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In this lesson:
Lesson 26 continues. Jesus tells us the meaning of the wheat and weeds parable from lesson 26 (13:36-43). The parable of the hidden treasure and pearl (13:44-46). The fishing net parable (13:47-50). Millions of words and countless sermons have been written on the source of evil. But Jesus tells us everything we need to know in this passage. Who is the source of evil? Will sinners be punished? Study Tip: Do you see the similarities in these parables? This repetition shows the importance of Jesus' message. Spend time on these parables and ponder their meaning. |
Two more parables
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The Gospel According to St. Matthew
The King James Bible
The King James Bible
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Matthew 13:36-53
Hidden treasures 36 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. 37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; 39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41 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; 42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 44 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. 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: 46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: 48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. 49 So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, 50 And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 51 Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 52 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. 53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence. |
Margin notes:
"Declare unto us the parable of the tares." (13:36) - "Explain to us the parable of the tares." The disciples are asking about the wheat and weeds parable in lesson 26 (Matthew 13:24-29). Jesus was often asked to explain His parables (15:15). "He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man." (13:37) - The Son of man is a Messianic title for Jesus Christ (Daniel 7:13). Jesus told us over 75 times in the New Testament that He is the Son of man (the Messiah). This verse tells us that Jesus has sown the seeds of salvation. "The wicked one." (13:38) - Satan. "The reapers are the angels." (13:39) - See Revelation 14:15. Angels are messengers of God who act as intermediaries between mankind and their creator. They are spiritual beings with incredible power (2 Kings 19:35). Psalm 68:17, Matthew 26:53, Hebrews 12:22, and Revelation 5:11 tell us there are "innumerable" angels, and Jesus will be escorted by all of them when He returns (Matthew 25:31). They never marry (Matthew 22:30) and rejoice when a sinner repents (Luke 15:10). Fallen angels follow Satan. Click here to learn more about angels. "The Son of man shall send forth his angels." (13:41) - Angels will assist Jesus in judging mankind. See also 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10. "And them which do iniquity." (13:41) - "And those who do wrong." "The righteous." (13:43 - Those who believe in Jesus Christ. "Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." (13:43) - This is the third time in the Gospel of Matthew that Jesus asks us to listen to His message of salvation (11:15; 13:9). "Seeking goodly pearls." (13:45) - "Looking for choice pearls." The goodly pearls are the Gospel. "Gathered the good into vessels." (13:48) - "Collected the good into baskets." Angels will separate the saved from the unsaved on judgment day. See verse 13:49. "Sever the wicked from among the just." (13:49) - "Separate the wicked from the righteous." Jesus repeats this message in Matthew 25:32. "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." (13:52) - Many Bible scholars believe this verse is telling us that "There is a double benefit for those who understand and use both Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament points the way to Jesus, the Messiah. Jesus always upheld its authority and relevance. The New Testament reveals Christ himself, who is now available to anyone who accepts his spiritual kingship." (From the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; page 1816). "He departed thence." (13:53) - "Jesus left there." Jesus left for Nazareth. It will be His last visit to His hometown. |
New Living Translation
Matthew 13:36-53
Parable of the Wheat and Weeds Explained
36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, "Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field."
37 Jesus replied, "The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed.
38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.
39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.
40 "Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
44 "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.
45 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.
46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
Parable of the Fishing Net
47 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind.
48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away.
49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous,
50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 Do you understand all these things?"
"Yes," they said, "we do."
52 Then he added, "Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old."
53 When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, he left that part of the country.
The "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Parable of the Wheat and Weeds Explained
36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, "Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field."
37 Jesus replied, "The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed.
38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.
39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.
40 "Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father's Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl
44 "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.
45 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.
46 When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!
Parable of the Fishing Net
47 "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind.
48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away.
49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous,
50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
51 Do you understand all these things?"
"Yes," they said, "we do."
52 Then he added, "Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old."
53 When Jesus had finished telling these stories and illustrations, he left that part of the country.
The "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word-for-word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Key verses from this passage
"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." (13:45-46)
"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." (13:52)
"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." (13:52)
Today's Questions:
1. What does the parable of the hidden treasure and the goodly pearl mean? (13:44-46)
2. Must we give up all our worldly possessions? (13:44-46)
3. What does the parable of the fishing net mean? (13:47-50)
Does your lifestyle show your family and friends that God is working in your life?
1. What does the parable of the hidden treasure and the goodly pearl mean? (13:44-46)
2. Must we give up all our worldly possessions? (13:44-46)
3. What does the parable of the fishing net mean? (13:47-50)
Does your lifestyle show your family and friends that God is working in your life?
Answers: (Do you agree?)
1. The hidden treasure and the goodly pearl parables are "a double illustration of the same thing: the priceless value of Christ to the human soul. What Christ offers is worth giving up everything, even life itself, to obtain." (From "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; page 440)
2. No, we don't need to surrender all our possessions to find salvation. In this parable, Jesus is teaching us that the kingdom of heaven has immense value, more priceless than anything in this world. Believers should prioritize God over everything else. Placing earthly possessions, fame, prestige, titles, or ambition above Christ means the Messiah isn't the Lord of our lives. Remember Jesus' words in lesson 11, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).
3. The Parable of the Net is a powerful allegory about judgment and the separation of the righteous from the wicked. In this parable, Jesus describes the Kingdom of Heaven as a fishing net cast into the sea, gathering fish of all kinds. When the net is full, the fishermen pull it to shore and separate the good fish from the bad. The good fish represent those who have chosen to live by God’s will, while the bad fish are those who reject the word of God.
"The kingdom of heaven is like a net which, cast into the sea of humanity, gathers of every kind, good and bad. These remain together in the net (13:49) and not merely in the sea, until the end of the age." (From "The New Scofield Reference Bible" published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; page 1017)
Application thought for the day:
Is there an aspect of your life that you need to give up for Christ?
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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen, published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur, published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham, published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Atlas of the Bible" edited by Joseph L. Gardner, published by Readers Digest, Pleasantville, New York; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The New Testament" Recovery Version published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, California; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House, Wheaten, Illinois; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The New Scofield Reference Bible" published by Oxford University Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2025 evolke
© 2025 evolke