34
Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable.
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So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”[a]
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
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He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.
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The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,
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and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
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“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.
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The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
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They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
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Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
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“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
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When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.