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| This is the New King James text of the passages. |
Matthew 13:1-53; Mark 4:1-34 Listen 
Luke 8:1-18
In these passages, we see the following events in Jesus' ministry:
People traveling with Jesus (Matthew 13:1-2; Mark 4:1-2; Luke 8:1-4)
Matthew 13 |
Mark 4 |
Luke 8 |
| 1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. |
1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: |
1 Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, 2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, 3 and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance. 4 ¶ And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: |
It's more than just his twelve; Luke actually records the names of some women who were following at this point in time as well. And then add to that the "great multitude." Notice the wording of Luke 8:2 here, "and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons," One of these women is Mary Magdalene. It is commonly conjectured that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. She was not. That misguided deduction is based upon the fact that she is mentioned here ("out of whom had come seven demons") and in Mark 16:9 (see notes), "Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons." Being possessed with demons cannot be linked to prostitution in that verse. Although we are not told the symptoms of her demon possession, in all likelihood it was manifested with severe physical ailments and not a depraved lifestyle. Actually, this reputation-marring accusation came first from Roman Catholic Pope Gregory I who improperly identified the "sinner" woman of Luke 7:36-50 (see notes) as Mary Magdalene in a sermon back in 591 A.D.
Parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:3-9; Luke 8:5-8)
Matthew 13 |
Mark 4 |
Luke 8 |
| 3 ¶ Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” |
3 ¶ “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” 9 ¶ And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” |
5 “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. 6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. 8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” |
Jesus gives the parable here, but he gives the interpretation of it beginning in Matthew 13:18, Mark 4:14-20 and Luke 8:11. See the explanation below.
Why speak in parables? (Matthew 13:10-17; Mark 4:10-13; Luke 8:9-10)
Matthew 13 |
Mark 4 |
Luke 8 |
| 10 ¶ And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 ¶ He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: “Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ 16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. |
10 ¶ But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that “Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’ ” |
9 ¶ Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” 10 ¶ And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’ |
Here is an important truth about Jesus' ministry. Why did he speak to the people in parables? Some have suggested that Jesus' parables were given as crystal-clear illustrations to make a point. Well...not really! There is a concept here that needs to be understood first of all. We explained in the introduction of Matthew 5 (see notes) regarding the Kingdom message that Jesus was preaching. Jesus is once again presenting the Kingdom of God/Heaven to the Jews. This message has, as its central theme, Jesus as Messiah over an earthly kingdom. Since the Jews rejected that at His first coming, we understand that this kingdom will not materialize on earth until the second coming of Jesus. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be rejected, that he would suffer and be crucified. So, here Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10 (see notes), "And He said, 'Go, and tell this people: "Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive." Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.'" Isaiah prophesied the rejection of the Messiah's message that would take place. Roll the clock forward 700 or so years from Isaiah, and here we are; it's just as Isaiah prophesied. Jesus is presenting the Kingdom message for them to receive, but the jealous Jewish leaders reject it - just like the Jewish leaders to whom Isaiah had prophesied. It was prophesied that they would do so. However, those people with receptive hearts do understand the meaning of the parables; the Jewish leaders are not blessed by his words. Furthermore, when Jesus spoke in parables these Jewish leaders were not able to gather clear statements that would meet their legal standard of blasphemy. Parables were very frustrating to these officials and professional religionists. To state it clearly, parables were designed to keep the hypocritical Jewish leaders frustrated while spiritually feeding those who had receptive hearts.
