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Father in Heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother."

That day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And there were gathered to him great crowds, so he got into a boat and sat, and the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he said many things to them in illustrations:

"Look, the sower went out to sow.

As he was sowing some seeds fell by the road, and the birds came and devoured them.

Others fell on the rocky places, where they had not much soil, and they at once sprang up because they had no depth of soil, and when the sun was risen, they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.

Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.

Others fell on the good ground and yielded fruit, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

The disciples came and said to him:

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Why do you speak to them in illustrations?"

"To you it is given to come to a knowledge of

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the secret truths of the Kingdom of Heaven," he answered them, "but to them it is not given.

For whoever has,

To him will be given

And he will have abundance.
But whoever has not,
From him will be taken

Even what he has.

So I speak to them in illustrations because they see and do not see, they hear and do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them is completely fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah :

Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand.

Seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive,
For this people's heart hath become gross.
Their ears are dull of hearing,

Their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,

Understand with their heart,

Should be converted,

And I should cure them.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see,

Your ears for they hear.

For to tell you the truth:

Many prophets and good men have desired

To see what you see, and have not seen them.
To hear what you hear, and have not heard them.

So hear the explanation of the illustration of the

sower.

When any one hears the message of the Kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and catches away what was sown in his heart.

This is he who was sown by the road.

He who was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the message and at once with joy receives it. Yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation and persecution rises because of the message he is at once offended.

He who was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the message, and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the message and he becomes unfruitful.

He who was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the message and takes it in ; who truly keeps bearing fruit and bringing forth, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty."

He gave them another illustration:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But

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while men were asleep his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat and went away. But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

So the slaves of the owner came and said to

him :

Master; did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it tares ?

An enemy has done this.

Do you then want us to go and gather them up?

No, lest while you gather up the tares you root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together till the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."

He gave them another illustration :

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took, and sowed in his field. This is, indeed, less than all seeds, but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches of it."

He gave them another illustration :

"The Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven, which

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a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

Jesus said all these things in illustrations to the crowds, and without an illustration he said nothing to them so that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled :

I will open my mouth in illustrations.

I will utter things hidden

From the foundation of the world.

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him:

"Explain to us the illustration of the tares of the field," they said.

"He who sows the good seed is the Son of man," he answered. "The field is the world. The good seed, these are the sons of the Kingdom. The tares are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are angels.

So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so will it be in the end of the world. The Son of man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom everything which offends and those who are wicked, and will throw them into the furnace of fire.