Matthew 13 is the thirteenth
chapter in the
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and for ...
in the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
section of the
Christian Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
. Verses 3 to 52 of this chapter form the third of the
five Discourses of Matthew
In Christianity, the term Five Discourses of Matthew refers to five specific discourses by Jesus within the Gospel of Matthew.''The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament'' by Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kell ...
, called the ''Parabolic Discourse'', based on the
parables
A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, w ...
of the Kingdom.
[''Preaching Matthew's Gospel'' by Richard A. Jensen (1998). . pp. 25 and 158.] At the end of the chapter,
Jesus is rejected by the people of his hometown,
Nazareth
Nazareth ( ; ar, النَّاصِرَة, ''an-Nāṣira''; he, נָצְרַת, ''Nāṣəraṯ''; arc, ܢܨܪܬ, ''Naṣrath'') is the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel". In ...
.
Text
![El trigo y la cizaña 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/El_trigo_y_la_ciza%C3%B1a_2.PNG)
The original text was written in
Koine Greek
Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...
. This chapter is
divided
Division is one of the four basic operations of arithmetic, the ways that numbers are combined to make new numbers. The other operations are addition, subtraction, and multiplication.
At an elementary level the division of two natural numb ...
into 58 verses.
Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
*
Papyrus 103 (~AD 200; extant verses 55–56)
*
Codex Vaticanus
The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...
(325–350)
*
Codex Sinaiticus
The Codex Sinaiticus (Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), designated by siglum [Aleph] or 01 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 2 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts) ...
(330–360)
*
Codex Bezae
The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, designated by siglum D or 05 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 5 (in the von Soden of New Testament manuscript), is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century writ ...
(~400)
*
Codex Washingtonianus
The Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 014 ( Soden), also called the ''Washington Manuscript of the Gospels'', and ''The Freer Gospel'', contains the four biblical gospels an ...
(~400)
*
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus
The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Paris, National Library of France, Greek 9) designated by the siglum C or 04 {in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 3 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a ma ...
(~450)
*
Codex Purpureus Rossanensis
The Rossano Gospels, designated by 042 or Σ (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 18 ( Soden), held at the cathedral of Rossano in Italy, is a 6th-century illuminated manuscript Gospel Book written following the reconquest of the Italian penins ...
(6th century)
*
Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus
Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus, designated by N or 022 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 19 ( Soden), is a Greek New Testament codex containing the four Gospels. It has been paleographically dated to the 6th century.
Codex Petropolitanus Pu ...
(6th century; extant verses 5–32, 42–58)
*
Codex Sinopensis
The Sinope Gospels, designated by O or 023 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 21 ( Soden), also known as the Codex Sinopensis, is a fragment of a 6th-century illuminated Greek Gospel Book. Along with the Rossano Gospels, the Sinope Gospels has ...
(6th century; extant verses 7–47, 54–58)
Old Testament references
* :
* :
Psalm
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
New Testament references
* : ; ; ; ; .
[
]
Structure
This chapter can be grouped (with cross references, where there are parallels, to the other gospels
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
):
* = Parable of the Sower (; )
* = Reason for Parables
* = Parable of the Sower explained (; )
* = Parable of the Tares
The Parable of the Tares or Weeds (KJV: ''tares'', Weymouth New Testament, WNT: ''darnel'', Douay–Rheims Bible, DRB: ''cockle'') is a parables of Jesus, parable of Jesus which appears in . The parable relates how servants eager to pull up weeds ...
()
* = Parable of the Mustard Seed
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is one of the shorter parables of Jesus. It appears in Matthew ( 13:31–32), Mark ( 4:30–32), and Luke ( 13:18–19). In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, it is immediately followed by the Parable of the Leaven, ...
(; )
* = Parable of the Leaven
A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, wh ...
()
* = Parable of the Tares
The Parable of the Tares or Weeds (KJV: ''tares'', Weymouth New Testament, WNT: ''darnel'', Douay–Rheims Bible, DRB: ''cockle'') is a parables of Jesus, parable of Jesus which appears in . The parable relates how servants eager to pull up weeds ...
explained
* = Parable of the Hidden Treasure
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure is a well known parable of Jesus, which appears in Matthewbr>13:44 and illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven. It immediately precedes the parable of the Pearl, which has a similar theme. The par ...
