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1–9. Parable of the Sower. – 10–17. The purpose of the parables. – 18–23. Explanation of the parable of the sower. – 24–30. Parable of the tares. – 31–32. Parable of the mustard seed. – 33. Parable of leaven. – 34–35. Prophecy about the teaching in parables. – 36–43. Explanation of the parable of the tares. – 44. Parable about a treasure hidden in a field. – 45–46. A parable about a merchant looking for good pearls. – 47–50. Parable of the Net. – 51–52. Conclusion of a figurative conversation. – 53–58. Stay in Nazareth. Matthew 13:1. And Jesus went out of the house that day and sat down by the sea. This verse pinpoints the location where Christ's first parables were spoken—the Lake of Galilee, although it is not named. The very story of the teaching in parables follows in Matthew in the same order as in Mark, and in the same connection. But Luke presents the parables of the sower (Luke 8:4ff.), the mustard seed and the leaven (Luke 13:19–21) in a different connection. Christ left his house in Capernaum, headed to Lake Galilee, entered a boat, sat down in it according to the custom of the Jewish teachers of that time, and began to speak to the people in parables. A large crowd of people gathered on the shore, it was convenient for them to fit here, because although the lake is surrounded by mountains, in some places they only drop steeply straight into the water, leaving, especially on the western shore, more or less wide and sloping coastal spaces. The number of those listening was so great that sometimes (Luke 5:1) they crowded the Savior. Perhaps in the present case He initially did not want to enter the boat and entered it only out of necessity. This is indicated by the expressions of Matthew and Mark that He first “sat down by the sea” and only then went into the boat. In the ancient world we know of no other examples of such preaching from a boat. But there is no doubt that this was very convenient both for Christ Himself and for the people who listened to Him. On the western shore of the lake, the mountains extend from it into the interior of the area for 7–10 miles, and thus the result is a fairly flat place. The parables spoken by the Savior were the first. The Evangelist obviously introduces them first, and, according to Trench, the parable of the sower was, as it were, an introduction to this new way of teaching, which the Divine Teacher had not yet used. This is also clear from the question asked later by the disciples: “Why do you speak to them in parables?” (verse 10), and from Christ's answer, in which He justifies this new way of teaching, and the purpose which it had in mind. Matthew 13:2. And a great multitude gathered unto Him, so that He entered into a boat, and sat down; and all the people stood on the shore. As stated above, the Savior apparently wanted to preach on the shore, because this is precisely what the words of the previous verse indicate: “sat by the sea.” Only when the people had gathered to Him did He enter the boat and sit in it. This explains why the verb “sat” is used twice – once each in the first two verses. Mark has the same meaning of speech, who says that the Savior began to teach “by the sea,” and when the people gathered, He entered the boat and sat (sat?) on the sea. Matthew omits Mark's expression "on the sea." Matthew 13:3. And he taught them many parables, saying: Behold, a sower went out to sow; The word “parable” is derived from Greek (παραβολή) and means “pretense”, “comparison”, “likening” (but hardly “example”). This term means such speech where abstract truth, moral or spiritual, is explained with the help of various events and phenomena in nature or life. So, for example, the idea that a person should help his neighbors is expressed in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the idea of ​​God’s love for the repentant sinner is expressed in the parable of the Prodigal Son. If these thoughts were not expressed with the help of vivid images, they would be commonplaces and would soon be forgotten. But it is known that the same method of revealing general truths with the help of images and comparisons is also used in fables. Are Christ's parables similar to fables? And if they are not similar, then what is the difference? There are similarities between a fable and a parable, but only externally. Both in the parable and in the fable, not only people are taken for comparison, but also various objects of nature (for example, tares, mustard seeds, etc.), and even animals (for example, sheep, pigs in the parable of the Prodigal Son, dogs in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, etc.). Therefore, some brought the parable closer to the fable and said that they were one and the same. But even a simple, cursory and general glance at parables and fables can show that a parable is not at all the same as a fable. This general view can be confirmed by analyzing some of the details. In a fable, if animals act, for example, they always come to the fore; in Christ’s parables their role is always secondary. In a fable, everything that animals or natural objects say and do (for example, trees) should always imply the speech and actions of people, because otherwise something that never happens in reality should be attributed to natural objects (for example, when animals or plants speak). In