Matthew 13

1 The same daye wet Iesus out of ye house and sat by the seesyde

2 and moch people resorted vnto him so gretly yt he wet and sat in a shippe and all the people stode on ye shoore.

3 And he spake many thynges to the in similitudes sayinge: Beholde ye sower wet forth to sowe.

4 And as he sowed some fell by ye wayessyde and the fowlles came and devoured it vp.

5 Some fell apo stony groude where it had not moche erth and a none it sproge vp because it had no depth of erth:

6 and when ye sunne was vp it cauht heet and for lake of rotynge wyddred awaye.

7 Some fell amoge thornes and the thornes sproge vp and chooked it.

8 Parte fell in good groud and brought forth good frute: some an hudred fold some sixtie fold some thyrty folde.

9 Whosoever hath eares to heare let him heare.

10 And the disciples came and sayde to him: Why speakest thou to the in parables?

11 He answered and sayde vnto them: it is geve vnto you to knowe ye secretes of the kyngdome of heve but to the it is not geve.

12 For whosoever hath to him shall be geven: and he shall have aboundance. But whosoever hath not: fro hym shalbe takyn awaye even that he hath.

13 Therfore speake I to them in similitudes: for though they se they se not: and hearinge they heare not: nether vnderstonde.

14 And in the is fulfilled ye Prophesie of Esayas which prophesie sayth: with the eares ye shall heare and shall not vnderstonde and with the eyes ye shall se and shall not perceave.

15 For this peoples hertes are wexed grosse and their eares were dull of herynge and their eyes have they closed lest they shulde se with their eyes and heare with their eares and shuld vnderstonde with their hertes and shuld tourne that I myght heale them.

16 But blessed are youre eyes for they se: and youre eares for they heare.

17 Verely I say vnto you that many Prophetes and perfaicte me have desired to se tho thinges which ye se and have not sene the: and to heare tho thinges which ye heare and have not herde the.

18 Heare ye therfore ye similitude of the sower.

19 Whosoever heareth the worde of ye kingdome and vnderstondeth it not ther cometh the evyll ma and catcheth awaye yt which was sowne in his hert. And this is he which was sowne by the wayesyde.

20 But he yt was sowne in ye stony groude is he which heareth the worde of God and anone wt ioye receaveth it

21 yet hath he no rottes in him selfe and therfore dureth but a season: for assone as tribulacion or persecucion aryseth because of the worde by and by he falleth.

22 He yt was sowne amoge thornes is he yt heareth ye worde of God: but the care of this worlde and the dissaytfulnes of ryches choke ye worde and so is he made vnfrutfull.

23 He which is sowne in ye good grounde is he yt heareth ye worde and vnderstodeth it which also bereth frute and bringeth forth some an.C. folde some sixtie folde and some .xxx. folde.

24 Another similitude put he forth vnto the sayinge: The kyngdome of heve is lyke vnto a man which sowed good seed in his felde.

25 But whyll men slepte ther came his foo and sowed tares amoge ye wheate and wet his waye.

26 When ye blade was sproge vp and had brought forth frute the appered ye tares also.

27 The servauntes came to the housholder and sayde vnto him: Syr sowedest not thou good seed in thy closse fro whece the hath it tares?

28 He sayde to the the envious ma hath done this. Then ye servauntes sayde vnto him: wilt thou then yt we go and gader them?

29 But he sayde nay lest whill ye go aboute to wede out ye tares ye plucke vppe also wt them ye wheate by ye rottes:

30 let bothe growe to gether tyll harvest come and in tyme of harvest I wyll saye to the repers gather ye fyrst ye tares and bind the in sheves to be bret: but gather the wheete into my barne.

31 Another parable he put forthe vnto the sayinge. The kyngdome of heve is lyke vnto a grayne of mustard seed which a ma taketh and soweth in his felde

32 which is ye leest of all seedes. But when it is groune it is the greatest amoge yerbes and it is a tree: so yt the bryddes of the ayer come and bylde in the brauches of it.

33 Another similitude sayde he to them. The kyngdome of heven is lyke vnto leve which a woman taketh and hydeth in .iii. peckes of meele tyll all be levended.

