< Matthew 13 >
1 That same day Jesus, [along with us] disciples, left the house [where he was teaching and went] to [Galilee lake]. He sat down there,
2 and a very large crowd gathered around him to [listen to his teaching]. So, [in order that they would not jostle him] (OR, [to speak to the people better]), he got into a boat and sat down [to teach them]. The crowd stood on the shore [and was listening].
3 He was telling them many parables. [One of the parables] that he told them was this: “Listen! A man went out [to his field] to sow [some seeds].
4 As he was scattering [them over the soil], some [of the] seeds fell on the path. Then some birds came and ate those seeds.
5 Other [seeds] fell on ground where there was not much soil [on top of the] rock. Those seeds sprouted very soon, [because the sun quickly warmed] the shallow soil.
6 But when [the young plants came up], they were scorched by the sun, and they withered because they did not have [deep] roots.
7 Other seeds fell on [ground that contained roots of] thorny [weeds]. The thorny weeds grew [together with the young plants], and [they] crowded out [the plants].
8 [But] other seeds fell on good soil, and [the plants grew and] produced [a lot of] grain. Some [plants produced] 100 times [as many seeds as were planted]. Some [plants produced] 60 times [as much]. Some [plants produced] 30 times [as much].
9 If you want to understand this [MTY], you should consider [carefully what I have just said].”
10 [We] disciples approached Jesus and asked him, “Why do you use parables when you speak to the crowd?”
11 He answered [us] saying, “God [EUP/MTY] is revealing to you what he did not reveal before, about [how he wants to] rule [over people’s lives]. But he has not revealed it to others.
12 Those who [think about what I say and] understand [it], God will enable them to understand more. But those who do not [think carefully about what I say] will forget even what they already know.
13 That is why I use parables when I speak to people, because although they see [what I do], they do not perceive [what it means], and although they hear [what I say], they do not really understand [what it means].
14 What these people do completely fulfills what [God told] the prophet Isaiah [to say long ago to the people who did not] try to understand what he said, You will hear [what I say], but you will not understand it. You will keep seeing [what I do], but you will not understand [what it means] [DOU].
15 [God also said to Isaiah], These people have become unresponsive [MTY] [to what they see me do and to what they hear me say]. They listen unwillingly [MTY] [to what I say], and they do not pay attention to [MTY] [what I do]. If it were not so, they would perceive [MTY] [what I am doing], they would understand [MTY] [what I say to them], and they would turn [away from their sinful lives] and turn [to me], and I would save them [from being punished for their sins] [MET].
16 But as for you, God is pleased with you because you [SYN] have seen [what I have done] and because you [SYN] understand [what I say] [DOU].
17 Note this: Many prophets and righteous people [who lived long ago] longed to see what you are seeing [me do], but they did not see it. They longed to hear the things that you have been hearing [me say], but they did not hear [what you hear me say].” [DOU]
18 “[Since God wants] you [to understand what I am teaching you], listen as I [explain] the parable about the man who sowed [seeds in various kinds of soil].
19 The people who hear about how God rules over people’s lives and do not understand [what they have heard] are [like] the path where [some of] the seeds fell. [Satan], the Evil One, comes and causes these people to forget [MET] what they have heard [MET].
20 [Some people are like the] shallow soil on top of rock. When they hear God’s message, they immediately accept it joyfully.
21 [But because it does not penetrate deeply into their inner beings, they believe it for only] a [short] time. [They are like the plants that] did not have [deep] roots. When they are treated badly and caused to suffer because they believe [God’s message], they soon stop believing [it].
22 [Some people are like the soil that had the roots of] thorny [weeds] in it. They hear God’s message, but they desire to be rich, [so they] worry [only] about [MTY, PRS] material things. As a result, they [PRS] forget [God’s] message, and they do not do [IDM] the things that God wants them to do. (aiōn )
23 But [some people are like the] good soil where [some of the seeds] fell. [Just like the plants that grew in this soil] produced a lot of grain, [these people] hear my message and understand it. [Some of them] do many things [IDM] [that please God, some do] even more [things that please God, and some do] very many [things that please God].”
24 Jesus also told the crowd another parable, [by which he tried to explain that although] God [MTY/EUP] is a king, [he will not immediately judge and punish all the wicked people]. Jesus said, “[God] is like a landowner [who sent his servants] to sow good [wheat] seed in his field.
25 While those servants were sleeping [and not watching the field], an enemy of the landowner came and scattered weed [seeds] in the midst of the wheat. Then he left.
26 After [the seeds] sprouted and the green plants [grew], the heads of grain began to form. But the weeds also grew.
27 So the servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, you [RHQ] [gave us good seeds and those are the ones we] [RHQ] [planted] in your field. So where did the weeds come from?’
28 The landowner said to them, ‘[My] enemy did this.’ His servants said to him, ‘So, do you want us to pull up [the weeds and] put them in a pile?’
29 He said [to them], ‘No, [do not do that, because] you might pull up [some of] the wheat at the same time.
30 Let the wheat and the weeds grow together until harvest [time].’ At that time I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather the weeds, tie them into bundles to be burned. Then gather the wheat [and put it] into my barns.’”
