- 1The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
- 2And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
- 3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
- 4And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
- 5Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
- 6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
- 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
- 8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
- 9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
- 10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
- 11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
- 12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
- 13Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
- 14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
- 15For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
- 16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
- 17For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
- 18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
- 19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
- 20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
- 21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
- 22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
- 23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
- 24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
- 25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
- 26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
- 27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
- 28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
- 29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
- 30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
- 31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
- 32Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.
- 33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
- 34All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
- 35That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.
- 36Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
- 37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
- 38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
- 39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
- 40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
- 41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
- 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
- 43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
- 44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
- 45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:
- 46Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.
- 47 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:
- 48Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.
- 49So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,
- 50And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
- 51Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.
- 52Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.
- 53 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.
- 54And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
- 55Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
- 56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?
- 57And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
- 58And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
KING JAMES VERSION
MATTHEW 13
Read the chapter, follow a linked verse, and continue into related Watchman 33 teaching.
CHAPTER VISUAL
Matthew 13 — Jesus reveals the kingdom in parables of seed, hidden growth, costly discovery, and final separation.
About this illustration
The boat teaching and sower are combined as the chapter’s framing image. Varied soils and growth carry the parable visually without attempting to depict every later comparison.
Scripture basis: Matthew 13:1–58King James Version · Standardized 1769 text with Strong’s numbering · Public domain outside the United Kingdom
EXPLORE THE MESSAGEANCIENT TEXT CONNECTIONS 
Related Watchman 33 Resources
Related 1 Enoch Passages
These links distinguish direct quotation, explicit retelling, strong literary parallel, and broader shared tradition. A parallel does not by itself prove direct dependence.
At the final separation, sinners are removed while the righteous become radiant and dwell securely.
Archaeological Evidence
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEInscription
First-century AD box; date of the complete inscription disputed
James Ossuary
An ancient Jerusalem-style ossuary carries the consequential Aramaic line “James son of Joseph brother of Jesus,” but absent provenance and conflicting epigraphic and scientific assessments leave the antiquity of the complete inscription—and its New Testament identity—unresolved.
Matthew 13:55 · Mark 6:3 · Acts 15:13–21
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
2nd–3rd century
Papyrus P103: Matthew 13:55–56 and 14:3–5
Papyrus P103, P.Oxy. LXIV 4403, is a late-second- or early-third-century Greek codex corner preserving questions about Jesus' family and Matthew's account of Herod's imprisonment of John the Baptist.
Matthew 13:55–56 · Matthew 14:3–5
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
6th century AD
Codex Dublinensis: A Palimpsest of Matthew
Thirty-two Greek parchment leaves of Matthew recovered beneath later patristic writing in a palimpsest. A substantial early witness to Matthew whose erased and overwritten leaves also reveal the material reuse of Christian books.
Matthew 5:17–26 · Matthew 13:1–23 · Matthew 26:57–68
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
about AD 200; commonly late second to early third century
P.Oxy. I 1: The First Greek Fragment of the Gospel of Thomas
A Greek papyrus codex leaf from Oxyrhynchus preserves sayings of Jesus later found in Coptic within the Gospel of Thomas. Copied around AD 200, it is the earliest discovered Greek witness to that sayings collection, while its relationship to the canonical Gospels and the composition’s date remain debated.
Matthew 7:3–5 · Matthew 10:26 · Matthew 13:57
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
third century AD
P.Oxy. IV 654: A Greek Opening of the Gospel of Thomas
A papyrus roll fragment from Oxyrhynchus preserves the prologue and opening sayings of the Gospel of Thomas in Greek. Copied in the third century, it supplies an early witness to the work’s self-presentation while also displaying differences from the later Coptic text.
Matthew 7:7–8 · Matthew 13:10–17 · Luke 11:9–10
ARCHAEOLOGY EVIDENCEManuscript
about AD 880
Vatican Pal. lat. 177 (VL 38): Old Latin Matthew in Jerome’s Commentary
A separately cataloged Latin Gospel witness, VL 38, preserves Jerome’s Commentary on Matthew with biblical lemmata and readings registered for Old Latin textual study and gives material evidence for the many-text history through which Scripture circulated in the Latin-speaking church.
Matthew 13:1–23
Prophecy Events
PROPHECY EVENTFulfilled
28
Isaiah 6:9–10Israel’s Hardening during Messiah’s Ministry
Isaiah is commissioned to preach amid persistent hearing without understanding and seeing without perception.
JudgmenthardeningunbeliefIsaiahministry
PROPHECY EVENTFulfilled
28
Psalms 78:1–2The Messiah Teaches in Parables
Psalm 78 opens with a resolve to speak in parables and disclose things hidden from earlier generations.
Prophetic signparablesteachinghidden thingsministry
PROPHECY EVENTYet to come
Daniel 12:2–3Resurrection to Life or Judgment
Daniel predicts many sleeping in the dust will awake, some to everlasting life and others to shame.
Judgmentresurrectionjudgmenteverlasting lifewise
PROPHECY EVENTUnfolding
Ezekiel 17:22–24The Tender Cedar Sprig Exalted
God promises to plant a tender cedar sprig on Israel’s high mountain until it becomes a noble tree sheltering every kind of bird.
KingdomcedarDavidic kingkingdom growthnations
Sermons
The Reshaping of Christianity
In “The Reshaping of Christianity,” Pastor Dean Odle warns that Christianity can be counterfeited when biblical authority and personal devotion to Jesus Christ are replaced by religious ritual, institutional loyalty, political identity, occult spirituality, or a universalized “Christ” acceptable to every religion. Beginning with Israel’s golden calf in Exodus 31-32, he argues that people may retain the language of worship while fashioning a god from their own culture and imagination. He connects that pattern with Paul’s warning about “another Jesus,” “another spirit,” and “another gospel” in 2 Corinthians 11 and Galatians 1.
Apostasy and DeceptionRoman Catholicism and the PapacyMystery BabylonBible Prophecy
View sermon Blind Oblivious Sheep
In “Blind Oblivious Sheep,” Pastor Dean Odle warns that professing Christians can remain spiritually blind when they neglect Scripture, refuse the fear of the Lord, or settle into lukewarm religion. Using Jesus’ charge to Peter to feed His sheep, 1 Corinthians 4, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 2, Odle describes ministers as stewards responsible to provide the whole counsel of God while believers must actively desire the milk and meat of the Word.
Apostasy and DeceptionBible ProphecyChristian LivingDoctrine and Discernment
View sermon Death in the Pot
In “Death in the Pot,” Pastor Dean Odle warns that corruption can enter Christian teaching while still appearing religious and respectable. Beginning with the apostolic warnings in 2 John and moving through the image of poisoned food in 2 Kings 4, he argues that believers must test doctrine rather than accept it because it comes from seminaries, popular pastors, church traditions, or modern Bible scholarship. The sermon especially criticizes Roman Catholic influence, ecumenism, and teachings that Odle believes obscure the deity of Christ and the authority of Scripture.
Doctrine and DiscernmentApostasy and DeceptionScripture AloneChrist AloneChurch and Ministry
View sermon Showing 1–3 of 6 sermons