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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 13:27 mean?

Explanation

Matthew 13:27 speaks of a moment in the parable of the wheat and the tares where the servants of a householder (the owner of a field) notice that, among the good wheat that was sown, tares (weeds) have appeared.

The servants are puzzled and go to their master to ask about the presence of the tares, implying that they suspect some error or malicious intent since they were expecting a field of pure wheat.

When considering the deeper meanings of this text, the householder represents God, the servants stand for believers or the followers of God, and the field symbolizes the world or the realm of humanity.

The good seed (wheat) is the message of the Kingdom of Heaven sown by Jesus, while the tares represent false teachings or the corrupting influence of evil within the ostensibly Christian community or the world at large.

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Historical Context

This verse is part of the larger parable of the wheat and the tares, found in the Gospel of Matthew, which is one of the synoptic gospels in the New Testament.

The Gospel of Matthew is widely believed to have been written in the late first century, and the parables are understood as teaching tools used by Jesus to convey spiritual truths through relatable stories that reflected the agricultural society of His time.

The parable of the wheat and tares reflects a common problem in agriculture, where weeds often emerge among crops, complicating the harvest and threatening the quality of the yield.

It is also reflective of the early Christian communities' struggles with false teachings and the need to remain vigilant about the integrity of their faith.

Theological Insights

Different theological perspectives interpret this verse and the parable as a whole in various ways:

Orthodox Christianity sees it as an explanation of the presence of evil in a world created by a good God, asserting that evil is sown by the enemy (Satan) and that judgment between the righteous and the wicked will come at the end of the age.
Predestination and Free Will: Some Calvinist interpretations may focus on the sovereignty of God and predestination; that the good seed and the tares were determined from the outset.

In contrast, Arminian interpretations would emphasize human free will and individual responsibility for responding to God's message.

Eschatology: Eschatologically, the parable is taken to mean that the final sorting of good and evil will happen at the end of time when Jesus returns, cautioning against premature judgments of others' salvation.

Practical Applications

The verse can have several applications in daily life:

Tolerance and Patience: It cautions against the haste to judge or separate oneself from those who seem to be false followers or wrongdoers, suggesting that time will reveal the truth.
Discernment: It encourages believers to be discerning about the teachings they hear and the influences they allow into their lives, without being quick to condemn others.
Coexistence: The verse can provide perspective on coexisting with evil or falsehood in the world while maintaining one's integrity and faith.

Cross-References

Matthew 13:37-39 - "He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;" 2.

Matthew 13:30 - "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." 3. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 - "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ."

Language Study

Key words in the original language, primarily Greek, in this verse include:

"Servants" (δοῦλοι - douloi): Translates to "slaves" or "servants," and in this context, it refers to those who serve the householder or master, allegorically pointing to followers of Christ.
"Householder" (οἰκοδεσπότης - oikodespotēs): Simply means "master of the house," referring to the owner of the field, symbolically God.
"Good seed" (καλὸν σπέρμα - kalon sperma): Typically means "quality seed" and figuratively represents the true message of the Kingdom of Heaven.
"Tares" (ζιζάνια - zizania): A type of weed, resembling wheat, known as darnel (Lolium temulentum), which can be harmful or worthless, and symbolizes false teachings or evil.
"Field" (ἀγρὸν - agron): Literally meaning "field" and symbolically the world or realm of humanity.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

The theme of separating the true from the false or the good from the bad is a common motif in various ancient myths and religions.

For instance, the Egyptian concept of Ma'at reflects the balance and harmony achieved by separating order from chaos, and the final judgment involves weighing an individual's heart against a feather of truth.

In Zoroastrianism, there is the dualism of Ahura Mazda (good) and Angra Mainyu (evil), with an ultimate separation and judgment between good and evil at the end of time.

Scientific Perspectives

From a scientific perspective, the parable touches on the agricultural practice of weeding, which is necessary to promote the health and yield of a crop.

Modern agronomy supports the idea that weeds, if left unchecked, can outcompete crops for resources and thus need to be managed, though the timing and method of separation are based on practical considerations rather than the spiritual symbolism found in the parable.

Commentaries

Biblical scholars and theologians provide varied interpretations of this verse:

John Calvin: Commentaries suggest the parable teaches the patience required until the Day of Judgment and Calvin emphasizes the inevitability of evil intruding upon the church.
William Barclay: He points out the patience and wisdom required to recognize that only God can ultimately judge the human heart.
Craig S. Keener: In his "IVP Bible Background Commentary," Keener discusses the agricultural background of the parable and how the tares, resembling wheat, would naturally have complicated the task of the servants, pointing to the difficulty of distinguishing true believers from pretenders.
R.T. France: In his commentary on Matthew, France explores the eschatological significance and warns against communities taking upon themselves the task of judgment which belongs to God alone.

Matthew 13

Matthew 13

What does Matthew 13:27 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 13:27 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?