31 Jesus also told this parable: “The [number of] (OR, [God’s influence in the lives of]) [people whose] lives God rules over [will continue to grow. It is very much] like mustard seeds grow after a man plants them in his field.
32 Although mustard seeds are among the smallest of all the seeds [that people plant, here in Israel they become large plants. When the plants have fully grown, they are larger than the other garden plants. They become shrubs that are large enough for birds to build nests in their branches.”]
33 Jesus also told this parable: “[The way people who let] God [MTY/EUP] rule their lives [MET] [can influence the world] is like yeast that a woman mixed with about 50 pounds of flour. [That small amount of yeast made] the whole batch of dough swell up.”
34 Jesus told the crowd parables [to teach them] all these things. When he spoke [HYP] to them, he habitually used such illustrations.
35 By doing that, [he] fulfilled what [God told one of] the prophets to write [long ago]: I will speak [MTY] in parables; I will tell [parables to teach] what I have kept secret since I created the world.
36 After Jesus dismissed the crowds, he went inside. Then [we] disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable about the weeds [that grew] in the [wheat] field.”
37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed represents [me], the one who came from heaven.
38 The field represents this world [MTY], [where people live]. The seeds [that grew] well represent the people who let God rule their lives [MET]. The weeds represent the people who do what [the devil], the Evil One, [tells them to do].
39 The enemy who sowed the weed seeds represents the devil. The [time when the reapers will] harvest [the grain] represents the time when the world will end. The reapers represent the angels. (aiōn )
40 The weeds are gathered and burned. {The reapers gather the weeds. Then they burn them.} That represents [the judging of people, which God will do] when the world will end. [It will be like this]: (aiōn )
41 I, the one who came from heaven, will send my angels, and they will gather [from everywhere the people] who cause others to quit believing in me [MET] and all those who disobey [God’s] commands.
42 They will throw those people into the fires of [hell]. There those people will weep and grind their teeth [because of the great pain that they are suffering]. ()
43 [God’s] brightness will shine [on] the people who have lived as he wants them to. It will shine [on them as brightly] as the sun [shines]. It will shine on them in the place where [God], their Father, rules over them. If you want to understand this [MTY], you should think [carefully] about what I have just said.”
44 “[What people do who begin to allow] God [MTY/EUP] to rule their lives is like [what a certain man did to acquire a treasure]. A treasure was hidden in a field by someone {Someone hid a treasure in a field [and never dug it up again]}. When [another] man found it, he hid it [by burying it again in order that no one else would find it]. Being very happy [that he had found something very valuable, he went and] sold all his possessions [to obtain money to buy the field the treasure was in]. He then went and bought the field, [and so he was able to acquire that treasure].
45 Also, what [people do who begin to allow] God [MTY/EUP] to rule their lives is like [what] a merchant [did who was] looking for good quality pearls [to buy].
46 When he found one very costly pearl [that was for sale], he sold all his possessions [to acquire enough money to buy that pearl]. Then he [went and] bought it.
47 What God [MTY/EUP] [will do to people who falsely say that they are letting him] rule their lives is like what certain [fishermen] did [with the fish they caught] in a lake, using a large net. They caught all classes [of fish, both useful and worthless fish].
48 When the net was full, the [fishermen] pulled it up onto the shore. Then they sat there and put the useful [fish] into buckets, and threw the worthless ones away.
49 [What they did in separating the good fish from the bad ones] is like [what will happen to people] when the world ends. The angels will come [to where God is judging people], and will separate the wicked [people] from the righteous [ones]. (aiōn )
50 They will throw the wicked people into the fire [in hell]. And those wicked people will weep and gnash their teeth [because of the intense pain they are suffering].” ()
51 [Then Jesus asked us], “Do you understand all these [parables I have told you]?” We said to him,
52 “Yes, [we understand them].” Then he said to us, “Because [you understand all these parables], [you will understand the following parable: You, along with] all others, will teach people what [you heard me say] about God ruling people’s lives. [You will add that to what you formerly learned. You will be] like a manager of a household who takes both new things and old things out of his storage room.”
53 When Jesus had finished [telling] these parables, he took [us] and left that [area].
54 We went to [Nazareth, his hometown. (On the Sabbath/On the Jewish rest day]) he began to teach the people in the Jewish worship house. The result was that the people there were astonished. But [some] said, “[This man is just an ordinary person like us. So] how is it that he knows so much and understands so much [RHQ]? And how is it that he is able to do [such] miracles [RHQ]?
55 (He is [just] the son of the carpenter!/Isn’t he [just] the son of the carpenter [that lived here]?) [RHQ] His mother is Mary, and his younger brothers are James, Joseph, Simon and Judas [RHQ]!
56 (And his sisters [also live] here in our [town]./Do not his sisters [live] in our [town]?) [RHQ] So how is he able to do all these [miracles]?”
57 The people were unable to accept [that] he [was the Messiah. So] Jesus said to them, “[People] honor [me and other] prophets [everywhere else we go], but in [our] hometowns [we are] not [honored], and [even] our own families do not [honor us!]”
58 Jesus did not perform many miracles there because the people did not believe [that he was the Messiah].
