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Matthew 13

The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.

And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

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

But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

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

But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.

So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.

And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

What does Matthew 13:19 mean?

Explanation

Matthew 13:19 is part of the explanation Jesus gives to his disciples about the Parable of the Sower.

In this parable, a sower sows seed, and the seeds fall onto different types of ground, each representing a different response to the message of the Kingdom of God.

The seeds that fall by the wayside (or path) are eaten by birds.

In this verse, the seed represents the word of the Kingdom, which is the message of God's redemptive work and rule. When someone hears this message and does not understand it, the "wicked one", typically understood to represent Satan or evil forces, comes and "catcheth away" what was sown.

This means that the message is taken from their hearts to prevent them from believing and being saved.

The literal meaning refers to the immediate outcome of the word being heard but not truly received. The deeper meaning suggests an ongoing spiritual battle for the souls of people, where understanding is key to retaining and nurturing the spiritual seed.

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Historical Context

The Gospel of Matthew was likely written in the first century AD for a primarily Jewish audience.

At that time, Jesus' teachings were revolutionary, especially his parables, which were often used to communicate complex spiritual truths.

This parable, in particular, was used to explain the mixed reception that the message of Jesus was encountering among the people of Israel.

Agriculture was a common part of daily life, and the image of a sower would have been familiar to Jesus' listeners. The path where some seed fell would be recognized as a place where the soil was compacted, and seeds would not be able to penetrate and take root, thus becoming easy food for birds.

Theological Insights

From a theological perspective, this verse touches on several key topics:

The Sovereignty of God: Some theologians see the parable as emphasizing God's sovereign control in the salvation process.

The types of soil are prepared by God, and the yield is ultimately dependent on His provision.

Human Free Will: Other theologians balance this with human responsibility.

The ability to understand and accept the word is connected to the response and condition of the hearer's heart.

Spiritual Warfare: The role of the "wicked one" implies that spiritual forces are actively working to prevent the word of God from taking root in people's hearts.

Practical Applications

In practical terms, this verse can encourage believers to:

Be vigilant and protective of the message they have received, guarding against influences that might take it away.
Work to understand the teachings of the kingdom more deeply, to avoid being led astray or losing the word.
Be proactive in creating an environment (like the good soil in the parable) where the word can thrive and produce fruit in their lives and the lives of others.

Cross-References

Mark 4:15: "And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts."
Luke 8:12: "Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved."
Ephesians 6:12: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

Language Study

In the original Greek, key words include:

"Understandeth not" (Greek: "syniēmi"), a term implying a deep, comprehensive understanding.

The lack thereof suggests more than just an intellectual inability but a spiritual closedness.

"Wicked one" (Greek: "ponēros"), often used to refer to evil or malicious individuals, and in this context, likely referring to the devil or a demonic force.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

In ancient cultures, there were various myths and stories involving the intervention of gods or evil beings in human affairs, often to divert humans from a path of enlightenment or truth.

Similar to this, in this parable, Jesus teaches that there is a spiritual entity that seeks to prevent humans from following the divine path.

Scientific Perspectives

While scientific perspectives might not directly comment on the spiritual realities this verse addresses, cognitive psychology and neurology explore how people process information, including religious concepts.

External and internal factors can inhibit an individual's understanding and memory retention, which might bear some resemblance to the spiritual concept of the word being snatched away.

Commentaries

Various Bible commentaries present differing nuances on this verse:

Some interpret this verse as a warning about the devil's active role in preventing people from coming to faith.
Other commentators emphasize the importance of the condition of the listener's heart, making an analogy with soil's receptivity to seed.
Still, others might suggest the verse serves to comfort believers by acknowledging that a lack of faith in others is sometimes due to spiritual warfare rather than a failure on the part of the sower or the seed (i.e., the evangelist or the message).

Matthew 13

Matthew 13

What does Matthew 13:19 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated Matthew Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?

What does Matthew 13:19 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated Matthew Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?