Category: Matthew

[13:31] Jesus told them another parable: “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man takes a mustard seed and sows it in his field.

[13:32] It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows up, it is the biggest of all plants. It becomes a tree, so that birds come and make their nests in its branches.”

[13:34] Jesus used parables to tell all these things to the crowds; he would not say a thing to them without using a parable.

[13:35] He did this to make come true what the prophet had said, “I will use parables when I speak to them; I will tell them things unknown since the creation of the world.”

[13:36] When Jesus had left the crowd and gone indoors, his disciples came to him and said, “Tell us what the parable about the weeds in the field means.”

[13:37] Jesus answered, “The man who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man;

[13:38] the field is the world; the good seed is the people who belong to the Kingdom; the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One;

[13:39] and the enemy who sowed the weeds is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvest workers are angels.

[13:40] Just as the weeds are gathered up and burned in the fire, so the same thing will happen at the end of the age:

[13:41] the Son of Man will send out his angels to gather up out of his Kingdom all those who cause people to sin and all others who do evil things,

[13:42] and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and gnash their teeth.

[13:43] Then God's people will shine like the sun in their Father's Kingdom. Listen, then, if you have ears!

[13:45] “Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man is looking for fine pearls,

[13:46] and when he finds one that is unusually fine, he goes and sells everything he has, and buys that pearl.

[13:47] “Also, the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Some fishermen throw their net out in the lake and catch all kinds of fish.

[13:48] When the net is full, they pull it to shore and sit down to divide the fish: the good ones go into the buckets, the worthless ones are thrown away.

[13:49] It will be like this at the end of the age: the angels will go out and gather up the evil people from among the good

[13:50] and will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will cry and gnash their teeth.

[13:51] “Do you understand these things?” Jesus asked them. “Yes,” they answered.

[13:52] So he replied, “This means, then, that every teacher of the Law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who takes new and old things out of his storage room.”

[13:53] When Jesus finished telling these parables, he left that place

[13:54] and went back to his hometown. He taught in the synagogue, and those who heard him were amazed. “Where did he get such wisdom?” they asked. “And what about his miracles?

[13:55] Isn't he the carpenter's son? Isn't Mary his mother, and aren't James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers?

[13:56] Aren't all his sisters living here? Where did he get all this?”

[13:57] And so they rejected him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is respected everywhere except in his hometown and by his own family.”

[13:58] Because they did not have faith, he did not perform many miracles there.

[14:1] At that time Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus.

[14:2] “He is really John the Baptist, who has come back to life,” he told his officials. “That is why he has this power to perform miracles.”

[14:3] For Herod had earlier ordered John's arrest, and he had him tied up and put in prison. He had done this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.

[14:4] For some time John the Baptist had told Herod, “It isn't right for you to be married to Herodias!”

[14:5] Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the Jewish people, because they considered John to be a prophet.

[14:6] On Herod's birthday the daughter of Herodias danced in front of the whole group. Herod was so pleased

[14:7] that he promised her, “I swear that I will give you anything you ask for!”

[14:8] At her mother's suggestion she asked him, “Give me here and now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!”

[14:9] The king was sad, but because of the promise he had made in front of all his guests he gave orders that her wish be granted.

[14:10] So he had John beheaded in prison.

[14:11] The head was brought in on a plate and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.

[14:12] John's disciples came, carried away his body, and buried it; then they went and told Jesus.