Parable of the sower - explained (Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:14-20; Luke 8:11-15)
Matthew 13 |
Mark 4 |
Luke 8 |
| 18 ¶ “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” |
13 ¶ And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” |
11 ¶ “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. |
Here's the meaning of that first parable in Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:3-9; Luke 8:4-8 (see above). Let's not make a common mistake that many people make when reading this passage. Jesus is presenting the Kingdom message. Don't go any further without understanding this distinction, explained in the introduction of Matthew 5 (see notes). If it's unclear, read the preceding section of this summary again. Secondly, pay very close attention to the wording of Matthew 13:19, "When any one hears the word of the kingdom..." You misrepresent this whole parable if you make the sown seed equivalent to a salvation experience. IT IS NOT! It literally speaks of those who were exposed to Jesus' teaching on the coming Kingdom of God/Heaven on earth which had been prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. That understanding should make the rest of the parable fall into place. Only the last category of people (Matthew 13:23, Mark 4:20, Luke 8:15) actually receive this word of the Kingdom and respond to it. Remember, it's a kingdom message to the Jews. Again, let me say, this parable has NO DIRECT RELEVANCE to the salvation experience of today. While parallels certainly exist, keep in mind the strict application of this passage to the reception (or not) of the Kingdom message.
Let's take a look at the implications regarding the four kinds of ground upon which the seeds fell:
Here's the BIG PROBLEM with equating this parable to salvation by grace as many under-studied people do. They often jump to the false conclusion that the sowing of this seed is the same as receiving Christ as Savior. After they make that interpretive error, they then assume that the first three scenarios represent a loss of salvation. THIS PARABLE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A BELIEVER'S SALVATION BY GRACE! Read the parable and notes above again if that is not clear to you.
Parable of the revealed light (Mark 4:21-25; Luke 8:16-18)
Mark 4 |
Luke 8 |
| 21 ¶ Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not to be set on a lampstand? 22 For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24 ¶ Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.” |
16 ¶ “No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. 18 Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” |
Only Mark and Luke give us this parable. This message is simple. If the crowds do not obey what light they receive, they will never receive more. These verses follow nicely behind the parable of the sower. This is a polite warning from Jesus to the multitudes to beware of dismissing this teaching without accepting the truth of the Kingdom message contained herein. They must take the light of the Kingdom message and pursue it as did those in the fourth group in the parable of the sower (see above).
Parable of the fruitful earth (Mark 4:26-29)
Mark 4 |
| 26 ¶ And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” |
Only Mark recites this parable. The seed, the Kingdom message, has been cast by Jesus. The analogy here is as follows: just as seed is cast onto the ground and the earth uses it to bear fruit for the harvest, so has Jesus cast the seed of the Kingdom message. The good ground (receptive heart) bears fruit worthy of harvest (entry into the Kingdom). This speaks of the Messianic Kingdom of Jesus on earth (Matthew 5, see notes) and not Heaven.
Parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30)
Matthew 13 |
| 24 ¶ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, “An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, “No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ” |
Only Matthew shares this one. Jesus is still illustrating his kingdom message (Matthew 5, see notes) with another parable. Here, wheat is good and tares are bad. Let's save the explanation for the section below beginning in verse 36 (see below) where Jesus, himself, gives his disciples the explanation.
Parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-34)
Matthew 13 |
Mark 4 |
| 31 ¶ Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, 32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” |
30 ¶ Then He said, “To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.” 33 ¶ And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples. |
This mustard plant is only about four feet tall in the early spring when birds are nesting. Later on in the summer this plant (bush) may reach as high as 15 feet or so - plenty large for the nesting of birds. Likewise, the Kingdom message will be preached in relative obscurity in the beginning (small mustard seed), but will ultimately result in the world-wide ushering in of the Messiah's Kingdom of God/Heaven on earth. I think this is perhaps strictly a growth analogy - from relative obscurity to a global kingdom - the Messianic Kingdom (Matthew 5, see notes) we know as the Millennium.
Some Bible teachers have read more into this parable than I feel comfortable doing with any certainty. They have suggested evil on the part of the birds that lodge in the mustard tree. Although, Jesus uses this metaphor again in Luke 13:19 (see notes). On that occasion, Jesus had been addressing the insincerity and hypocrisy of the Jewish leadership. I can see how that one might understand the birds in the tree to be these hypocritical Jewish leaders, inasmuch as they are integrated into the growth environment, but not part of the growth. In other words, they are the problem and not the solution.