parables, similar images always remain completely natural, and the actions of animals or plants in the strict sense cannot be attributed to people, and the fact that animals or plants ever spoke is not mentioned in the New Testament parables. Finally, a fable in general is a fiction, and mostly funny at that; To explain moral truths in parables, actual events in nature and life are usually taken. We say “usually” because this is apparently not always the case. If we can still agree that in figurative speech, for example about the Last Judgment, the separation of sheep from goats is an image that could correspond to reality, i.e. the image is not fictitious, it is difficult to think that in the parable of the creditor and the ruthless debtor (Matthew 18:23–35) the amount of debt of ten thousand talents (60,000,000 denarii, a denarius is approximately 20 kopecks, i.e. 4 g in silver equivalent), which the king gave to one of his slaves, was not fictitious in order to clarify the truth about the huge debt man to God. The parable of the evil vinedressers (Matthew 21:33–41) also raises similar doubts - is this story real or fictitious, if you do not pay attention to its application? The fact that some images in parables are predicted to be fictitious gave rise to defining the word “parable” (in relation to the Gospel parables) as follows: “A parable is a form of speech in which, with the help of a fictitious narrative, however plausible and borrowed from everyday life, abstract truths, little-known or of a moral nature, are presented.” Alford defines a parable as follows: “It is a serious story, within the bounds of probability, of some act, pointing to some moral or spiritual truth.” Some exegetes consider it vain to attempt to define exactly what a parable is and should be in its difference from all other modes of speech. Some people think that every parable is a type of allegory. The parable talks about one object, which in itself has its own natural meaning, but on the other side of this natural meaning, partly covered by it and partly revealed, another object is implied. All these definitions are suitable, however, perhaps only for explaining what a parable is in general, but not for the parables of the Savior. We must firmly establish the truth that the Savior spoke no lies. When considering the parables, this is evident not only from the fact that His parables have enormous vital significance, but also from the fact that no one ever reproached Him regarding His parables - that He preached fiction, fantasized or exaggerated anything. This is absolutely necessary for understanding the parables of the Savior. They always contain some real event, taken from human life or from nature, and even from the world of animals and plants. If any division of parables is possible, they can only be divided into general and specific. General parables tell about some real event, so frequent and ordinary that fiction is out of the question. Such, for example, are the parables of the sower or the mustard seed. In private parables, the events are, so to speak, isolated; for the most part, it can be assumed that they happened only once. Such, for example, is the parable of the Good Samaritan or the workers in the vineyard who receive the same pay for their labors. It is quite possible to assume that these parables were based on actual facts. It is more difficult, as we said, to assume them in such parables as, for example, about the evil vinedressers or about the merciless debtor. However, who can guarantee that such cases did not exist in reality at that time? And at that time there were people who owned colossal wealth. Thus, in all parables we can look for a completely factual and non-fictional characteristic of the time, life, morals and customs of that time. But it is remarkable that, when talking about actual events, the Savior never mentions the actual persons and the time of the actual events, and only twice (in the parable of the Good Samaritan and the Publican and the Pharisee) indicates the place where they took place, and in completely general terms. Thus, all the parables of Christ appear before us, so to speak, completely anonymous. If, for example, the parable is about a king, he is never called by name. From the parables, in any case, it is clear that Christ knew life perfectly and saw in it what others do not see. The characteristic of superior and richly gifted people is that they see more than other people, and Christ possessed this ability to the highest degree. In presenting actual events, He applied them to the moral realm with such insight as is inaccessible and unusual for ordinary people. Perhaps the closest thing a parable comes to a type, image or prototype, with the only difference being that a type is usually a real expression of an idea, while a parable is a verbal expression. But all that has been said does not in any way prevent the assertion that in different parables there is an artistic unification of various actual events and circumstances, which serves as an expression of a special, artistic and ideal truth. When, for example, an artist paints a picture of a sunset, he combines in it observations made at different times, under different circumstances and in different places, and thus he comes up with an ideal picture, faithful to reality in all particulars, but rising above it in an idea