Matthew · 58 verses
Matthew 13
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What happens here
Atlas's own reading, written from this chapter and nothing else, and published only once a person has approved it. Each scene names the verses it covers; the names inside it link to the people and places they name.
A man finds treasure in a field, hides it again, and then cheerfully sells everything he owns to buy the field. The kingdom of heaven has, in this telling, an unusually discreet property buyer.
Seed on every sort of groundvv. 1–23
Jesus takes to a boat because the crowd has become large enough to occupy the shore, and from there he tells of a sower whose seed meets four fates: birds, shallow rock, thorns, and good soil. The disciples ask why he speaks in parables, and Jesus answers with mysteries, closed eyes, ears that do not hear, and hearts that have grown callous. Then the riddle is opened: the seed is the message of the kingdom, and the soils are those who receive it—or fail to—through confusion, trouble, wealth, or understanding.
Weeds, mustard, and hidden thingsvv. 24–43
The kingdom receives a small agricultural menagerie. An enemy sows weeds among wheat while everyone sleeps, and the owner refuses an early tidy-up lest the wheat come out with the weeds. A mustard seed becomes a tree large enough for birds to nest in, while leaven quietly works through three measures of flour. Away from the crowd, Jesus explains the weeds: the field is the world, the harvest is the end of the age, and angels do the separating. The imagery ends in a fiery furnace, followed by the righteous shining like the sun—a remarkably brisk journey from gardening to cosmic sorting.
Treasure, pearls, fish, and homevv. 44–58
A man finds treasure, hides it, and sells all he owns for the field; a merchant does much the same for one pearl; and a net gathers fish of every kind before the sorting begins. When Jesus asks whether the disciples have understood all these things, they answer simply, “Yes,” and the text leaves that confidence unexplored. Jesus then compares a kingdom-trained scribe to a homeowner bringing out both new treasures and old. At his hometown synagogue, admiration turns sour: the people know his trade, mother, brothers, and sisters, and familiarity proves an awkward rival to astonishment. Their unbelief limits the miracles there.
The text
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Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.
Matt 13:1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
Matt 13:2Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.
Matt 13:3And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
Matt 13:4And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
Matt 13:5Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.
Matt 13:6But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Matt 13:7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.
Matt 13:8Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.
Matt 13:9He who has ears, let him hear.”
Matt 13:10Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”
Matt 13:11He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
Matt 13:12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
Matt 13:13This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
Matt 13:14In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
Matt 13:15For this people’s heart has grown callous; 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.’
Matt 13:16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
Matt 13:17For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
Matt 13:18Consider, then, the parable of the sower:
Matt 13:19When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
Matt 13:20The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
Matt 13:21But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
Matt 13:22The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Matt 13:23But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”
Matt 13:24Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
Matt 13:25But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away.
Matt 13:26When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
Matt 13:27The 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?’
Matt 13:28‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
Matt 13:29‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them.
Matt 13:30Let 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 into my barn.’”
Matt 13:31He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in his field.
Matt 13:32Although it is the smallest of all seeds, yet it grows into the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”
Matt 13:33He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into three measures of flour, until all of it was leavened.”
Matt 13:34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables. He did not tell them anything without using a parable.
Matt 13:35So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
Matt 13:36Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
Matt 13:37He replied, “The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
Matt 13:38The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
Matt 13:39and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
Matt 13:40As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
Matt 13:41The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness.
Matt 13:42And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matt 13:43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Matt 13:44The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Matt 13:45Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.
Matt 13:46When he found one very precious pearl, he went away and sold all he had and bought it.
Matt 13:47Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish.
Matt 13:48When it was full, the men pulled it ashore. Then they sat down and sorted the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away.
Matt 13:49So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous
Matt 13:50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matt 13:51Have you understood all these things?” “Yes,” they answered.
Matt 13:52Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”
Matt 13:53When Jesus had finished these parables, He withdrew from that place.
Matt 13:54Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.
Matt 13:55“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
Matt 13:56Aren’t all His sisters with us as well? Where then did this man get all these things?”
Matt 13:57And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”
Matt 13:58And He did not do many miracles there, because of their unbelief.
01 — Also here
Who else the chapter reaches
Names written in the English are linked in the text above. These are the ones that are not: an entity the Hebrew or Greek names under a spelling the translation does not use, or one reached only by an assertion about a verse of this chapter.
Named in the Hebrew or Greek somewhere in this chapter, under a form the English renders differently — the registry's Ludim against the translation's Ludites — so there is no word in the sentence to hang the link on.
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02 — Read alongside
Where this is echoed
Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 779 passages were voted onto 56 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.
- 35Psalms 78:2I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the beginning,
- 14Isaiah 6:9–10And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
- 44Proverbs 2:2–5if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,
- 44Colossians 2:3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
- 44Philippians 3:7–9But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.
- 44Matthew 6:21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
- 14Ezekiel 12:2“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.
- 35Ephesians 3:9and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.
- 15Isaiah 6:10Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”
- 44Luke 14:33In the same way, any one of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.
- 43Daniel 12:3Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.
- 44Hebrews 11:24–26By faith Moses, when he was grown, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.
- 351 Peter 1:20–21He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake.
- 35Romans 16:25–26Now to Him who is able to strengthen you by my gospel and by the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery concealed for ages past
- 44Matthew 19:29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for the sake of My name will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.
- 111 Corinthians 2:9–10Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Onward