Matthew 13:31-43
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
13:31 He gave them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.
13:32 It 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
13:33 He 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
13:34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable.
13:35 This 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
13:36 Then 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.”
13:37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.
13:38 The field is the world and the good seed are the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,
13:39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
13:40 As the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers.
13:42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!