that, of course, may not be borrowed from the real life of nature. This is not fiction, but an artistic combination of an idea with external images borrowed from reality itself, and such a combination is reality in itself, but only mental, ideal, higher, artistic. The seven parables set forth in the chapter of Matthew under consideration form one whole and relate to one subject, the Kingdom of God and its development; verse 53 clearly indicates that they were spoken at the same time. The first four of these parables were apparently spoken to the people from the boat (an explanation of the parable of the sower has been inserted here); the last three are for the students in the house. The first parables are connected by the formula “another parable,” and at the beginning of the last three they say: “likewise.” According to the testimony of the evangelists Matthew and Mark, not everything, however, was said in parables, but “many things.” “Because,” notes Jerome, “if Christ spoke everything in parables, then the people would disperse without receiving any benefit for themselves. Christ confuses the clear with the heavenly in order, on the basis of what the people understood, to draw their attention to what they did not understand.” Matthew 13:4. and as he sowed, some fell by the road, and birds came and devoured them; Matthew 13:5. some fell on rocky places where there was little soil, and soon sprang up because the soil was shallow. Matthew 13:6. When the sun rose, it withered and, as if it had no root, withered away; Matthew 13:7. some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew and choked it; Matthew 13:8. some fell on good soil and bore fruit: one a hundredfold, and another sixty, and another thirty. At present, wheat in Palestine yields a harvest of 12–16, but barley often yields 50, and the harvest of millet, which feeds mostly the poorest classes, sometimes yields 150 or 200. But the harvests were apparently better in the time of Christ than now. “A hundredfold harvest in the east,” says Trench, “is not unheard of, although it is generally mentioned as something extraordinary.” In Luke (Luke 8:8) it is simple: “it bore fruit a hundredfold,” and the size of smaller harvests is omitted. Matthew 13:9. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Just as in Matthew 11:15, Matthew omits (according to some readings) the “hear” that occurs in Mark and Luke. Thus the literal translation is "he who has ears, let him hear" (Tertullian: qui habet aures audiat). Matthew 13:10. And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” It is very difficult to resolve the question of when exactly the disciples came to Christ and asked Him this question. If it were in a boat, then it would be difficult to explain προσελθόντες - having arrived, and not “having begun,” as in the Russian translation. Further, Christ spoke only one parable, the first, which is set forth by the three evangelists. But the disciples asked: “Why do you speak to them in parables?”, and they asked Him about parables (Mark 4:10; the Russian translation, where the singular “parable” is put, is incorrect). But Luke has a singular number: “what would this parable mean”? Thus, in order to understand how it really happened, the question would need to be rearranged, assuming that it was given after the other parables set out in the 13th chapter were spoken. Finally, Mark clearly says that the question was proposed by the disciples to Christ at a time when they were left alone (κατὰ μόνας; in Russian translation: “when was he left without a people”). The most likely assumption seems to be that the Savior’s conversation with the disciples took place after the figurative speech was over and He left the boat with them or retired on it with them to some other place. Mark (Mark 4:10 cf. Mark 4:34) speaks about this somewhat more clearly. The disciples' question seems to show that the Savior had just begun this peculiar way of teaching, at least in its most fully developed form. The Evangelist Matthew, as noted, had no intention at all of being careful here in his chronological order. According to Alford, the question about the parable of the sower was asked during a break in the Savior's teaching, not when He entered the house (verse 36). Matthew 13:11. He answered them: Because it has been given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it has not been given to them, (Cf. Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10). That these words were here in response to the question of the previous verse is indicated by “said in answer to them” (ἀποκριθείς). The words of Christ show that His teachings, set out in parables, were “mysteries”, that these mysteries were not accessible to the wide circle of Christ’s listeners even after the explanations that He gave to the disciples; but to the latter they could be understood without explanation, although after them they became even clearer. The word "mysteries" does not express that the parables were incomprehensible in themselves. It was used by the Greeks to designate some secret teachings, rituals in religion and what was connected with it. No one was allowed to these secrets except the initiates; the initiates had to keep these secrets to themselves. Thus, although they were secrets to outsiders, they were not secrets to initiates. Verses 10, 11 and 14 are explained in Irenaeus (Adversus haereses, IV, 29). “Why do you speak to them in parables? The Lord answers: because (quoniam) it has been given to you to know (cognoscere) the secret of the Kingdom of Heaven; To them I speak in parables, so that when they see, they do not see, and when they hear, they do not hear (meaning, they do not understand), so that the prophecy of Isaiah will be fulfilled on them, saying: The heart of this people has become hardened (hardened), and their ears have become deaf (deafened), and their eyes have closed (closed). But blessed are your eyes, for they see what you see, and your ears, for they hear what you hear.” Matthew 13:12. for whoever has, more will be given to him and he will have an increase, but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him; (Cf. Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18). “Who has” - both in Russian and in Greek - is a subordinate clause that does not have a main clause, although the speech is completely correct and understandable. This is nominativus absolutus (see comments on Matthew 12:36). Similar expressions are found in Matthew 25:29 in the parable of the talents. This may have been a proverb expressing the general truth in relation to worldly and spiritual goods. Examples of when those who have not have what they have are taken away are common and well known. Our Russian proverb “where it is thin, it breaks” expresses the same idea. The Gospels, of course, speak only of the spiritual. “What people had is taken away from them because they don’t have what they should have.” The disciples had greater ability and receptivity to the new teaching and therefore could acquire more than the rest of the people. Augustine interprets the expression “who has” in the sense of utitur - uses, and applies it to preachers. A preacher who preaches divine teaching to others does not feel a lack of teaching and words that he speaks and preaches, but if someone does not use the teaching, then even the meaning of it is obscured and leaves him. Matthew 13:13. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, and they do not understand; (Cf. Mark 4:11–12; Luke 8:10). The preliminary reference to Isaiah 6:9 will be dealt with in the next verse. The meaning of the verse from the outside seems clear, because everywhere and everywhere there are many people who, seeing, do not see and, hearing, do not hear. But the question is, how does this prove the need for speaking specifically in parables? One might think that Christ’s thought was as follows. Abstract truth, but important for the Kingdom of Heaven, is inaccessible to the people's mind. Therefore, it is necessary to embody this abstract truth in certain images that would make it closer to the people, open their eyes and open their ears, interest them and thus encourage them to strive to understand further truths, symbolically and figuratively presented in the parable. In this, apparently, the words of Christ differ from the words of the prophet Isaiah. The parallel expressions of Mark and Luke indicate the purpose (ἵνα), "why everything happens in parables." It is best to explain this verse by implying here Christ’s reference to His previous teaching, which not only was not correctly understood by many people from the people (which is quite possible, since many of the truths He preached, for example, in the Sermon on the Mount, are not yet understood by everyone), but also by more developed people - the scribes, and especially the latter, as can be seen from the previous chapter. These people who did not understand the teachings of Christ are called in Mark (Mark 4:11) ἐκεῖνοι οἱ ἔξω - external, and in Luke (Luke 8:10) - οἱ λοιποί, the rest. They are told in parables because “seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear,” and according to Mark and Luke - so that, seeing, they do not see, and so on. This speech of Christ is full of deep meaning. To such people who, seeing, do not see and, hearing, do not hear, one could say nothing, because speech is useless for them, due to their lack of understanding. But He speaks to them too - in parables. The meaning can be briefly expressed as follows: if they don’t want to understand, then they won’t understand the parables. But if they want to understand at all, they will at least understand the parable. If they want to understand more, then under the cover of the parable they will see that it reveals the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 13:14. and the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled over them, which says: You will hear with your ears and will not understand, and you will look with your eyes and will not see, (Cf. Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10). Isaiah 6:9-10 literally translated from the Hebrew: “Go and tell this people, You hear and hear, and do not understand; and you look and look and do not know. Make the heart of this people hard and their ears hard (hard to hear), and close their eyes, so that they do not see with their eyes, and do not hear with their ears, and their heart does not understand, and there is no healing for them.” God here gives Isaiah, at his calling, the commission to preach to a people who see poorly and have difficulty hearing. The prophet’s speech was supposed to make the heart of this people even more coarse, their eyes even more blind and their ears deaf, so that this people would not convert and receive healing, and this is because, due to their sinfulness, they do not want to see or hear anything. The people are like a hopeless criminal, who is not touched by any speech, he does not give in to any convictions. Therefore, inattention to the speech of the prophet serves as one of the punishments for the people. This speech will not be salutary for the people, but will serve as a means for their judgment and chastisement. The people cannot justify themselves by citing the fact that they were not told anything. This is the meaning of the original speech of Isaiah, now applied by the Savior to the Jewish people. And this is understandable if we pay attention to the previous denunciations of Christ, especially in Matthew 11:16–24 and Matthew 12:25–37, where the Savior spoke without parables. For inattention to His words and unwillingness to actually fulfill them, He now announces judgment to people whose hearts have become callous and hardened. Matthew 13:15. For the heart of this people is hardened, and their ears are hard to hear, and they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and lest they be converted, that I may heal them. (Cf. Mark 4:12 - the text is very shortened). The literal translation of this verse from the Greek (according to some readings) may be as follows: “for the heart of this people has grown thick (fat), and their ears are hard to hear, and they have closed their eyes, so as not to see with their eyes, and not to hear with their ears, and not to listen with their hearts and convert, and I will heal them.” Heart, ears and eyes - these three words appear later in reverse order. “Heart” is placed first at the beginning, and last at the end. From the heart, corruption spreads to the ears and eyes; through the eyes and ears, health returns to the heart. Matthew 13:16. Blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears that hear, (Cf. Luke 10:23 - in a different connection and modified form of expression). This saying was probably repeated. Members of the body are here instead of faces, i.e. instead of: “blessed are you that you see,” etc. Matthew 13:17. For verily I say unto you, that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear. This generally refers to the prophets who announced the Coming Savior and, of course, themselves wanted to see Him. Jerome has a good explanation of this verse: “Here seems to be the opposite of what is said elsewhere. Abraham your father rejoiced to see My day; and he saw and rejoiced. But Jesus Christ did not say that all the righteous and prophets wanted to see what you see, but many. It could happen among many that some saw and others did not see, although this passage is dangerous to interpret in the sense that there seems to be some difference between the merits of the saints. So Abraham saw divinely, but did not see face to face. You see and have your Lord close by.” Wed. Hebrews 11:13, 39. Matthew 13:18. Listen to the meaning of the parable of the sower: (Cf. Mark 4:13; Luke 8:11). Literally: “So listen to the parable of the sower.” There is no word “meaning” in the original, and in the Russian translation it is emphasized. The insertion of this word does not change the real meaning of the verse. Matthew 13:19. To everyone who hears the word about the Kingdom and does not understand, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart - this is who is meant by what was sown along the way. (Cf. Mark 4:15; Luke 8:12). Matthew omits what is said in Mark 4:14; Luke 8:11 (second half of verse). The presentation of the Savior’s speech is different for all weather forecasters. Literally in Matthew: “Everyone who hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it comes...” Such speech is called anakoluth (inconsistent), and it is used here for greater emphasis. The speech without anacoluth would be like this: the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart of everyone who hears the word about the Kingdom and does not understand. Further in the Russian translation: “this is who the sown along the road means.” This represents a departure from the image, because it is not the person, but the seed that is sown. The Russian translation, however, accurately expresses the meaning of the Greek speech: οὖτός ἐστιν ὁ παρὰ τὴν ὁδὸν σπαρείς. But instead of the words, “This is what was sown along the road,” it should have been, “This is what was sown along the road,” or “This is the land along the road on which it was sown.” The same is true in the following verses. But such phenomena are common in Eastern speech. They tried to avoid the difficulty by referring the word οὖτος to λόγος. But this explanation does not agree with verses 20, 22, 23. The meaning of the speech, however, is clear. The seed is the same everywhere and for everyone, but the seed does not grow without the earth, and the earth does not give birth without the seed; the growth or death of a seed is a consequence of the convenience or inconvenience of the earth. It should be noted that in all this explanation of Christ of His parable, the former parable speech is repeated everywhere with explanatory additions. Matthew 13:20. And what is sown on rocky places means one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; Matthew 13:21. but it has no root in itself and is fickle: when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, it