* = Parable of the Pearl
The Parable of the Pearl (also called the Pearl of Great Price) is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in Matthew 13 and illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven.
This is the penultimate parable in Matthew 13, coming just before ...
* = Parable of Drawing in the Net
Parables of Jesus, Jesus' parable of drawing in the net, or the parable of the dragnet, appears in and refers to the Last Judgment, final judgment. This parable is the seventh and last in Matthew 13, which began with the parable of the Sower. It ...
* = Conclusion
* = Jesus is rejected in Nazareth (; )
Parables
Matthew 13 presents seven parables,[ Alford, H.]
Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary - Alford
on Matthew 13, accessed 25 February 2021 and two explanations of his parables. The chapter contains the following parables, in respective order:
# Parable of the Sower
# Parable of the Tares
The Parable of the Tares or Weeds (KJV: ''tares'', Weymouth New Testament, WNT: ''darnel'', Douay–Rheims Bible, DRB: ''cockle'') is a parables of Jesus, parable of Jesus which appears in . The parable relates how servants eager to pull up weeds ...
# Parable of the Mustard Seed
The Parable of the Mustard Seed is one of the shorter parables of Jesus. It appears in Matthew ( 13:31–32), Mark ( 4:30–32), and Luke ( 13:18–19). In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, it is immediately followed by the Parable of the Leaven, ...
# Parable of the Leaven
A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, wh ...
# Parable of the Hidden Treasure
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure is a well known parable of Jesus, which appears in Matthewbr>13:44 and illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven. It immediately precedes the parable of the Pearl, which has a similar theme. The par ...
#Parable of the Pearl
The Parable of the Pearl (also called the Pearl of Great Price) is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in Matthew 13 and illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven.
This is the penultimate parable in Matthew 13, coming just before ...
# Parable of Drawing in the Net
Parables of Jesus, Jesus' parable of drawing in the net, or the parable of the dragnet, appears in and refers to the Last Judgment, final judgment. This parable is the seventh and last in Matthew 13, which began with the parable of the Sower. It ...
The following explanations of the first two parables are included:
# Explanation of the Parable of the Sower
# Explanation of the Parable of the Tares
The Parable of the Tares or Weeds (KJV: ''tares'', Weymouth New Testament, WNT: ''darnel'', Douay–Rheims Bible, DRB: ''cockle'') is a parables of Jesus, parable of Jesus which appears in . The parable relates how servants eager to pull up weeds ...
Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer
Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer (10 January 1800 – 21 June 1873) was a German Protestant divine. He wrote commentaries on the ''New Testament'' and published an edition of that book.
Biography
Meyer was born in Gotha. He studied theology at Jena, ...
identifies two groups of parables: the four first parables (up to ) "were spoken in presence of the multitude, and the other three again within the circle of the disciples".[Meyer, H. A. W.]
Meyer's NT Commentary
on Matthew 13, published 1880, accessed 13 January 2017 German liberal Protestant theologian David Strauss
David Friedrich Strauss (german: link=no, Strauß ; 27 January 1808 – 8 February 1874) was a German liberal Protestant theologian and writer, who influenced Christian Europe with his portrayal of the "historical Jesus", whose divine nature h ...
thought this chapter was "overwhelming with parables". At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus sits in a ship or a boat on the Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...
and addresses the crowd who stand on the shore or the beach. The Textus Receptus
''Textus Receptus'' (Latin: "received text") refers to all printed editions of the Greek New Testament from Erasmus's ''Novum Instrumentum omne'' (1516) to the 1633 Elzevir edition. It was the most commonly used text type for Protestant denomi ...
has inserted the definite article
An article is any member of a class of dedicated words that are used with noun phrases to mark the identifiability of the referents of the noun phrases. The category of articles constitutes a part of speech.
In English, both "the" and "a(n)" ar ...
( gr, τὸ πλοῖον, ''to ploion''), suggesting that there was a boat kept waiting for him,[ Bengel, J. A.]
