Matthew 13 Nasb (2024)

FAQs

What is the main point of Matthew 13? ›

Chapter 13 marks a transition in the ministry of Jesus—the parables of the kingdom. The kingdom has been rejected by the people and Jesus now begins to speak about the things of His kingdom to His disciples, not to the multitudes.

The Mustard Seed parable highlights the idea that something seemingly insignificant can carry immense significance. Although not the smallest seed known, the mustard seed's humble beginnings lead to remarkable growth, illustrating the theme that many great things start small.

As Jesus explains more in-depth what this parable means, He relates the soil in the story to that of our hearts and the seed that is sown to that of the Word of God. From this story, we see four different types of soil or hearts: unreceptive, shallow/lack of depth, hindered/distracted, and fruitful.

Matthew 13:10-12 New International Version (NIV)

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.

Matthew 13 contains a series of seven parables, all of which focus on the theme of the kingdom of God, and all of which are designed to teach us about unexpected aspects of the kingdom. The disciples themselves expected the Lord Jesus Christ's kingdom to come in a different form in which it appeared.

Their seeds are very small, but they grow large. The mustard seed in Jesus' example symbolizes the potential in faith. When a believer begins their journey, they have just begun to learn about how much God loves them, how much He wants to do for them, and all that He has for them.

The parable of the mustard seed is a lesson to us that huge things can happen as the result of a very small thing. There were only a very few believers in the beginning but the number of people who followed Jesus grew and grew. That is only because those first few told a few.

Ben Witherington notes that Jesus could have chosen a genuine tree for the parable, and that the mustard plant demonstrates that "Though the dominion appeared small like a seed during Jesus' ministry, it would inexorably grow into something large and firmly rooted, which some would find shelter in and others would find ...

In the Parable of the Sower (Lk 8:5-15), Jesus teaches that both seed and soil are necessary for growth. Both seed and soil need proper interaction to produce satisfying crop. The seed is likened to the word of God. The soil is the life and heart of each human being.

What is the meaning of the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13? ›

It is a growth parable. A man went out to sow grain. The man represents God and the seed is His message. Just as a planted seed starts to grow, the word of God starts to deepen and grow within a person.

A parable is a brief story that uses relatable characters and events to teach a moral or spiritual lesson. Parables can be found in both religious and secular writing.

SUMMARY. The parable of the sower, like the other parables, represents secrets of the kingdom given to those whose eyes are blessed to see. The kingdom of heaven is like a sower who sows seed on various kinds of soil.

The parable of the lost coin is one of the simplest parables out there! It is so easy to bring to life. All you need is, just like the verse says, (Luke 15:8) ten silver coins.

The Kingdom of Heaven can be likened to yeast as used by a woman in making bread. Even though she uses a large amount of flour, the yeast permeates every part of the dough. SIGNIFICANCE.  This is the shortest of all Jesus' parables.

Jesus is using the parable of a divided kingdom and a divided house to show that if He is using Satan's power to cast out demons, Satan's kingdom won't survive. Satan would gain no strategic value by allowing Jesus to use Satan's authority to attack his own work.

The man in the story sold everything that he owned so that he would have enough money to buy the field and get to the hidden treasure. That treasure was worth everything to him! Jesus is teaching us that being with God and being in His Kingdom is worth everything that we have! God is the real treasure!

Matthew wrote his account of Jesus's ministry to show that Jesus was and is indeed the King, Israel's long-awaited Messiah. He reflected this concern in his opening line, “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1).

In conclusion, the Parable of the Persistent Widow teaches us about the importance of persistence in prayer and faith. We must always pray and never lose heart or give up when facing obstacles, but instead, pray continually like the widow who kept coming to the unjust judge. Through her persistence, justice was served.