is immediately tempted. Matthew 13:22. And what was sown among thorns means one who hears the word, but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Cf. Mark 4:18; Luke 8:14). According to John Chrysostom, “The Savior did not say: age, but: “but the care of this age”; did not say: wealth, but: “the deception of wealth.” So, let us blame not the things themselves, but the corrupted will. You can have wealth and not be deceived by it, and live in this century and not be overwhelmed by worries.” By “the cares of this age” one should understand the ordinary human troubles and worries in their struggle for existence, which differ in different characters and are carried out using different means in different centuries. For ἀπάτη cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:10; Hebrews 3:13. Matthew 13:23. What is sown on good soil means one who hears the word and understands it, and who bears fruit, so that some bear fruit a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. (Cf. Mark 4:20; Luke 8:15). Some, including Augustine, understanding martyrdom by “a hundredfold fruit,” said that “sixtyfold fruit” meant the state of evangelical poverty, and “thirtyfold” meant keeping the commandments in general. The best interpretation of this passage belongs, among the ancient interpreters, to Euthymius Zigavin, who correctly understands the words of Christ in the general sense. By fruit a hundredfold, the Savior meant, according to Zigavin, the perfect fruitfulness of virtue; at sixty - average, and at thirty - weak. The fact that this interpretation is the best is clear from the fact that in the same general sense the Evangelist Luke sets out the Savior’s explanation of His parable: “And those that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word, keep it in a good and pure heart and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). Matthew 13:24. He proposed another parable to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; When and to whom was this parable told? Is it only to the disciples, or to the people? The most likely assumption is that there was a break in teaching the people while the Savior spoke to the disciples, explaining to them the parable of the sower. And then he spoke to the people again. “Like a man”, i.e. similar to the circumstances that are further described in detail; “similar to what happens to a person” and so on. This construction is found in Matthew 18:23 and in other parables in Matthew. Ὡμοιώθη - a common introduction to parables in later Jewish literature: “parable - what is it like? That's it." All parables in Matthew, not found in Mark, begin with the formula ὡμοιώθη or ὁμοῖα ἐστί, with the exception of Matthew 25:14–30, where the parable begins with a simple ὥσπερ - a beginning also used in Jewish parables. Matthew 13:25. while the people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went away; Many opinions have been expressed regarding the meaning of ζιζάνια (tares). According to Tsang, this appears to be a Semitic word for a wheat-like weed. Tsang finds confirmation of his words in the words of John Chrysostom ὃ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ὄψιν ἔοικε πῶς τῷ σίτῳ (apparently, it resembles wheat). But a reliable botanical definition of this word has not yet been made. This is probably lolium temutentum (intoxicating cockle, headwort) or some type of ergot (claviceps purpurea), which appears not only in rye, but also on many other plants, among other things, on wheat. Jerome, who lived in Palestine, says that the Gospels refer to lolium. The fruit of this plant “is more bitter,” says Thomson, “and when eaten alone or even mixed in ordinary bread, it causes vertigo and often acts as a strong emetic. In short, it is a strong hypnotic poison, and must be carefully winnowed and separated from the wheat grain by grain.” Before it ripens, this plant resembles wheat so much that it is often left until it ripens. Matthew 13:26. When the greenery sprang up and the fruit appeared, then the tares also appeared. Matthew 13:27. Having come, the servants of the householder said to him: Master! did you not sow good seed in your field? where does the tares come from? Matthew 13:28. He said to them, “The enemy man has done this.” And the slaves said to him: Do you want us to go and choose them? Matthew 13:29. But he said: no, so that when you choose the tares, you do not pull up the wheat along with them, Matthew 13:30. leave both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather first the tares and bind them in sheaves to burn them, and put the wheat into my barn. Even the ancient interpreters discussed how to fulfill this commandment of the Savior regarding the tares in human life. Never, says Jerome, should you have fellowship with those who are called brothers, but in reality are adulterers and fornicators. If uprooting is prohibited until the time of harvest, should some among us be uprooted? Augustine partially answers this question: if any of the Christians living in the bosom of the Church is convicted of some sin that brings anathema upon him, then let it be pronounced only when there is no danger of a schism. If the sinner does not repent and is not corrected by repentance, then he himself, perhaps, will leave the communion of the church by his own will. Matthew 13:31. He proposed another