Bengel's ''Gnomon''
on Matthew 13, accessed 13 January 2017 but other texts do not include the definite article and the Pulpit Commentary
The ''Pulpit Commentary'' is a homiletic commentary on the Bible created during the nineteenth century under the direction of Rev. Joseph S. Exell and Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones. It consists of 23 volumes with 22,000 pages and 95,000 entrie ...
therefore argues that it was "wrongly inserted".
Verses 51-52
:''51"Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked.''
:''"Yes", they replied.''
:''52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."''
These verses conclude the ''Parabolic Discourse'' and may be called a "comparative proverb".[Allison, D. Jr., ''Matthew'' in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001)]
The Oxford Bible Commentary
p. 862 Henry Alford
Henry Alford (7 October 181012 January 1871) was an English churchman, theologian, textual critic, scholar, poet, hymnodist, and writer.
Life
Alford was born in London, of a Somerset family, which had given five consecutive generations of cl ...
describes them as a "solemn conclusion to the parables. Johann Bengel
Johann Albrecht Bengel (24 June 1687 – 2 November 1752), also known as ''Bengelius'', was a Lutheran pietist clergyman and Greek-language scholar known for his edition of the Greek New Testament and his commentaries on it.
Life and career
Be ...
suggests that Jesus would have been ready to explain the other parables if necessary, "but they understood them, if not perfectly, yet truly". The reference to scribe
A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing.
The profession of the scribe, previously widespread across cultures, lost most of its promi ...
s, or teachers of the Jewish law, who became disciples reflects the Matthean gospel focus in particular; the Jerusalem Bible suggests that this reference may portray the evangelist himself.
Verses 53-58
The final verses of this chapter see Jesus return to his home town, meaning Nazareth, where he preaches in the synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
and experiences the rejection of his "own people", and his own country.
Dale Allison
Dale C. Allison (born November 25, 1955) is an American New Testament scholar, historian of Early Christianity, and Christian theologian who for years served as Errett M. Grable Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Early Christianity at Pittsb ...
sees these verses and the following chapters as far as chapter 17 as recounting "the birth of the Church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* Chris ...
"; the Jerusalem Bible likewise holds that the same long section constitutes a narrative on the Church, followed by Matthew 18
Chapter 18 of the Gospel of Matthew contains the fourth of the five Discourses of Matthew, also called the ''Discourse on the Church'' or the ''ecclesiastical discourse''. It compares "the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven" to a child, and also i ...
, which is often called the ''Discourse on the Church''.[Jensen, R. A. (1998), ''Preaching Matthew's Gospel'', pages 25 and 158]
See also
* Leaven
In cooking, a leavening agent () or raising agent, also called a leaven () or leavener, is any one of a number of substances used in doughs and batters that cause a foaming action (gas bubbles) that lightens and softens the mixture. An alterna ...
* Mustard seed
Mustard seeds are the small round seeds of various mustard plants. The seeds are usually about in diameter and may be colored from yellowish white to black. They are an important spice in many regional foods and may come from one of three diff ...
* Parables of Jesus
The parables of Jesus are found in the Synoptic Gospels and some of the non-canonical gospels. They form approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place great emphasis on these parables, which they generally regard as the word ...
* Pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
* Tare
* Related Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
parts: Matthew 25
Matthew 25, the twenty-fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, continues the Olivet Discourse or "Little Apocalypse" spoken by Jesus Christ, also described as the Eschatological Discourse, which had started in chapter 24.Carr, A.Cambridge Bibl ...
, Mark 4
Mark 4 is the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It tells the parable of the Sower, with its explanation, and the parable of the Mustard Seed. Both of these parables are paralleled in Matthew ...
, Mark 6
Mark 6 is the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. In this chapter, Jesus goes to Nazareth and faces rejection by his own family. He then sends his Apostles in pairs to various cities in the region wh ...
, Luke 4
Luke 4 is the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, traditionally attributed to Luke the Evangelist, a companion of Paul the Apostle on his missionary journeys. This chapter details Jesus' three temptat ...
, Luke 8
Luke 8 is the eighth chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke the Evangelist, a companion of Paul the Apostl ...
, Luke 13
Luke 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records several parables and teachings told by Jesus Christ and his lamentation over the city of Jerusalem.Halley, Henry H.,''Halley's Bible H ...
References
External links
*
* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate
''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.)
{{Matthew 13
Gospel of Matthew chapters