Matthew 13:1-17

The Parable of the Sower

13:1 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake. 13:2 And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit while ¹  the whole crowd stood on the shore. 13:3 He ²  told them many things in parables, ³  saying: “Listen! ⁴  A sower went out to sow. ⁵  13:4 And as he sowed, some seeds ⁶  fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 13:5 Other ⁷  seeds fell on rocky ground ⁸  where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep. ⁹  13:6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. 13:7 Other seeds fell among the thorns, ¹⁰  and they grew up and choked them. ¹¹  13:8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 13:9 The one who has ears had better listen!” ¹² 

13:10 Then ¹³  the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 13:11 He replied, ¹⁴  “You have been given ¹⁵  the opportunity to know ¹⁶  the secrets ¹⁷  of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. 13:12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. ¹⁸  13:13 For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. 13:14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

‘You will listen carefully ¹⁹  yet will never understand,

you will look closely ²⁰  yet will never comprehend.

13:15 For the heart of this people has become dull;

they are hard of hearing,

and they have shut their eyes,

so that they would not see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’ ²¹ 

13:16 “But your eyes are blessed ²²  because they see, and your ears because they hear. 13:17 For I tell you the truth, ²³  many prophets and righteous people longed to see ²⁴  what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Matthew 13:34-35

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: ²⁵ 

“I will open my mouth in parables,

I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” ²⁶ 

Luke 8:10

8:10 He ²⁷  said, “You have been given ²⁸  the opportunity to know ²⁹  the secrets ³⁰  of the kingdom of God, ³¹  but for others they are in parables, so that although they see they may not see, and although they hear they may not understand. ³² 

John 16:1

16:1 “I have told you all these things so that you will not fall away. ³³ 

John 16:13

16:13 But when he, ³⁴  the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide ³⁵  you into all truth. ³⁶  For he will not speak on his own authority, ³⁷  but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you ³⁸  what is to come. ³⁹ 

John 16:25

16:25 “I have told you these things in obscure figures of speech; ⁴⁰  a time ⁴¹  is coming when I will no longer speak to you in obscure figures, but will tell you ⁴²  plainly ⁴³  about the Father.

John 16:29

16:29 His disciples said, “Look, now you are speaking plainly ⁴⁴  and not in obscure figures of speech! ⁴⁵ 

John 16:2

16:2 They will put you out of ⁴⁶  the synagogue, ⁴⁷  yet a time ⁴⁸  is coming when the one who kills you will think he is offering service to God. ⁴⁹ 

Colossians 3:12

Exhortation to Unity and Love

3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, ⁵⁰  kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

[13:2]  ¹ tn Grk “and all the crowd.” The clause in this phrase, although coordinate in terms of grammar, is logically subordinate to the previous clause.

[13:3]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[13:3]  ³ sn Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. the remainder of chapter 13), many times they are simply stories that attempt to teach spiritual truth (which is unknown to the hearers) by using a comparison with something known to the hearers. In general, parables usually advance a single idea, though there may be many parts and characters in a single parable and subordinate ideas may expand the main idea further. The beauty of using the parable as a teaching device is that it draws the listener into the story, elicits an evaluation, and demands a response.

[13:3]  ⁴ tn Grk “Behold.”

[13:3]  ⁵ sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through which a well-worn path runs. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots (Isa 55:10-11). The point of the parable of the sower is to illustrate the various responses to the message of the kingdom of God.

[13:4]  ⁶ tn In Matthew’s version of this parable, plural pronouns are used to refer to the seed in v. 4 (ἅ…αὐτά [Ja…auta]), although the collective singular is used in v. 5 and following (indicated by the singular verbs like ἔπεσεν [epesen]). For the sake of consistency in English, plural pronouns referring to the seed are used in the translation throughout the Matthean account. In both Mark and Luke the collective singular is used consistently throughout (cf. Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8).

[13:5]  ⁷ tn Here and in vv. 7 and 8 δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:5]  ⁸ sn The rocky ground in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.

[13:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “it did not have enough depth of earth.”

[13:7]  ¹⁰ sn Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to six feet in height and have a major root system.

[13:7]  ¹¹ sn That is, crowded out the good plants.

[13:9]  ¹² tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15, 13:43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).

[13:10]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[13:11]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[13:11]  ¹⁵ tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).

[13:11]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “to you it has been given to know.” The dative pronoun occurs first, in emphatic position in the Greek text, although this position is awkward in contemporary English.

[13:11]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “the mysteries.”

[13:12]  ¹⁸ sn What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.

[13:14]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “with hearing,” a cognate dative that intensifies the action of the main verb “you will listen” (ExSyn 168-69).

[13:14]  ²⁰ tn Grk “look by looking.” The participle is redundant, functioning to intensify the force of the main verb.

[13:15]  ²¹ sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.

[13:16]  ²² sn This beatitude highlights the great honor bestowed on the disciples to share in this salvation.

[13:17]  ²³ tn Grk “truly (ἀμήν, amhn) I say to you.”

[13:17]  ²⁴ sn This is what past prophets and righteous people had wanted very much to see, yet the fulfillment had come to the disciples. This remark is like 1 Pet 1:10-12 or Heb 1:1-2.