parable to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, Matthew 13:32. which, although smaller than all seeds, when it grows, is larger than all grains and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air fly and take refuge in its branches. Black mustard, both wild and cultivated, often reaches a height of 8-12 feet, and this plant is often visited by various small birds, which flutter along its thin branches, plucking out the seed they love. Matthew 13:33. He told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until it was all leavened. It is usually thought, and this opinion is correct, that the previous parables depict the external growth of the Kingdom of Heaven under the images of the seed and the obstacles to its spread under the image of the tares. In the parable of this verse and subsequent ones, the internal strength and influence on the people of the Kingdom, its internal growth, are depicted. First of all, this is depicted under the guise of leaven, which a woman, in order to bake bread, put in three measures of flour. The image is so common and familiar to everyone that it does not need explanation. “Three measures” – three sats (σάτα τρία). Sata is a Jewish measure (otherwise “sea”), constituting one Jewish epha, equal to one and a half Roman modia - approximately 13 liters, according to the old Talmudic definition, a measure in which 432 eggs could be placed. Matthew 13:34. Jesus spoke all these things to the people in parables, and without a parable he did not speak to them, Mark puts it this way: “And he preached the word to them in many parables, as far as they could hear. He did not speak to them without a parable, but explained everything to his disciples in private.” Instead of “did not tell them”, as in the Russian translation (οὐκ ἐλαλει), some, based mainly on the Sinaiticus and Vatican Codes, read: “did not tell them anything” (οὐδὲν ἐλάλει). Even if we accept this last reading, then in this case the denial can be considered not absolute, but relative, and it means that at that time or usually Jesus Christ did not say anything without a parable, but not always. If anyone wanted to accept this negation in an absolute sense, he would have to understand by παραβολή, in a broader sense, generally mysterious, enigmatic speech. Jesus Christ always spoke mysteriously to the crowd that was not receptive to higher truths. He had never been completely clear to her. Matthew 13:35. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the creation of the world. In the inscription of the 77th Psalm, from which this testimony is taken, the name of Asaph appears. Both Asaph and others along with David were called prophets. In 2 Chronicles 29:30 Asaph in Hebrew is called “ha-choze”, and the Seventy translate this word through ὁ προφήτης: according to some readings, in the original instead of “prophet” - “the prophet Isaiah” (erroneous?). Matthew 13:36. Then Jesus dismissed the crowd and entered the house. And coming to Him, His disciples said: Explain to us the parable of the tares in the field. Matthew 13:37. He answered and said to them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; Despite all the apparent simplicity, the verse presents insurmountable difficulties that are determined precisely by this simplicity. The question arises: if the explanation given to the disciples is so simple and clear, then why was it not given to the common people? We don't know the real reasons for this. It is most likely to assume that the explanation is of an eschatological nature; the Son of Man is mentioned here as the future Judge, and all this would be incomprehensible to the common people. There are no explanations of any parables for the people in the Gospels. As in other cases, there are many allegorical interpretations here, belonging mainly to ancient interpreters. By people who sleep (verse 25), they understood church teachers and said that let the one who is placed at the head of the Church not sleep, so that, due to his negligence, the enemy man sows tares, i.e. heretical dogmas. Or they thought that this was talking about heresies that will continue until the end of time. But such interpretations, of course, do not apply to verse 37. Under the good seed is clearly seen the preaching and teaching that belongs to the Son of Man. Matthew 13:38. the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one; The interpretation of apparently such simple words “the field is the world” gave rise, says Trench, to the most fierce disputes that have not occurred about any other text, except perhaps where it talks about the Sacrament of Communion. This expression was often quoted in ancient times in Donatist disputes. The Donatists insisted that the Savior here meant not the Church, but the world, and they said that wicked people can be tolerated in the world, but not in the Church. Augustine insisted otherwise, arguing that the Lord did not consider the modern state of the Church to be completely alien to evil. That Christ called the field the world (the field is the subject, and the world is the predicate), it is hardly possible to doubt this, but then He speaks of the Church, in which both the good seed and the tares exist. He does not say a single word about the fact that the tares should be destroyed and destroyed by people who consider themselves saints. The words “leave both to