The Parable of the Sower

(Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-15)

1And in that day Jesus, having gone forth from the house, was sitting by the sea, 2and gathered together unto him were many multitudes, so that he having gone into the boat did sit down, and all the multitude on the beach did stand,

3and he spake to them many things in similes, saying: 'Lo, the sower went forth to sow, 4and in his sowing, some indeed fell by the way, and the fowls did come and devour them, 5and others fell upon the rocky places, where they had not much earth, and immediately they sprang forth, through not having depth of earth, 6and the sun having risen they were scorched, and through not having root, they withered, 7and others fell upon the thorns, and the thorns did come up and choke them, 8and others fell upon the good ground, and were giving fruit, some indeed a hundredfold, and some sixty, and some thirty. 9He who is having ears to hear -- let him hear.'

The Purpose of Jesus' Parables

(Mark 4:10-12)

10And the disciples having come near, said to him, 'Wherefore in similes dost thou speak to them?' 11And he answering said to them that -- 'To you it hath been given to know the secrets of the reign of the heavens, and to these it hath not been given, 12for whoever hath, it shall be given to him, and he shall have overabundance, and whoever hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken from him. 13'Because of this, in similes do I speak to them, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor understand,

14and fulfilled on them is the prophecy of Isaiah, that saith, With hearing ye shall hear, and ye shall not understand, and seeing ye shall see, and ye shall not perceive,

15for made gross was the heart of this people, and with the ears they heard heavily, and their eyes they did close, lest they might see with the eyes, and with the ears might hear, and with the heart understand, and turn back, and I might heal them.

16'And happy are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear, 17for verily I say to you, that many prophets and righteous men did desire to see that which ye look on, and they did not see, and to hear that which ye hear, and they did not hear.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

(Mark 4:13-20)

18'Ye, therefore, hear ye the simile of the sower: 19Every one hearing the word of the reign, and not understanding -- the evil one doth come, and doth catch that which hath been sown in his heart; this is that sown by the way. 20'And that sown on the rocky places, this is he who is hearing the word, and immediately with joy is receiving it, 21and he hath not root in himself, but is temporary, and persecution or tribulation having happened because of the word, immediately he is stumbled. 22'And that sown toward the thorns, this is he who is hearing the word, and the anxiety of this age, and the deceitfulness of the riches, do choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 23'And that sown on the good ground: this is he who is hearing the word, and is understanding, who indeed doth bear fruit, and doth make, some indeed a hundredfold, and some sixty, and some thirty.'

The Parable of the Weeds

(Ezekiel 17:1-10)

24Another simile he set before them, saying: 'The reign of the heavens was likened to a man sowing good seed in his field, 25and, while men are sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel in the midst of the wheat, and went away, 26and when the herb sprang up, and yielded fruit, then appeared also the darnel. 27'And the servants of the householder, having come near, said to him, Sir, good seed didst thou not sow in thy field? whence then hath it the darnel? 28And he saith to them, A man, an enemy, did this; and the servants said to him, Wilt thou, then, that having gone away we may gather it up? 29'And he said, No, lest -- gathering up the darnel -- ye root up with it the wheat, 30suffer both to grow together till the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the darnel, and bind it in bundles, to burn it, and the wheat gather up into my storehouse.'

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

(Mark 4:30-34; Luke 13:18-19)

31Another simile he set before them, saying: 'The reign of the heavens is like to a grain of mustard, which a man having taken, did sow in his field, 32which less, indeed, is than all the seeds, but when it may be grown, is greatest of the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven do come and rest in its branches.'

The Parable of the Leaven

(Judges 20:18-23; 2 Samuel 2:12-32; 2 Chronicles 13:4-19; Luke 13:20-21)

33Another simile spake he to them: 'The reign of the heavens is like to leaven, which a woman having taken, hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.'

I will Open My Mouth in Parables

(Psalm 78:1-72)

34All these things spake Jesus in similes to the multitudes, and without a simile he was not speaking to them,

35that it might be fulfilled that was spoken through the prophet, saying, 'I will open in similes my mouth, I will utter things having been hidden from the foundation of the world.'

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

(Zephaniah 1:1-6)

36Then having let away the multitudes, Jesus came to the house, and his disciples came near to him, saying, 'Explain to us the simile of the darnel of the field.' 37And he answering said to them, 'He who is sowing the good seed is the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world, and the good seed, these are the sons of the reign, and the darnel are the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is a full end of the age, and the reapers are messengers. 40'As, then, the darnel is gathered up, and is burned with fire, so shall it be in the full end of this age, 41the Son of Man shall send forth his messengers, and they shall gather up out of his kingdom all the stumbling-blocks, and those doing the unlawlessness, 42and shall cast them to the furnace of the fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth. 43'Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the reign of their Father. He who is having ears to hear -- let him hear.

The Parables of the Treasure and Pearl

(Matthew 6:19-21)

44'Again, the reign of the heavens is like to treasure hid in the field, which a man having found did hide, and from his joy goeth, and all, as much as he hath, he selleth, and buyeth that field.

45'Again, the reign of the heavens is like to a man, a merchant, seeking goodly pearls, 46who having found one pearl of great price, having gone away, hath sold all, as much as he had, and bought it.

The Parable of the Net

(Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11; John 1:35-42)

47'Again, the reign of the heavens is like to a net that was cast into the sea, and did gather together of every kind, 48which, when it was filled, having drawn up again upon the beach, and having sat down, they gathered the good into vessels, and the bad they did cast out, 49so shall it be in the full end of the age, the messengers shall come forth and separate the evil out of the midst of the righteous, 50and shall cast them to the furnace of the fire, there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.'

51Jesus saith to them, 'Did ye understand all these?' They say to him, 'Yes, sir.' 52And he said to them, 'Because of this every scribe having been discipled in regard to the reign of the heavens, is like to a man, a householder, who doth bring forth out of his treasure things new and old.'

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

(Isaiah 61:1-11; Matthew 2:19-23; Mark 6:1-6; Luke 2:39-40; Luke 4:16-30)

53And it came to pass, when Jesus finished these similes, he removed thence, 54and having come to his own country, he was teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and were saying, 'Whence to this one this wisdom and the mighty works? 55is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? 56and his sisters -- are they not all with us? whence, then, to this one all these?' 57and they were stumbled at him. And Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honour except in his own country, and in his own house:' 58and he did not there many mighty works, because of their unbelief.