34 All these thynge spake Iesus vnto the people by similitudes and with oute similitudes spake he nothinge to them

35 to fulfyll that which was spoke by the Prophet sayinge: I wyll ope my mouth in similitudes and wyll speake forth thinges which have bene kepte secrete from the begynninge of the worlde.

36 Then sent Iesus ye people awaye and came to housse. And his disciples came vnto him sayinge: declare vnto vs the similitude of the tares of the felde.

37 Then answered he and sayde to them. He that soweth the good seed is the sonne of man.

38 And ye felde is the worlde. And the chyldre of the kingdome they are ye good seed. And the tares are the chyldren of ye wicked.

39 And the enemye that soweth the is ye devell. The harvest is ye end of the worlde. And the repers be ye angels.

40 For eve as the tares are gaddred and bret in ye fyre: so shall it be in ye ende of this worlde.

41 The sonne of man shall send forth his angels and they shall gather out of his kyngdome all thinges that offende and them which do iniquite

42 and shall cast them into a furnes of fyre. There shalbe waylynge and gnasshing of teth.

43 Then shall the iuste men shyne as bryght as the sunne in ye kyngdome of their father. Whosoever hath eares to heare let him heare.

44 Agayne ye kyngdome of heve is lyke vnto treasure hidde in the felde ye which a man fyndeth and hideth: and for ioy therof goeth and selleth all that he hath and byeth that felde.

45 Agayne ye kyngdome of heve is lyke vnto a marchaunt that seketh good pearles

46 which when he had founde one precious pearle wet and solde all that he had and bought it.

47 Agayne the kyngdome of heve is lyke vnto a neet cast into ye see yt gadereth of all kyndes of fysshes:

48 which whe it is full men drawe to londe and sitte and gadre the good into vessels and cast the bad awaye.

49 So shall it be at the ende of the worlde. The angels shall come oute and sever the bad from the good

50 and shall cast them into a furnes of fyre: there shalbe waylinge and gnasshynge of teth.

51 Iesus sayde vnto them: vnderstonde ye all these thynges? They sayde ye Lorde.

52 The sayde he vnto them: Therfore every scribe which is taught vnto the kyngdome of heve is lyke an housholder which bryngeth forth out of hys treasure thynges bothe new and olde.

53 And it came to passe when Iesus had finisshed these similitudes yt he departed thece

54 and came in to his awne coutre and taught them in their synagoges in so moche yt they were astonyed and sayde: whece cometh all this wysdome and power vnto him?

55 Is not this the carpeters sonne? Is not his mother called Mary? and his brethre be called Iames and Ioses and Simo and Iudas?

56 And are not his susters all here wt vs? Whece hath he all these thynge.

57 And they were offended by him. The Iesus sayd to the a Prophet is not wt out honoure save in hys awne countre and amoge his awne kynne.

58 And he dyd not many miracles there for there vnbelefes sake.

Matthew 13 Commentary

Chapter 13

The parable of the sower. (1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder. (44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth. (53-58)

Verses 1-23 Jesus entered into a boat that he might be the less pressed, and be the better heard by the people. By this he teaches us in the outward circumstances of worship not to covet that which is stately, but to make the best of the conveniences God in his providence allots to us. Christ taught in parables. Thereby the things of God were made more plain and easy to those willing to be taught, and at the same time more difficult and obscure to those who were willingly ignorant. The parable of the sower is plain. The seed sown is the word of God. The sower is our Lord Jesus Christ, by himself, or by his ministers. Preaching to a multitude is sowing the corn; we know not where it will light. Some sort of ground, though we take ever so much pains with it, brings forth no fruit to purpose, while the good soil brings forth plentifully. So it is with the hearts of men, whose different characters are here described by four sorts of ground. Careless, trifling hearers, are an easy prey to Satan; who, as he is the great murderer of souls, so he is the great thief of sermons, and will be sure to rob us of the word, if we take not care to keep it. Hypocrites, like the stony ground, often get the start of true Christians in the shows of profession. Many are glad to hear a good sermon, who do not profit by it. They are told of free salvation, of the believer's privileges, and the happiness of heaven; and, without any change of heart, without any abiding conviction of their own depravity, their need of a Saviour, or the excellence of holiness, they soon profess an unwarranted assurance. But when some heavy trial threatens them, or some sinful advantage may be had, they give up or disguise their profession, or turn to some easier system. Worldly cares are fitly compared to thorns, for they came in with sin, and are a fruit of the curse; they are good in their place to stop a gap, but a man must be well armed that has much to do with them; they are entangling, vexing, scratching, and their end is to be burned, ( Hebrews 6:8 ) . Worldly cares are great hinderances to our profiting by the word of God. The deceitfulness of riches does the mischief; they cannot be said to deceive us unless we put our trust in them, then they choke the good seed. What distinguished the good ground was fruitfulness. By this true Christians are distinguished from hypocrites. Christ does not say that this good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns; but none that could hinder its fruitfulness. All are not alike; we should aim at the highest, to bring forth most fruit. The sense of hearing cannot be better employed than in hearing God's word; and let us look to ourselves that we may know what sort of hearers we are.

