All Four Gospels for Readers

by Unknown

The disciples asked Jesus, Why do you speak to them in parables? He answered, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whoever has understanding, more shall be given him and he shall have abundance. But whoever does not have understanding, what little he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore, I speak to them in parables because, not seeing and not hearing, they do not understand.

Also, in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: By hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand. And by seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive. For the people's hearts are hardened. Their ears are dull of hearing. They have closed their eyes. They do not see or hear for fear they will be converted and have to change their hearts.

But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. Many prophets and righteous men have desired to see the things you see and they have not seen them. They have desired to hear the things you hear, and have not heard them. So, again, listen to the parable of the sower.

When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one snatches away all that was sown in his heart. This is the one who received seed by the wayside. Now he who received the seed in the stony places, received the word with joy. But he has no deep root and endures only for a while. When tribulation or persecution arises he is uprooted. Now the one who received seed among the thorns hears the word but is too much ensnared by things of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. The understanding of the word is choked out and he becomes unfruitful. Finally, the one who received seed in the good ground is he who hears the word, understands it, and bears fruit. He brings forth a hundredfold or sixty or thirty.

He spoke another parable saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But, during the night, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat then slipped away. When the blades sprang up and brought forth fruit, weeds appeared also. The householder's servants came to him and asked, Sir, did you not sow good seed in the field? Where did the tares come from? The householder answered, An enemy has done this. The servants then asked, Shall we go and pull them up? But he said, No; if you gather up the tares, you will uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then, at harvest time, I will tell the reapers to gather the weeds, bind them in bundles, and burn them first. Then the wheat goes into the shelter.

Jesus told another parable, The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed. A man sowed it in his field. Now this, indeed, is the least of all seeds. However, when it is grown, it is the largest among all the herbs. It grows like a tree so the birds of the air can come and lodge in its branches.

Another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven. A woman took a little, hid it in three measures of meal and, at last, all was leavened. All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the multitude. Thus it might be fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables. I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went inside. His disciples came in and asked Him to explain the parable of the tares in the field. Jesus said, He who sows the good seed is the Son of man. The field is the world. The good seed are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world. The reapers are the angels. As the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so it will be at the end of this world. The Son of man will send forth His angels. They will clear His kingdom of all that offends and does iniquity. They will cast it into a furnace. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine as bright as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man discovers it, he buries it again. Then, joyfully, he goes and sells all he has in order to buy that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of good pearls. When he finds even one pearl of great price, he gladly sells all he has to buy it.

And the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea to gather every kind of fish. When it was full, they drew the net to shore. The good they gathered into vessels. But they cast the bad away. So it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and sever the wicked from the just and cast them into the furnace.