Matthew 13:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

NIV: Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

NASB: Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.

CSB: Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it.

NLT: Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants.

KJV: And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

NKJV: And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.

Using a parable, Jesus is describing the fate of various seeds that fall when sown into a new field (Matthew 13:1–3). Jesus will explain in the following verses that this parable is about what happens to the message of the kingdom of heaven when it is preached to various groups of Israelites. Some seed falls on the path and is eaten by birds (Matthew 13:4; 19). Other seed falls on rocky soil. It springs into a little plant that quickly dies from lack of roots and access to moisture (Matthew 13:5–6; 20–21).

The third group of seeds falls among thorns or weeds. The seeds sprout, and there is plenty of soil to develop roots. However, the plants lose the competition for sunlight and nutrients with the thorns. The grain does not survive.

As with the other metaphors, Jesus will later explain the meaning of this parable to His disciples (Matthew 13:22). The seeds that fall among the thorns or weeds represent those who hear the message of the kingdom and accept it, but worldly concerns such as money win the competition for their time, attention, and priority. Commitment to Jesus and the kingdom are lacking, so they are unfruitful.

Matthew 13:1–9 turns the focus back to Jesus' spiritual teachings, with the parable of the sower. As Jesus sits in a boat just offshore, He tells the crowd about a seed-thrower whose seed fell on a path, on rocky soil, among thorns, and on good soil. Only the seed on the good soil is productive. Jesus later explains the meaning of the parable to His disciples (Matthew 13:18–23), but He does not fully explain it for the crowds.

Matthew 13 focuses mainly on a series of parables. Jesus first describes these to a large crowd along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Later, in a house, He explains to the disciples the meanings of the parables of the sower, the weeds, and the fish caught in the net. Jesus then travels to Nazareth, teaches in the synagogue, and is rejected by the people of His original hometown.

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.