Matthew 13:34-46

Whenever Jesus addressed the crowds, he always spoke in allegories. He never spoke without using parables. He did this to fulfill the prophecy: I will speak to you in allegories. I will reveal secrets that have been concealed since before the foundation of the world. Jesus left the crowds and went inside the house where he was staying. Then his disciples approached him and asked, “Please explain the deeper meaning of the parable of the weeds growing in the field of wheat.” He answered, “The man who sowed his field with good seed is the Son of Man. And the field is the world. The good seeds I sow are the children of the kingdom realm. The weeds are the children of the Evil One, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest points to the end of this age, and the harvesters are God’s messengers. As the weeds are bundled up and thrown into the fire, so it will be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his messengers, and they will uproot everything out of his kingdom. All the lawless ones and everything that causes sin will be removed. And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will experience great sorrow and anguish. Then the righteous will shine like the brightness of the sun in their Father’s kingdom realm. If you’re able to understand this, then you’d better respond!” “Heaven’s kingdom realm can be illustrated like this: “A person discovered that there was hidden treasure in a field. Upon finding it, he hid it again. Because of uncovering such treasure, he was overjoyed and sold all that he possessed to buy the entire field just so he could have the treasure. “Heaven’s kingdom realm is also like a jewel merchant in search of rare pearls. When he discovered one very precious and exquisite pearl, he immediately gave up all he had in exchange for it.”