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"The owner's workers came to him and asked, 'Sir, didn't you plant good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?'
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"He told them, 'An enemy did this.' "His workers asked him, 'Do you want us to pull out the weeds?'
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"He replied, 'No. If you pull out the weeds, you may pull out the wheat with them.
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Let both grow together until the harvest. When the grain is cut, I will tell the workers to gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned. But I'll have them bring the wheat into my barn.'"
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Jesus used another illustration. He said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone planted in a field.
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It's one of the smallest seeds. However, when it has grown, it is taller than the garden plants. It becomes a tree that is large enough for birds to nest in its branches."
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He used another illustration. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman mixed into a large amount of flour until the yeast worked its way through all the dough."
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Jesus used illustrations to tell the crowds all these things. He did not tell them anything without illustrating it with a story.
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So what the prophet had said came true: "I will open my mouth to illustrate points. I will tell what has been hidden since the world was made."
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When Jesus had sent the people away, he went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain what the illustration of the weeds in the field means."
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He answered, "The one who plants the good seeds is the Son of Man.