The Story of the Farmer

13 That same day Jesus left the house and sat by the Sea of Galilee. 2Large crowds gathered around him. So he got into a boat. He sat down in it. All the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things by using stories.

He said, “A farmer went out to plant his seed. 4He scattered the seed on the ground. Some fell on a path. Birds came and ate it up. 5Some seed fell on rocky places, where there wasn’t much soil. The plants came up quickly, because the soil wasn’t deep. 6When the sun came up, it burned the plants. They dried up because they had no roots. 7Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and crowded out the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil. It produced a crop 100, 60 or 30 times more than what was planted. 9Those who have ears should listen.”

10The disciples came to him. They asked, “Why do you use stories when you speak to the people?”

11He replied, “You have been given the chance to understand the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. It has not been given to outsiders. 12Everyone who has that kind of knowledge will be given more. In fact, they will have very much. If anyone doesn’t have that kind of knowledge, even what little he has will be taken away from him. 13Here is why I use stories when I speak to the people. I say,

“They look, but they don’t really see.

They listen, but they don’t really hear or understand.

14“In them the words of the prophet Isaiah come true. He said,

“ ‘You will hear but never understand.

You will see but never know what you are seeing.

15 The hearts of these people have become stubborn.

They can barely hear with their ears.

They have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes.

They might hear with their ears.

They might understand with their hearts.

They might turn to the Lord, and then he would heal them.’ (Isaiah 6:9, 10)

16“But blessed are your eyes because they see. And blessed are your ears because they hear. 17What I’m about to tell you is true. Many prophets and godly people wanted to see what you see. But they didn’t see it. They wanted to hear what you hear. But they didn’t hear it.

18“Listen! Here is the meaning of the story of the farmer. 19People hear the message about the kingdom but do not understand it. Then the evil one comes. He steals what was planted in their hearts. Those people are like the seed planted on a path. 20Others received the seed that fell on rocky places. They are those who hear the message and at once receive it with joy. 21But they have no roots. So they last only a short time. They quickly fall away from the faith when trouble or suffering comes because of the message. 22Others received the seed that fell among the thorns. They are those who hear the message. But then the worries of this life and the false promises of wealth crowd it out. They keep it from producing fruit. 23But still others received the seed that fell on good soil. They are those who hear the message and understand it. They produce a crop 100, 60 or 30 times more than the farmer planted.”

The Story of the Weeds

24Jesus told the crowd another story. “Here is what the kingdom of heaven is like,” he said. “A man planted good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came. The enemy planted weeds among the wheat and then went away. 26The wheat began to grow and form grain. At the same time, weeds appeared.

27“The owner’s servants came to him. They said, ‘Sir, didn’t you plant good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’

28“ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull the weeds up?’

29“ ‘No,’ the owner answered. ‘While you are pulling up the weeds, you might pull up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the workers what to do. Here is what I will say to them. First collect the weeds. Tie them in bundles to be burned. Then gather the wheat. Bring it into my storeroom.’ ”

The Stories of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

31Jesus told the crowd another story. He said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Someone took the seed and planted it in a field. 32It is the smallest of all your seeds. But when it grows, it is the largest of all garden plants. It becomes a tree. Birds come and rest in its branches.”

33Jesus told them still another story. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast,” he said. “A woman mixed it into a large amount of flour. The yeast worked its way all through the dough.”

34Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd by using stories. He did not say anything to them without telling a story. 35So the words spoken by the prophet came true. He had said,

“I will open my mouth and tell stories.

I will speak about things that were hidden since the world was made.” (Psalm 78:2)

Jesus Explains the Story of the Weeds

36Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him. They said, “Explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

37He answered, “The one who planted the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world. The good seed stands for the people who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39The enemy who plants them is the devil. The harvest is judgment day. And the workers are angels.

40“The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. That is how it will be on judgment day. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels. They will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin. They will also get rid of all who do evil. 42They will throw them into the blazing furnace. There people will sob and grind their teeth. 43Then God’s people will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Those who have ears should listen.

