a sharp distinction between parable and allegory insist that a parable
has only one point of comparison, and that while parables were characteristic
of Jesus’ teaching, to see allegorical details in them is to introduce meanings
that go beyond their original intention and even falsify it. However, to
exclude any allegorical elements from a parable is an excessively rigid mode of
interpretation, now abandoned by many scholars.
13:3–8 Since in Palestine sowing often preceded plowing,
much of the seed is scattered on ground that is unsuitable. Yet while much is
wasted, the seed that falls on good ground bears fruit in extraordinarily large
measure. The point of the parable is that, in spite of some failure because of
opposition and indifference, the message of Jesus about the coming of the
kingdom will have enormous success.
13:11 Since a parable is figurative speech that demands
reflection for understanding, only those who are prepared to explore its
meaning can come to know it. To understand is a gift of God, granted to the
disciples but not to the crowds. In Semitic fashion, both the disciples’
understanding and the crowd’s obtuseness are attributed to God. The question of
human responsibility for the obtuseness is not dealt with, although it is
asserted in Mt 13:13. The mysteries: as in Lk 8:10; Mk 4:11 has “the mystery.”
The word is used in Dn 2:18, 19, 27 and in the Qumran literature (1QpHab 7:8;
1QS 3:23; 1QM 3:9) to designate a divine plan or decree affecting the course of
history that can be known only when revealed. Knowledge of the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven means recognition that the kingdom has become present in the
ministry of Jesus.
13:12 In the New Testament use of this axiom of practical
“wisdom” (see Mt 25:29; Mk 4:25; Lk 8:18; 19:26), the reference transcends the
original level. God gives further understanding to one who accepts the revealed
mystery; from the one who does not, he will take it away (note the “theological
passive,” more will be given, what he has will be taken away).
13:13 Because ‘they look…or understand’: Matthew softens his
Marcan source, which states that Jesus speaks in parables so that the crowds
may not understand (Mk 4:12), and makes such speaking a punishment given
because they have not accepted his previous clear teaching. However, his
citation of Is 6:9–10 in Mt 13:14 supports the harsher Marcan view.
13:16–17 Unlike the unbelieving crowds, the disciples have
seen that which the prophets and the righteous of the Old Testament longed to
see without having their longing fulfilled.
13:18–23 See Mk 4:14–20; Lk 8:11–15. In this explanation of
the parable the emphasis is on the various types of soil on which the seed
falls, i.e., on the dispositions with which the preaching of Jesus is received.
The second and third types particularly are explained in such a way as to
support the view held by many scholars that the explanation derives not from
Jesus but from early Christian reflection upon apostasy from the faith that was
the consequence of persecution and worldliness, respectively. Others, however,
hold that the explanation may come basically from Jesus even though it was
developed in the light of later Christian experience. The four types of persons
envisaged are (1) those who never accept the word of the kingdom (Mt 13:19);
(2) those who believe for a while but fall away because of persecution (Mt
13:20–21); (3) those who believe, but in whom the word is choked by worldly
anxiety and the seduction of riches (Mt 13:22); (4) those who respond to the
word and produce fruit abundantly (Mt 13:23).
13:24–30 This parable is peculiar to Matthew. The comparison
in Mt 13:24 does not mean that the kingdom of heaven may be likened simply to
the person in question but to the situation narrated in the whole story. The
refusal of the householder to allow his slaves to separate the wheat from the
weeds while they are still growing is a warning to the disciples not to attempt
to anticipate the final judgment of God by a definitive exclusion of sinners
from the kingdom. In its present stage it is composed of the good and the bad.
The judgment of God alone will eliminate the sinful. Until then there must be
patience and the preaching of repentance.
13:25 Weeds: darnel, a poisonous weed that in its first
stage of growth resembles wheat.
13:30 Harvest: a common biblical metaphor for the time of
God’s judgment; cf. Jer 51:33; Jl 4:13; Hos 6:11.
13:31–33 See Mk 4:30–32; Lk 13:18–21. The parables of the
mustard seed and the yeast illustrate the same point: the amazing contrast
between the small beginnings of the kingdom and its marvelous expansion.
