Mat 12:2-14:13 | ESV | STEP | But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him , Look , your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath .

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, ^a“Look, your disciples are doing ^bwhat is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, ^c“Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate ^dthe bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read ^ein the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, ^fsomething greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known ^gwhat this means, ^h‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For ⁱthe Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

A Man with a Withered Hand

9 He went on from there and ^jentered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, ^k“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”— ^lso that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, ^mif it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 ⁿOf how much more value is a man than a sheep! So ^oit is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And ^pthe man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Jesus, aware of this, ^qwithdrew from there. And ^rmany followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ^sordered them not to make him known. 17 ^tThis was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:

18 ^u“Behold, my ^vservant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
^wI will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20 a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21 ^xand in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

22 ^yThen a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 ^zAnd all the people were amazed, and said, ^aa“Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ^ab“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 ^acKnowing their thoughts, ^adhe said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, ^aeby whom do ^afyour sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is ^agby the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then ^ahthe kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or ^aihow can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed ^ajhe may plunder his house. 30 ^akWhoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 ^alTherefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but ^amthe blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word ^anagainst the Son of Man ^aowill be forgiven, but ^apwhoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in ^aqthis age or in the age to come.

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

33 ^ar“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, ^asfor the tree is known by its fruit. 34 ^atYou brood of vipers! How can you speak good, ^auwhen you are evil? ^avFor out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 ^awThe good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, ^axon the day of judgment ^aypeople will give account for ^azevery careless word they speak, 37 for ^baby your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, ^bbwe wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, ^bc“An evil and ^bdadulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For ^bejust as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, ^bfso will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 ^bgThe men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and ^bhcondemn it, for ^bithey repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, ^bjsomething greater than Jonah is here. 42 ^bkThe queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, ^blsomething greater than Solomon is here.

Return of an Unclean Spirit

43 “When ^bmthe unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through ^bnwaterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and ^bothe last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this ^bpevil generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, ^bqhis mother and his ^brbrothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. ^{▼▼Some manuscripts insert verse 47: Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you”} 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For ^btwhoever ^budoes the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 13

The Parable of the Sower

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house ^bvand sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, ^bwso that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And ^bxhe told them many things in parables, saying: ^by“A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but ^bzwhen the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, ^cathey withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among ^cbthorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some ^cca hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 ^cdHe who has ears, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts add here and in verse 43 to hear} let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, ^cf“To you it has been given to know ^cgthe secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 ^chFor to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, ^cieven what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because ^cjseeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, ^cknor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

^cl“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears ^cmthey can barely hear,
and ^cntheir eyes they have closed,
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and ^counderstand with their heart
and ^cpturn, and I would heal them.’
16 But ^cqblessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 ^crFor truly, I say to you, ^csmany prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 ^ct“Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of ^cuthe kingdom and ^cvdoes not understand it, ^cwthe evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately ^cxreceives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but ^cyendures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately ^czhe falls away. ^{▼▼Or stumbles} 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but ^dbthe cares of ^dcthe world and ^ddthe deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and ^deunderstands it. He indeed ^dfbears fruit and yields, in one case ^dga hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Parable of the Weeds

24 He put another parable before them, saying, ^dh“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds ^{▼▼Probably darnel, a wheat-like weed} among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants ^{▼▼Greek bondservants; also verse 28} of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ^dk‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, " ^dlGather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."’”

The Mustard Seed and the Leaven

31 He put another parable before them, saying, ^dm“The kingdom of heaven is like ^dna grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

33 He told them another parable. ^do“The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in ^dpthree measures of flour, till it was ^dqall leavened.”

Prophecy and Parables

34 ^drAll these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: ^{▼▼Some manuscripts Isaiah the prophet}

^dt“I will open my mouth in parables;
^duI will utter what has been hidden ^dvsince the foundation of the world.”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

36 Then he left the crowds and went into ^dwthe house. And his disciples came to him, saying, ^dx“Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is ^dythe sons of the kingdom. The weeds are ^dzthe sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. ^eaThe harvest is ^ebthe end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds ^ecare gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at ^edthe end of the age. 41 ^eeThe Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all ^efcauses of sin and ^egall law-breakers, 42 ^ehand throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place ^eithere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then ^ejthe righteous will shine like the sun ^ekin the kingdom of their Father. ^elHe who has ears, let him hear.

The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

44 “The kingdom of heaven ^emis like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy ^enhe goes and sells all that he has and ^eobuys that field.

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Value

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding ^epone pearl of great value, ^eqwent and sold all that he had and ^erbought it.

The Parable of the Net

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is ^eslike a net that was thrown into the sea and ^etgathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, ^eumen drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at ^evthe end of the age. The angels will come out and ^ewseparate the evil from the righteous 50 ^exand throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place ^eythere will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

New and Old Treasures

51 ^ez“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” 52 And he said to them, “Therefore every ^fascribe ^fbwho has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who ^fcbrings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

53 And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, 54 ^fdand coming to ^fehis hometown ^ffhe taught them in their synagogue, so that ^fgthey were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 ^fhIs not this ^fithe carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not ^fjhis brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And ^fkthey took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ^fl“A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, ^fmbecause of their unbelief.

Matthew 14:1-13

The Death of John the Baptist

1 ^fnAt that time ^foHerod the tetrarch heard about the fame of Jesus, 2 and he said to his servants, ^fp“This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead; that is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3 For ^fqHerod had seized John and bound him and ^frput him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts his brother’s wife} 4 because John had been saying to him, ^ft“It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5 And though he wanted to put him to death, ^fuhe feared the people, because they held him to be ^fva prophet. 6 But when Herod’s ^fwbirthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced before the company and pleased Herod, 7 so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8 Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 9 And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given. 10 He sent and had John beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12 And ^fxhis disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

13 Now when Jesus heard this, ^fyhe withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.