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Matthew 13

The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

What does Matthew 13:34 mean?

Explanation

Matthew 13:34 tells us that Jesus conveyed his teachings to the multitude through parables.

A parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.

This particular verse highlights the teaching method Jesus preferred when speaking to the crowds.

It implies that Jesus consistently used stories with deeper meanings rather than direct explanations to engage his audience and provoke deeper thought and reflection.

The use of parables allowed each listener to take away a message that was personally relevant to their own life and level of understanding.

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Historical Context

The verse comes from the book of Matthew, written between 70 and 110 A.D., a time of burgeoning Christian communities struggling under Roman rule.

Parables were a common storytelling and teaching tool in the Jewish culture.

They grounded complex ideas in everyday experiences that were relatable to the audience of that era.

By speaking in parables, Jesus was aligning with a familiar Jewish rhetorical tradition while also circumventing direct confrontation with political and religious leaders.

Theological Insights

Different theological perspectives can be considered for this verse:

From an evangelical perspective: The use of parables is seen as a fulfillment of prophecy (specifically Psalm 78:2), demonstrating Jesus as the Messiah who would speak in parables.
A liberal theological perspective might see the parables as a pedagogical method employed by Jesus that allowed for open interpretation and discussion among his followers.
Catholic theology often views the parables as mysteries of the Kingdom of God, allowing for the truth to be hidden from those unwilling to accept it but revealed to those who seek it.

Practical Applications

The practical takeaway from Matthew 13:34 could be an appreciation for the depth and richness of Jesus's teachings through storytelling. In daily life, one might:

Use storytelling to convey complex ideas to others in a way that is engaging and easier to grasp.
Approach scripture and spiritual teachings with the mindset of seeking deeper meanings beyond the surface.
Embrace the concept that understanding takes effort and reflection, which is an important aspect of personal growth in faith.

Cross-References

Matthew 13:10-13: Disciples ask Jesus why he speaks in parables, and Jesus explains the purpose is to reveal and conceal truth.
Psalm 78:2: This Psalm speaks about teaching in parables, which is seen as being fulfilled by Jesus.
Mark 4:33-34: Mark also notes that Jesus used parables to teach and would explain everything to his disciples in private.

Language Study

The key words in the original Greek text for this verse are:

"παραβολαῖς" (parabolais) which directly translates to "parables." This word often refers to a comparison or a story laid alongside a truth for the purpose of teaching.
"ἐλάλει" (elalei) is the past tense of "λαλέω" (laleo), which means "spoke" or "talked," implying the method Jesus used in his teaching.

Understanding these key Greek terms helps grasp the methodical nature of Jesus's teaching style as presented in Matthew.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

In many ancient cultures, storytelling was a primary method of preserving traditions and wisdom, making Jesus’s use of parables a culturally relevant teaching method.

Parables are comparable to Aesop's fables in Greek culture and the Sufi teaching stories in Islamic tradition.

These comparisons show that using stories to convey moral and spiritual lessons is a universal technique, crossing cultural and religious barriers.

Scientific Perspectives

From a modern scientific perspective, studies in pedagogy support the idea that storytelling is an effective way to teach and to learn.

Narratives are easier to remember, which could partially explain the entire Gospel accounts' effectiveness in spreading Jesus's teachings.

The human brain responds to storytelling by activating not only language processing parts of the brain but also those areas involved in experiencing the events of the story.

Commentaries

Historical and contemporary biblical scholars and theologians offer various perspectives on this verse:

John Calvin emphasized the prophecy fulfillment aspect, viewing the use of parables as a mechanism to make the Pharisees' blindness more evident.
Modern commentaries often stress the teaching effectiveness of parables, noting that Jesus used them to challenge his listeners to think deeply and discover truths for themselves.
Some scholars see Matthew 13:34 as emphasizing the distinction between Jesus's public teachings to the crowds versus the private explanations he provided to his disciples, highlighting the different levels of understanding amongst his followers.

Matthew 13

Matthew 13

What does Matthew 13:34 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated Matthew Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?

What does Matthew 13:34 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated Matthew Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?