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1 The same day went Iesus out of the house, and sate by the sea side.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together vnto him, so that hee went into a ship, and sate, and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 And hee spake many things vnto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went foorth to sow.
4 And when he sowed, some seedes fell by the wayes side, and the foules came, and deuoured them vp.
5 Some fell vpon stony places, where they had not much earth: and foorth with they sprung vp, because they had no deepenesse of earth.
6 And when the Sunne was vp, they were scorched: and because they had not root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns: and the thornes sprung vp, & choked them.
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought foorth fruit, some an hundred folde, some sixtie folde, some thirty folde.
9 Who hath eares to heare, let him heare.
10 And the disciples came, and sayd vnto him, Why speakest thou vnto them in parables?
11 He answered, and said vnto them, Because it is giuen vnto you to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen, but to them it is not giuen.
12 For whosoeuer hath, to him shall be giuen, and he shall haue more abundance: but whosoeuer hath not, from him shall be taken away, euen that hee hath.
13 Therefore speake I to then in parables: because they seeing, see not: and hearing, they heare not, neither doe they vnderstand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecie of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall heare, and shall not vnderstand: and seeing yee shall see, and shall not perceiue.
15 For this peoples heart is waxed grosse, and their eares are dull of hearing, and their eyes they haue closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and heare with their eares, and should vnderstand with their heart, and should be conuerted, and I should heale them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your eares, for they heare.
17 For verely I say vnto you, that many Prophets, and righteous men haue desired to see those things which yee see, and haue not seene them: and to heare those things which ye heare, and haue not heard them.
18 ¶ Heare ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdome, and vnderstandeth it not, then commeth the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sowen in his heart: this is hee which receiued seede by the way side.
20 But he that receiued the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, & anon with ioy receiueth it:
21 Yet hath hee not root in himselfe, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that receiued seed among the thorns, is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world, and the deceitfulnesse of riches choke the word, and he becommeth vnfruitfull.
23 But he that receiued seed into the good ground, is hee that heareth the word, and vnderstandeth it, which also beareth fruit, and bringeth foorth, some an hundred fold, some sixtie, some thirty.
24 ¶ Another parable put he forth vnto them, saying; The kingdome of heauen is likened vnto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came & sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung vp, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the seruants of the housholder came, and said vnto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seede in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said vnto them, An enemy hath done this. The seruants said vnto him, Wilt thou then that we goe and gather them vp?
29 But he said, Nay: lest while yee gather vp the tares, ye root vp also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together vntil the haruest: and in the time of haruest, I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and binde them in bundels to burne them: but gather the wheat into my barne.
31 ¶ Another parable put he foorth vnto them, saying, The kingdome of heauen is like to a graine of mustard seed, which a man tooke, and sowed in his field.
32 Which indeed is the least of al seeds: but when it is growen, it is the greatest among herbes, and becommeth a tree: so that the birds of the aire come and lodge in the branches thereof.
33 ¶ Another parable spake he vnto them, The kingdome of heauen is like vnto leauen, which a woman tooke, and hid in three measures of meale, till the whole was leauened.
34 All these things spake Iesus vnto the multitude in parables, and without a parable spake hee not vnto them:
35 That it might bee fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables, I wil vtter things which haue bin kept secret from the foundation of the world.
36 Then Iesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came vnto him, saying, Declare vnto vs the parable of the tares of the field.
37 He answered, and said vnto them, Hee that soweth the good seed, is the sonne of man.
38 The field is the world. The good seed, are the children of the kingdome: but the tares are the children of the wicked one.
39 The enemie that sowed them, is the deuill. The haruest, is the ende of the world. And the reapers are the Angels.
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burnt in the fire: so shall it be in the end of this world.
41 The Sonne of man shall send forth his Angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdome all things that offend, and them which doe iniquitie:
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wayling and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine foorth as the Sunne, in the kingdome of their father. Who hath eares to heare, let him heare.
44 ¶ Againe, the kingdome of heauen is like vnto treasure hid in a field: the which when a man hath found, hee hideth, and for ioy thereof goeth and selleth all that hee hath, and buyeth that field.
45 ¶ Againe, the kingdome of heauen is like vnto a marchant man, seeking goodly pearles:
46 Who when hee had found one pearle of great price, he went and solde all that he had, and bought it.
47 ¶ Againe, the kingdome of heauen is like vnto a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of euery kind,
48 Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sate downe, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
49 So shall it be at the ende of the world: the Angels shal come forth, and seuer the wicked from among the iust,
50 And shal cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
51 Iesus saith vnto them, Haue ye vnderstood all these things? They say vnto him, Yea, Lord.
52 Then said he vnto them, Therefore euery Scribe which is instructed vnto the kingdom of heauen, is like vnto a man that is an housholder, which bringeth foorth out of his treasure things new and old.
53 ¶ And it came to passe, that when Iesus had finished these parables, hee departed thence.
54 And when hee was come into his owne countrey, he taught them in their Synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisedome, and these mighty works?
55 Is not this the Carpenters sonne? Is not his mother called Marie? and his brethren, Iames, and Ioses, and Simon, and Iudas?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with vs? whence then hath this man all these things?
57 And they were offended in him. But Iesus said vnto them, A Prophet is not without honour, saue in his owne countrey, and in his owne house.