Parable of the leaven (Matthew 13:33-35)
Matthew 13 |
| 33 ¶ Another parable He spoke to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.” 34 ¶ All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.” |
Some have suggested that the mention of leaven in scripture is always bad. Well, not here! This parable indicates that the message of the Kingdom of God/Heaven will grow from within. It will not need to be propped up and cultivated by the insincere religious leaders from without. When this Kingdom is established, it will have happened from the simple message of redemption preached by Jesus himself in the beginning. Leavened dough starts small and ends up large. Likewise, the Kingdom message starts small with the teaching of Jesus and one day will be the global kingdom over all the earth - the Messianic Kingdom (Matthew 5, see notes).
Jesus quotes in verse 35 from Psalm 78:2 (see notes), "I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old." In that Psalm, Asaph uses verse 2 as part of his introduction to the history of Israel from Egypt to King David. Matthew must be looking at Jesus' words hear as a fulfillment in the sense that Asaph was considered a prophet and conveyed the mind of God just as Jesus did on this occasion, as well as other occasions.
Parable of the wheat and tares - explained (Matthew 13:36-43)
Matthew 13 |
| 36 ¶ Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 ¶ He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! |
Understanding the kingdom-aspect of these parables is crucial on this one (Matthew 5, see notes). Here's the explanation by Jesus to his disciples of the parable he spoke in Matthew 13:24-30 (see above). As we said, wheat is good and tares are bad. How do we go ahead and hack out the tares (wicked people)? Answer: We don't. Let both grow together until harvest. Now here's the part we need to look at very closely - the harvest. Take a look at the players here in Matthew 13:38-39, "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels." Notice that the harvest is at the end of the age and that the tares are the ones taken away and burned. THIS IS NOT THE RAPTURE! When the rapture takes place, the opposite will be realized: Righteous people will be taken out at the rapture, and wicked people will be left to endure the tribulation. The Greek word for "world" (KJV) there is actually "aionos," which is to be understood as "age," and is translated as such in the NKJV. This wheat/tares parable is fulfilled at the end of the tribulation, immediately preceding the Messianic age we know to be the millennium. That's when the righteous people continue on earth to populate the Kingdom (millennium) while the wicked people are burned up in Revelation 19:11-21 (see notes). For a clearer understanding of the difference between the second coming of Jesus Christ and the rapture for Believers, click here to read the notes on Matthew 24:36-51.
Parable of the hidden treasure (Matthew 13:44)
Matthew 13 |
| 44 ¶ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. |
In my opinion, many Bible teachers read way too much into this one as well. Remember, we're talking about the earthly Kingdom message (Matthew 5, see notes) here. I'm convinced that's the treasure. Those who receive this message sacrifice everything (become disciples) for the Kingdom message. It is important to understand the difference between salvation and discipleship in this context. Click here to read the summary on Matthew 16:24-27, Mark 8:34-38 and Luke 9:23-26 regarding the conditions of discipleship.
Parable of the pearl of great price (Matthew 13:45-46)
Matthew 13 |
| 45 ¶ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. |
Again, the pearl is the Kingdom message (Matthew 5, see notes). How valuable is it? It was so valuable that he who receives the message sacrifices everything (discipleship) in pursuit of the Kingdom of God/Heaven. Some Bible teachers equate the pearl with the church and the one who sells everything he has to buy that pearl as Jesus. Now, while that preaches - makes a stirring sermon, I'm just not sure that it is that complicated. Nor do I think Jesus wandered out of his Kingdom context with these parables.
Parable of the dragnet (Matthew 13:47-53)
Matthew 13 |
| 47 ¶ “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, 48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, 50 and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” 51 ¶ Jesus said to them, “Have you understood all these things?” ¶ They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 52 ¶ Then He said to them, “Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” 53 ¶ Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. |
This parable seems similar to the parable of the wheat and tares (see above). The net gathers all kinds of sea creatures, clean and unclean. They are separated out at the end; the good remain while the bad are cast away. The last three verses indicate the same immediate judgment scenario as the tares executed by the angels. This can only be the judgment that follows the tribulation, just as with the tares. Based upon that scenario, this cannot be the rapture. For a clearer understanding of the difference between the second coming of Jesus Christ and the rapture for Believers, click here to read the notes on Matthew 24:36-51.