The Stories of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl

44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure that was hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again. He was very happy. So he went and sold everything he had. And he bought that field.

45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a trader who was looking for fine pearls. 46He found one that was very valuable. So he went away and sold everything he had. And he bought that pearl.

The Story of the Net

47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net. It was let down into the lake. It caught all kinds of fish. 48When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and gathered the good fish into baskets. But they threw the bad fish away. 49This is how it will be on judgment day. The angels will come. They will separate the people who did what is wrong from those who did what is right. 50They will throw the evil people into the blazing furnace. There the evil ones will sob and grind their teeth.

51“Do you understand all these things?” Jesus asked.

“Yes,” they replied.

52He said to them, “Every teacher of the law who has been taught about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house. He brings new treasures out of his storeroom as well as old ones.”

A Prophet Without Honor

53Jesus finished telling these stories. Then he moved on from there. 54He came to his hometown of Nazareth. There he began teaching the people in their synagogue. They were amazed.

“Where did this man get this wisdom? Where did he get this power to do miracles?” they asked. 55“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary? Aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56Aren’t all his sisters with us? Then where did this man get all these things?” 57They were not pleased with him at all.

But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not honored in his hometown. He doesn’t receive any honor in his own home.”

58He did only a few miracles there because they had no faith.

John the Baptist’s Head Is Cut Off

14 At that time Herod, the ruler of Galilee and Perea, heard reports about Jesus. 2He said to his attendants, “This is John the Baptist. He has risen from the dead! That is why he has the power to do miracles.”

3Herod had arrested John. He had tied him up and put him in prison because of Herodias. She was the wife of Herod’s brother Philip. 4John had been saying to Herod, “It is against the Law for you to have her.” 5Herod wanted to kill John. But he was afraid of the people, because they thought John was a prophet.

6On Herod’s birthday the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod and his guests. She pleased Herod very much. 7So he promised with an oath to give her anything she asked for. 8Her mother told her what to say. So the girl said to Herod, “Give me the head of John the Baptist on a big plate.”

9The king was very upset. But he thought of his promise and his dinner guests. So he told one of his men to give her what she asked for. 10Herod had John’s head cut off in the prison. 11His head was brought in on a big plate and given to the girl. She then carried it to her mother.

12John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

13Jesus heard what had happened to John. He wanted to be alone. So he went in a boat to a quiet place. The crowds heard about this. They followed him on foot from the towns. 14When Jesus came ashore, he saw a large crowd. He felt deep concern for them. He healed their sick people.

15When it was almost evening, the disciples came to him. “There is nothing here,” they said. “It’s already getting late. Send the crowds away. They can go and buy some food in the villages.”

16Jesus replied, “They don’t need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

17“We have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

18“Bring them here to me,” he said. 19Then Jesus directed the people to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven and gave thanks. He broke the loaves into pieces. Then he gave them to the disciples. And the disciples gave them to the people.

20All of them ate and were satisfied. The disciples picked up 12 baskets of leftover pieces. 21The number of men who ate was about 5,000. Women and children also ate.

Jesus Walks on the Water

22Right away Jesus made the disciples get into the boat. He had them go on ahead of him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Then he sent the crowd away. 23After he had sent them away, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. 24The boat was already a long way from land. It was being pounded by the waves because the wind was blowing against it.

25Early in the morning, Jesus went out to the disciples. He walked on the lake. 26They saw him walking on the lake and were terrified. “It’s a ghost!” they said. And they cried out in fear.

27Right away Jesus called out to them, “Be brave! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28“Lord, is it you?” Peter asked. “If it is, tell me to come to you on the water.”

29“Come,” Jesus said.

So Peter got out of the boat. He walked on the water toward Jesus. 30But when Peter saw the wind, he was afraid. He began to sink. He cried out, “Lord! Save me!”