24-30, 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may go his way, they will spring up, and do hurt; whereas, when good seed is sown, it must be tended, watered, and fenced. The servants complained to their master; Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? No doubt he did; whatever is amiss in the church, we are sure it is not from Christ. Though gross transgressors, and such as openly oppose the gospel, ought to be separated from the society of the faithful, yet no human skill can make an exact separation. Those who oppose must not be cut off, but instructed, and that with meekness. And though good and bad are together in this world, yet at the great day they shall be parted; then the righteous and the wicked shall be plainly known; here sometimes it is hard to distinguish between them. Let us, knowing the terrors of the Lord, not do iniquity. At death, believers shall shine forth to themselves; at the great day they shall shine forth before all the world. They shall shine by reflection, with light borrowed from the Fountain of light. Their sanctification will be made perfect, and their justification published. May we be found of that happy number.

Verses 31-35 The scope of the parable of the seed sown, is to show that the beginnings of the gospel would be small, but its latter end would greatly increase; in this way the work of grace in the heart, the kingdom of God within us, would be carried on. In the soul where grace truly is, it will grow really; though perhaps at first not to be discerned, it will at last come to great strength and usefulness. The preaching of the gospel works like leaven in the hearts of those who receive it. The leaven works certainly, so does the word, yet gradually. It works silently, and without being seen, ( Mark 4:26-29 ) , yet strongly; without noise, for so is the way of the Spirit, but without fail. Thus it was in the world. The apostles, by preaching the gospel, hid a handful of leaven in the great mass of mankind. It was made powerful by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, who works, and none can hinder. Thus it is in the heart. When the gospel comes into the soul, it works a thorough change; it spreads itself into all the powers and faculties of the soul, and alters the property even of the members of the body, ( Romans 6:13 ) . From these parables we are taught to expect a gradual progress; therefore let us inquire, Are we growing in grace? and in holy principles and habits?

Verses 44-52 Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, ( John 5:39 ) , will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given as a price for this salvation, yet much must be given up for the sake of it. 2. All the children of men are busy; one would be rich, another would be honourable, another would be learned; but most are deceived, and take up with counterfeits for pearls. Jesus Christ is a Pearl of great price; in having him, we have enough to make us happy here and for ever. A man may buy gold too dear, but not this Pearl of great price. When the convinced sinner sees Christ as the gracious Saviour, all things else become worthless to his thoughts. 3. The world is a vast sea, and men, in their natural state, are like the fishes. Preaching the gospel is casting a net into this sea, to catch something out of it, for His glory who has the sovereignty of this sea. Hypocrites and true Christians shall be parted: miserable is the condition of those that shall then be cast away. 4. A skilful, faithful minister of the gospel, is a scribe, well versed in the things of the gospel, and able to teach them. Christ compares him to a good householder, who brings forth fruits of last year's growth and this year's gathering, abundance and variety, to entertain his friends. Old experiences and new observations, all have their use. Our place is at Christ's feet, and we must daily learn old lessons over again, and new ones also.

Verses 53-58 Christ repeats his offer to those who have repulsed them. They upbraid him, Is not this the carpenter's son? Yes, it is true he was reputed to be so; and no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman; they should have respected him the more because he was one of themselves, but therefore they despised him. He did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Unbelief is the great hinderance to Christ's favours. Let us keep faithful to him as the Saviour who has made our peace with God.