[13:35]  ²⁵ tc A few important mss (א* Θ Ë^1,13 33) identify the prophet as Isaiah, a reading that is significantly harder than the generic “prophet” because the source of this prophecy is not Isaiah but Asaph in Ps 78. Jerome mentioned some mss that had “Asaph” here, though none are known to exist today. This problem is difficult because of the temptation for scribes to delete the reference to Isaiah in order to clear up a discrepancy. Indeed, the vast majority of witnesses have only “the prophet” here (א¹ B C D L W 0233 0242 Ï lat sy co). However, as B. M. Metzger points out, “if no prophet were originally named, more than one scribe might have been prompted to insert the name of the best known prophet – something which has, in fact, happened elsewhere more than once” (TCGNT 27). In light of the paucity of evidence for the reading ᾿Ησαΐου, as well as the proclivity of scribes to add his name, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic.

[13:35]  ²⁶ sn A quotation from Ps 78:2.

[8:10]  ²⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[8:10]  ²⁸ tn This is an example of a so-called “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).

[8:10]  ²⁹ tn Grk “it has been given to you to know.” The dative pronoun occurs first, in emphatic position in the Greek text, although this position is awkward in contemporary English.

[8:10]  ³⁰ tn Grk “the mysteries.”

[8:10]  ³¹ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[8:10]  ³² sn A quotation from Isa 6:9. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.

[16:1]  ³³ tn Grk “so that you will not be caused to stumble.”

[16:13]  ³⁴ tn Grk “that one.”

[16:13]  ³⁵ tn Or “will lead.”

[16:13]  ³⁶ sn Three important points must be noted here. (1) When the Holy Spirit comes, he will guide the disciples into all truth. What Jesus had said in 8:31-32, “If you continue to follow my teaching you are really my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” will ultimately be realized in the ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit to the disciples after Jesus’ departure. (2) The things the Holy Spirit speaks to them will not be things which originate from himself (he will not speak on his own authority), but things he has heard. This could be taken to mean that no new revelation is involved, as R. E. Brown does (John [AB], 2:714-15). This is a possible but not a necessary inference. The point here concerns the source of the things the Spirit will say to the disciples and does not specifically exclude originality of content. (3) Part at least of what the Holy Spirit will reveal to the disciples will concern what is to come, not just fuller implications of previous sayings of Jesus and the like. This does seem to indicate that at least some new revelation is involved. But the Spirit is not the source or originator of these things – Jesus is the source, and he will continue to speak to his disciples through the Spirit who has come to indwell them. This does not answer the question, however, whether these words are addressed to all followers of Jesus, or only to his apostles. Different modern commentators will answer this question differently. Since in the context of the Farewell Discourse Jesus is preparing the twelve to carry on his ministry after his departure, it is probably best to take these statements as specifically related only to the twelve. Some of this the Holy Spirit does directly for all believers today; other parts of this statement are fulfilled through the apostles (e.g., in giving the Book of Revelation the Spirit speaks through the apostles to the church today of things to come). One of the implications of this is that a doctrine does not have to be traced back to an explicit teaching of Jesus to be authentic; all that is required is apostolic authority.

[16:13]  ³⁷ tn Grk “speak from himself.”

[16:13]  ³⁸ tn Or will announce to you.”

[16:13]  ³⁹ tn Grk “will tell you the things to come.”

[16:25]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “in parables”; or “in metaphors.” There is some difficulty in defining παροιμίαις (paroimiai") precisely: A translation like “parables” does not convey accurately the meaning. BDAG 779-80 s.v. παροιμία suggests in general “proverb, saw, maxim,” but for Johannine usage “veiled saying, figure of speech, in which esp. lofty ideas are concealed.” In the preceding context of the Farewell Discourse, Jesus has certainly used obscure language and imagery at times: John 13:8-11; 13:16; 15:1-17; and 16:21 could all be given as examples. In the LXX this word is used to translate the Hebrew mashal which covers a wide range of figurative speech, often containing obscure or enigmatic elements.

[16:25]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “an hour.”

[16:25]  ⁴² tn Or “inform you.”

[16:25]  ⁴³ tn Or “openly.”

[16:29]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “openly.”

[16:29]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “not in parables.” or “not in metaphors.”

[16:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “expel you from.”

[16:2]  ⁴⁷ sn See the note on synagogue in 6:59.

[16:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “an hour.”

[16:2]  ⁴⁹ sn Jesus now refers not to the time of his return to the Father, as he has frequently done up to this point, but to the disciples’ time of persecution. They will be excommunicated from Jewish synagogues. There will even be a time when those who kill Jesus’ disciples will think that they are offering service to God by putting the disciples to death. Because of the reference to service offered to God, it is almost certain that Jewish opposition is intended here in both cases rather than Jewish opposition in the first instance (putting the disciples out of synagogues) and Roman opposition in the second (putting the disciples to death). Such opposition materializes later and is recorded in Acts: The stoning of Stephen in 7:58-60 and the slaying of James the brother of John by Herod Agrippa I in Acts 12:2-3 are notable examples.

[3:12]  ⁵⁰ tn If the genitive construct σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ (splancna oiktirmou) is a hendiadys then it would be “compassion” or “tenderheartedness.” See M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 161.