31Right away Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “Your faith is so small!” he said. “Why did you doubt me?”

32When they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those in the boat worshiped Jesus. They said, “You really are the Son of God!”

34They crossed over the lake and landed at Gennesaret. 35The men who lived there recognized Jesus. So they sent a message all over the nearby countryside. People brought all their sick to Jesus. 36They begged him to let those who were sick just touch the edge of his clothes. And all who touched him were healed.

What Makes People “Unclean”?

15 Some Pharisees and some teachers of the law came from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked, 2“Why don’t your disciples obey what the elders teach? Your disciples don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

3Jesus replied, “And why don’t you obey God’s command? You would rather follow your own teachings! 4God said, ‘Honor your father and mother.’ (Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16) He also said, ‘If anyone calls down a curse on his father or mother, he will be put to death.’ (Exodus 21:17; Leviticus 20:9) 5But you allow people to say to their parents, ‘Any help you might have received from us is a gift set apart for God.’ 6So they do not need to honor their parents with their gift. You make the word of God useless in order to follow your own teachings.

7“You pretenders! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you. He said,

8 “ ‘These people honor me by what they say.

But their hearts are far away from me.

9 Their worship doesn’t mean anything to me.

They teach nothing but human rules.’ ” (Isaiah 29:13)

10Jesus called the crowd to him. He said, “Listen and understand. 11What goes into your mouth does not make you ‘unclean.’ It’s what comes out of your mouth that makes you ‘unclean.’ ”

12Then the disciples came to him. They asked, “Do you know that the Pharisees were angry when they heard this?”

13Jesus replied, “There are plants that my Father in heaven has not planted. They will be pulled up by the roots. 14Leave them. The Pharisees are blind guides. If a blind person leads another who is blind, both of them will fall into a pit.”

15Peter said, “Explain this to us.”

16“Don’t you understand yet?” Jesus asked them. 17“Don’t you see? Everything that enters the mouth goes into the stomach. Then it goes out of the body. 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart. Those are the things that make you ‘unclean.’ 19Evil thoughts come out of the heart. So do murder, adultery, and other sexual sins. And so do stealing, false witness, and telling lies about others. 20Those are the things that make you ‘unclean.’ But eating without washing your hands does not make you ‘unclean.’ ”

The Faith of a Woman From Canaan

21Jesus left Galilee and went to the area of Tyre and Sidon. 22A woman from Canaan lived near Tyre and Sidon. She came to him and cried out, “Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on me! A demon controls my daughter. She is suffering terribly.”

23Jesus did not say a word. So his disciples came to him. They begged him, “Send her away. She keeps crying out after us.”

24Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the people of Israel. They are like lost sheep.”

25Then the woman fell to her knees in front of him. “Lord! Help me!” she said.

26He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to their dogs.”

27“Yes, Lord,” she said. “But even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their owners’ table.”

28Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! You will be given what you are asking for.” And her daughter was healed at that very moment.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

29Jesus left there. He walked along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down. 30Large crowds came to him. They brought blind people and those who could not walk. They also brought disabled people, those who could not speak, and many others. They laid them at his feet, and he healed them.

31The people were amazed. Those who could not speak were speaking. The disabled were made well. Those not able to walk were walking. Those who were blind could see. So the people praised the God of Israel.

32Then Jesus called for his disciples to come to him. He said, “I feel deep concern for these people. They have already been with me three days. They don’t have anything to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry. If I do, they will become too weak on their way home.”

33His disciples answered him. “There is nothing here,” they said. “Where could we get enough bread to feed this large crowd?”

34“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.

“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

35Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. 36He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks. Then he broke them and gave them to the disciples. And the disciples passed them out to the people. 37All of them ate and were satisfied. After that, the disciples picked up seven baskets of leftover pieces. 38The number of men who ate was 4,000. Women and children also ate.

39After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he got into the boat. He went to the area near Magadan.