20
The seeds that fell on rocky ground stand for those who receive the message gladly as soon as they hear it.
21
But it does not sink deep into them, and they don't last long. So when trouble or persecution comes because of the message, they give up at once.
22
The seeds that fell among thorn bushes stand for those who hear the message; but the worries about this life and the love for riches choke the message, and they don't bear fruit.
23
And the seeds sown in the good soil stand for those who hear the message and understand it: they bear fruit, some as much as one hundred, others sixty, and others thirty."
24
Jesus told them another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man sowed good seed in his field.
25
One night, when everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
26
When the plants grew and the heads of grain began to form, then the weeds showed up.
27
The man's servants came to him and said, "Sir, it was good seed you sowed in your field; where did the weeds come from?'
28
"It was some enemy who did this,' he answered. "Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?' they asked him.
29
"No,' he answered, "because as you gather the weeds you might pull up some of the wheat along with them.
30
Let the wheat and the weeds both grow together until harvest. Then I will tell the harvest workers to pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them, and then to gather in the wheat and put it in my barn.' "
31
Jesus told them another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man takes a mustard seed and sows it in his field.
32
It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up, it is the biggest of all plants. It becomes a tree, so that birds come and make their nests in its branches."
33
Jesus told them still another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises."
34
Jesus used parables to tell all these things to the crowds; he would not say a thing to them without using a parable.
35
He did this to make come true what the prophet had said,
1 "I will use parables when I speak to them; I will tell them things unknown since the creation of the world."
36
When Jesus had left the crowd and gone indoors, his disciples came to him and said, "Tell us what the parable about the weeds in the field means."
37
Jesus answered, "The man who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man;
38
the field is the world; the good seed is the people who belong to the Kingdom; the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One;
39
and the enemy who sowed the weeds is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvest workers are angels.
40
Just as the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire, so the same thing will happen at the end of the age:
41
the Son of Man will send out his angels to gather up out of his Kingdom all those who cause people to sin and all others who do evil things,
42
and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and gnash their teeth.
43
Then God's people will shine like the sun in their Father's Kingdom. Listen, then, if you have ears!
2
44
"The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man happens to find a treasure hidden in a field. He covers it up again, and is so happy that he goes and sells everything he has, and then goes back and buys that field.
45
"Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man is looking for fine pearls,
46
and when he finds one that is unusually fine, he goes and sells everything he has, and buys that pearl.
47
"Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Some fishermen throw their net out in the lake and catch all kinds of fish.
48
When the net is full, they pull it to shore and sit down to divide the fish: the good ones go into the buckets, the worthless ones are thrown away.
49
It will be like this at the end of the age: the angels will go out and gather up the evil people from among the good
50
and will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and gnash their teeth.