Matthew 13:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,

NIV: Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

NASB: Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

CSB: He presented another parable to them: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

NLT: Here is another story Jesus told: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.

KJV: Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

NKJV: Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;

Most of Jesus' parables take the form of short stories meant to create a picture of heaven's kingdom. Matthew seems to have shifted His focus back to Jesus' teaching. In this case, Christ is speaking to the large crowd gathered on the beach of the Sea of Galilee as He sits on a boat just offshore. Later, Jesus and the disciples will go into a house where Jesus will explain the specific meaning of this parable (Matthew 13:36–43).

To understand these parables, it's important to remember that Israel had been waiting hundreds of years for the arrival of the promised Messiah. There was an expectation that this Promised One would establish His kingdom. Israel's leaders and most of her people have not received Jesus as the Messiah, in part, because He is not bringing the kingdom immediately, as they assumed He would. At this point, Jesus has not seemed interested in judging the unfaithful, overthrowing the Romans, or establishing a new political kingdom of Israel. Jesus' parables are meant to explain God's actual intentions and give context to His preaching about the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus begins by once again picturing a farmer planting a field of grain. Jesus' listeners likely included many people who worked in agriculture and had participated in planting or tending or harvesting fields. His audience would have quickly understood the exact scenario Jesus describes.

The kingdom of heaven is being compared to the situation Jesus will describe, not the sower specifically. The important point for the story is that the man sowed good seed into the field. The following verses show that this parable, unlike the previous one (Mathew 13:1–9), is not about the quality of the soil or the people that soil represents. The elements are the same, but they are being used for a different lesson, with different symbolism. Now it is the seed that represents people. The sower used only good wheat seeds on this field and nothing else.

Matthew 13:24–30 contains the parable of the wheat and the weeds, also known as the parable of the wheat and the "tares." Christ will later explain this as a metaphor for God separating believers from non-believers in the final judgment (Matthew 13:36–43). He tells the crowd of a farmer who sowed good wheat seeds into a field. His enemy, though, sabotaged the field with weeds. This probably meant planting a worthless plant that looks deceptively like wheat. The farmer sensibly waits, allowing the wheat and weeds to grow together rather than risking damage to the wheat by uprooting the other plants. At the harvest, the farmer will tell his workers to gather up the weeds and bundle them to be burned.

Matthew 13 follows Jesus from the overcrowded house at the end of the previous chapter to a crowded beach on the Sea of Galilee. He teaches a large crowd in a series of parables, which He doesn't fully explain. However, He reveals their meaning to His disciples inside a nearby house. Jesus pictures the kingdom of heaven as a sower, a sabotaged field of wheat, a mustard seed, and a pearl dealer, among other things. He then travels to His original hometown of Nazareth where He is rejected by the people He grew up with. This leads Matthew back to depictions of Jesus' miracles, after sadly recording John the Baptist's death.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.