Study Desk

He^(y) presented another parable to them: "The kingdom of heaven^(z) is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field.

It's the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it's taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches." ^(aa)

He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into 50 pounds^[f] of flour until it spread through all of it." ^[g](ab)

Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and He would not speak anything to them without a parable,^(ac)

so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: I will open My mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world. ^(ad)[h]

Then He dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, "Explain the parable of the weeds in the field to us."^(ae)

He replied: "The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;

the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ^(af)

and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.^(ag)

Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.^(ah)

The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin^[i] and those guilty of lawlessness. ^[j](ai)

They will throw them into the blazing furnace^(aj) where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^(ak)

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. Anyone who has ears^[k] should listen! ^(al)

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure, buried in a field, that a man found and reburied. Then in his joy he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. ^(am)

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.

When he found one priceless^[l] pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and bought it. ^(an)

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a large net thrown into the sea. It collected every kind of fish,^(ao)

and when it was full, they dragged it ashore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw out the worthless ones.

So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous,^(ap)

and throw them into the blazing furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ^(aq)

"Have you understood all these things?" ^[m] "Yes," they told Him.

"Therefore," He said to them, "every student of Scripture^[n] instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old." ^(ar)

When Jesus had finished these parables, He left there.

He went to His hometown^(as) and began to teach them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, "How did this wisdom and these miracles come to Him?^(at)

Isn't this the carpenter's son?^(au) Isn't His mother called Mary, and His brothers James,^(av) Joseph,^[o] Simon, and Judas?^(aw)

And His sisters, aren't they all with us? So where does He get all these things?"

And they were offended by Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his household." ^(ax)

And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.