58 And hee did not many mighty workes there, because of their vnbeliefe.
The parable of the sower. (1-23) The parable of the tares. (24-30; 36-43) The parables of the mustard-seed and the leaven. (31-35) The parables of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the net cast into the sea, and the householder. (44-52) Jesus is again rejected at Nazareth. (53-58)1-23 Jesus entered into a boat that he might be the less pressed, and be the better heard by the people. By this he teaches us in the outward circumstances of worship not to covet that which is stately, but to make the best of the conveniences God in his providence allots to us. Christ taught in parables. Thereby the things of God were made more plain and easy to those willing to be taught, and at the same time more difficult and obscure to those who were willingly ignorant. The parable of the sower is plain. The seed sown is the word of God. The sower is our Lord Jesus Christ, by himself, or by his ministers. Preaching to a multitude is sowing the corn; we know not where it will light. Some sort of ground, though we take ever so much pains with it, brings forth no fruit to purpose, while the good soil brings forth plentifully. So it is with the hearts of men, whose different characters are here described by four sorts of ground. Careless, trifling hearers, are an easy prey to Satan; who, as he is the great murderer of souls, so he is the great thief of sermons, and will be sure to rob us of the word, if we take not care to keep it. Hypocrites, like the stony ground, often get the start of true Christians in the shows of profession. Many are glad to hear a good sermon, who do not profit by it. They are told of free salvation, of the believer's privileges, and the happiness of heaven; and, without any change of heart, without any abiding conviction of their own depravity, their need of a Saviour, or the excellence of holiness, they soon profess an unwarranted assurance. But when some heavy trial threatens them, or some sinful advantage may be had, they give up or disguise their profession, or turn to some easier system. Worldly cares are fitly compared to thorns, for they came in with sin, and are a fruit of the curse; they are good in their place to stop a gap, but a man must be well armed that has much to do with them; they are entangling, vexing, scratching, and their end is to be burned, #Heb 6:8|. Worldly cares are great hinderances to our profiting by the word of God. The deceitfulness of riches does the mischief; they cannot be said to deceive us unless we put our trust in them, then they choke the good seed. What distinguished the good ground was fruitfulness. By this true Christians are distinguished from hypocrites. Christ does not say that this good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns; but none that could hinder its fruitfulness. All are not alike; we should aim at the highest, to bring forth most fruit. The sense of hearing cannot be better employed than in hearing God's word; and let us look to ourselves that we may know what sort of hearers we are.
24-30, 36-43 This parable represents the present and future state of the gospel church; Christ's care of it, the devil's enmity against it, the mixture there is in it of good and bad in this world, and the separation between them in the other world. So prone is fallen man to sin, that if the enemy sow the tares, he may go his way, they will spring up, and do hurt; whereas, when good seed is sown, it must be tended, watered, and fenced. The servants complained to their master; Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? No doubt he did; whatever is amiss in the church, we are sure it is not from Christ. Though gross transgressors, and such as openly oppose the gospel, ought to be separated from the society of the faithful, yet no human skill can make an exact separation. Those who oppose must not be cut off, but instructed, and that with meekness. And though good and bad are together in this world, yet at the great day they shall be parted; then the righteous and the wicked shall be plainly known; here sometimes it is hard to distinguish between them. Let us, knowing the terrors of the Lord, not do iniquity. At death, believers shall shine forth to themselves; at the great day they shall shine forth before all the world. They shall shine by reflection, with light borrowed from the Fountain of light. Their sanctification will be made perfect, and their justification published. May we be found of that happy number.
31-35 The scope of the parable of the seed sown, is to show that the beginnings of the gospel would be small, but its latter end would greatly increase; in this way the work of grace in the heart, the kingdom of God within us, would be carried on. In the soul where grace truly is, it will grow really; though perhaps at first not to be discerned, it will at last come to great strength and usefulness. The preaching of the gospel works like leaven in the hearts of those who receive it. The leaven works certainly, so does the word, yet gradually. It works silently, and without being seen, #Mr 4:26-29|, yet strongly; without noise, for so is the way of the Spirit, but without fail. Thus it was in the world. The apostles, by preaching the gospel, hid a handful of leaven in the great mass of mankind. It was made powerful by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, who works, and none can hinder. Thus it is in the heart. When the gospel comes into the soul, it works a thorough change; it spreads itself into all the powers and faculties of the soul, and alters the property even of the members of the body, #Ro 6:13|. From these parables we are taught to expect a gradual progress; therefore let us inquire, Are we growing in grace? and in holy principles and habits?
44-52 Here are four parables. 1. That of the treasure hid in the field. Many slight the gospel, because they look only upon the surface of the field. But all who search the Scriptures, so as in them to find Christ and eternal life, #Joh 5:39|, will discover such treasure in this field as makes it unspeakably valuable; they make it their own upon any terms. Though nothing can be given as a price for this salvation, yet much must be given up for the sake of it. 2. All the children of men are busy; one would be rich, another would be honourable, another would be learned; but most are deceived, and take up with counterfeits for pearls. Jesus Christ is a Pearl of great price; in having him, we have enough to make us happy here and for ever. A man may buy gold too dear, but not this Pearl of great price. When the convinced sinner sees Christ as the gracious Saviour, all things else become worthless to his thoughts. 3. The world is a vast sea, and men, in their natural state, are like the fishes. Preaching the gospel is casting a net into this sea, to catch something out of it, for His glory who has the sovereignty of this sea. Hypocrites and true Christians shall be parted: miserable is the condition of those that shall then be cast away. 4. A skilful, faithful minister of the gospel, is a scribe, well versed in the things of the gospel, and able to teach them. Christ compares him to a good householder, who brings forth fruits of last year's growth and this year's gathering, abundance and variety, to entertain his friends. Old experiences and new observations, all have their use. Our place is at Christ's feet, and we must daily learn old lessons over again, and new ones also.
53-58 Christ repeats his offer to those who have repulsed them. They upbraid him, Is not this the carpenter's son? Yes, it is true he was reputed to be so; and no disgrace to be the son of an honest tradesman; they should have respected him the more because he was one of themselves, but therefore they despised him. He did not many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. Unbelief is the great hinderance to Christ's favours. Let us keep faithful to him as the Saviour who has made our peace with God.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.