13:32 See Dn 4:7–9, 17–19 where the birds nesting in the
tree represent the people of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. See also Ez 17:23; 31:6.
13:33 Except in this Q parable and in Mt 16:12, yeast (or
“leaven”) is, in New Testament usage, a symbol of corruption (see Mt 16:6,
11–12; Mk 8:15; Lk 12:1; 1 Cor 5:6–8; Gal 5:9). Three measures: an enormous
amount, enough to feed a hundred people. The exaggeration of this element of
the parable points to the greatness of the kingdom’s effect.
13:34 Only in parables: see Mt 13:10–15.
13:35 The prophet: some textual witnesses read “Isaiah the
prophet.” The quotation is actually from Ps 78:2; the first line corresponds to
the LXX text of the psalm. The psalm’s title ascribes it to Asaph, the founder
of one of the guilds of temple musicians. He is called “the prophet” (NAB “the
seer”) in 2 Chr 29:30, but it is doubtful that Matthew averted to that; for
him, any Old Testament text that could be seen as fulfilled in Jesus was
prophetic.
13:36 Dismissing the crowds: the return of Jesus to the
house marks a break with the crowds, who represent unbelieving Israel. From now
on his attention is directed more and more to his disciples and to their
instruction. The rest of the discourse is addressed to them alone.
13:37–43 In the explanation of the parable of the weeds
emphasis lies on the fearful end of the wicked, whereas the parable itself
concentrates on patience with them until judgment time.
13:38 The field is the world: this presupposes the
resurrection of Jesus and the granting to him of “all power in heaven and on
earth” (Mt 28:18).
13:39 The end of the age: this phrase is found only in
Matthew (13:40, 49; 24:3; 28:20).
13:41 His kingdom: the kingdom of the Son of Man is
distinguished from that of the Father (Mt 13:43); see 1 Cor 15:24–25. The
church is the place where Jesus’ kingdom is manifested, but his royal authority
embraces the entire world; see note on Mt 13:38.
13:43 See Dn 12:3.
13:44–50 The first two of the last three parables of the
discourse have the same point. The person who finds a buried treasure and the
merchant who finds a pearl of great price sell all that they have to acquire
these finds; similarly, the one who understands the supreme value of the
kingdom gives up whatever he must to obtain it. The joy with which this is done
is made explicit in the first parable, but it may be presumed in the second
also. The concluding parable of the fishnet resembles the explanation of the
parable of the weeds with its stress upon the final exclusion of evil persons
from the kingdom.
13:44 In the unsettled conditions of Palestine in Jesus’
time, it was not unusual to guard valuables by burying them in the ground.
13:51 Matthew typically speaks of the understanding of the
disciples.
13:52 Since Matthew tends to identify the disciples and the
Twelve (see note on Mt 10:1), this saying about the Christian scribe cannot be
taken as applicable to all who accept the message of Jesus. While the Twelve
are in many ways representative of all who believe in him, they are also
distinguished from them in certain respects. The church of Matthew has leaders
among whom are a group designated as “scribes” (Mt 23:34). Like the scribes of
Israel, they are teachers. It is the Twelve and these their later counterparts
to whom this verse applies. The scribe…instructed in the kingdom of heaven
knows both the teaching of Jesus (the new) and the law and prophets (the old) and
provides in his own teaching both the new and the old as interpreted and
fulfilled by the new. On the translation head of a household (for the same
Greek word translated householder in Mt 13:27), see note on Mt 24:45–51.
13:54–17:27 This section is the narrative part of the fourth
book of the gospel.
13:54–58 After the Sermon on the Mount the crowds are in
admiring astonishment at Jesus’ teaching (Mt 7:28); here the astonishment is of
those who take offense at him. Familiarity with his background and family leads
them to regard him as pretentious. Matthew modifies his Marcan source (Mt
6:1–6). Jesus is not the carpenter but the carpenter’s son (Mt 13:55), “and
among his own kin” is omitted (Mt 13:57), he did not work many mighty deeds in
face of such unbelief (Mt 13:58) rather than the Marcan “…he was not able to
perform any mighty deed there” (Mt 6:5), and there is no mention of his
amazement at his townspeople’s lack of faith.
BACK TO:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher.
No comments:
Post a Comment