Mat 13:10-23 | NASB1995 | STEP | And the disciples came and said to Him, “ Why do You speak to them in parables ?”

m Matt 13:18-23: Mark 4:13-20; Luke 8:11-15

n Matt 4:23

p Matt 5:37

s Matt 11:6

t Matt 12:32; 13:39; Mark 4:19; Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 1:20; 2:6, 8; 3:18; 2 Cor 4:4; Gal 1:4; Eph 2:2

v Matt 19:23; 1 Tim 6:9, 10, 17

w Matt 13:8

Matthew 13:10-23

An Explanation

10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 ^{▼▼ Lit He}Jesus answered them, ^b“To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 ^c“For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while ^dseeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 ^{▼▼ Lit For them}“In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘ ^{▼▼ Lit With a hearing you will hear
,} ^g You will keep on hearing, ^{▼▼ Lit and} but will not understand;
^{▼▼ Lit Seeing you will see} You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
15 ^j For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’

16 ^k“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 “For truly I say to you that ^lmany prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Sower Explained

18 ^m“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 “When anyone hears ⁿthe ^{▼▼ I.e. message}word of the kingdom and does not understand it, ^pthe evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 “The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the ^{▼▼ I.e. message}word, immediately he ^{▼▼ Lit is caused to stumble
,} ^sfalls away. 22 “And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of ^tthe ^{▼▼ Or age}world and the ^vdeceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some ^wa hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”