The Life of Jesus

but when the sun had risen, the young plants were scorched; and since their roots were not deep, they dried up.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

But others fell into rich soil and produced grain, a hundred or sixty or thirty times as much as had been sown.

Those who have ears, let them hear!"

Then the talmidim came and asked Yeshua, "Why are you speaking to them in parables?"

He answered, "Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them.

For anyone who has something will be given more, so that he will have plenty; but from anyone who has nothing, even what he does have will be taken away.

Here is why I speak to them in parables: they look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding.

That is, in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Yesha`yahu which says, `You will keep on hearing but never understand, and keep on seeing but never perceive,

because the heart of this people has become dull -- with their ears they barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, so as not to see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and do t'shuvah, so that I could heal them.'

But you, how blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear!

Yes indeed! I tell you that many a prophet and many a tzaddik longed to see the things you are seeing but did not see them, and to hear the things you are hearing but did not hear them.

"So listen to what the parable of the sower means.

Whoever hears the message about the Kingdom, but doesn't understand it, is like the seed sown along the path -- the Evil One comes and seizes what was sown in his heart.

The seed sown on rocky ground is like a person who hears the message and accepts it with joy at once,

but has no root in himself. So he stays on for a while; but as soon as some trouble or persecution arises on account of the message, he immediately falls away.

Now the seed sown among thorns stands for someone who hears the message, but it is choked by the worries of the world and the deceitful glamor of wealth, so that it produces nothing.

However, what was sown on rich soil is the one who hears the message and understands it; such a person will surely bear fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Yeshua put before them another parable. "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;

but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, then went away.

When the wheat sprouted and formed heads of grain, the weeds also appeared.

The owner's servants came to him and said, `Sir didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?'

He answered, `An enemy has done this.' The servants asked him, `Then do you want us to go and pull them up?'

But he said, `No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time.

Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvesttime I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn.'"