grow until the harvest” (verse 30) show that the tares will exist until the end of the world and the foundation of the new Kingdom, although they are from τοῦ πονηροῦ - from the evil one. Here the masculine gender is τοῦ πονηροῦ. Matthew 13:39. the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. John Chrysostom notes: “When he sows, he sows himself; when he punishes, he punishes through others, namely through the Angels.” The expression “end of the age” is found in the Gospels only in Matthew and also in the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 9:26 – centuries). But it is found in Jewish, especially apocalyptic, literature. Reapers are different from slaves who reported to the owner of the field what a human enemy had done. If slaves are people, then the reapers are Angels. Matthew 13:40. Therefore, just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of this age: The idea expressed here is explained in more detail in the following verses. The images are taken from ordinary grain harvesting. Matthew 13:41. The Son of Man will send His angels, and from His kingdom they will gather all temptations and workers of iniquity, The expression “out of His kingdom” should be interpreted in the sense that when the Son of Man comes, then His kingdom will also come. During this future coming the tares will be finally removed from His Kingdom. Verses 41 and 43 distinguish between the Kingdom of the Son of Man and the Kingdom of the Father. There is no need to assume that the Kingdom of the Son of Man comes only at the end of the world (cf. Col. 1:13), although before that it may be considered incomplete (cf. Matt. 25:34, 46). On the contrary, both here and in 1 Cor. 15:24 the idea is expressed that the Son will at the end “deliver His kingdom to God the Father.” Then the righteous will “shine like the sun.” Matthew 13:42. and they will be cast into the fiery furnace; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; The expression “furnace of fire” appears in Matthew only twice, here and in verse 50 (cf. Rev. 1:15, 9:2). All these and similar expressions undoubtedly indicate a sentence so grave that the Lord came down from heaven and tasted all the torments of death in order to save people from the very knowledge of the mystery of suffering, which is expressed in the words: “there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:43. then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Explaining this passage, Theophylact says: “Since the sun of righteousness is Christ, the righteous will then be enlightened like Christ, for they will be like gods.” Some heretics drew strange conclusions from the words of Christ and thought that in the resurrection our body would be transformed into a ball and would be similar to the solar body. This opinion was shared by Origen. But it does not say here that the righteous will become suns, but only that they will become illumined like the sun. This refers, of course, to spiritual light. The prophecy refers to the future, and therefore it would be premature to interpret it in any precisely defined form. Matthew 13:44. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which, having found, a man hid, and out of joy over it he goes and sells everything he has and buys that field. The translation is accurate, but not grammatical enough, because one can guess more from the meaning that “which” refers to the treasure, and not to the nearest word “field”. The same goes for “him”. This verse describes a person who, without intention or effort, finds treasure hidden in the ground in someone else's field. This and the following parable reveal more the nature of the doctrine of the Kingdom than indicate its spread, as in the previous parables. The gospel messages of the Kingdom are so attractive that a person will give everything he has to hear them. The parable of the treasure hidden in a field is found only in Matthew. Matthew 13:45. The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for good pearls, Matthew 13:46. who, having found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it. In verse 45 there is a plural number (pearls), in verse 46 there is a singular number (one pearl). The merchant goes in search of many pearls and finds them; Among them there is one that is more expensive than all of them. Jerome notices that here in other words what was said in the previous parable is stated. The good pearls that the merchant is looking for, according to Jerome, are the law and the prophets, and the most precious pearl is the knowledge of the Savior and the Mysteries of His suffering and resurrection. Matthew 13:47. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught fish of all kinds, Matthew 13:48. which, when it was full, they pulled ashore and, sitting down, collected the good things into vessels, and threw the bad things out. In thought and form, the parable is a variant of the second parable of the tares (verses 30, 40–43). Fishermen who throw a net into the sea are hardly different persons compared to those who pull the net onto the land and separate the good from the bad. “Good” is in no way a superlative and does not equal optimos. Only Matthew has the parable of the net. Matthew 13:49. So it will be at the end of the age: the angels will come out and separate the wicked from among the righteous, Matthew 13:50. and they will be thrown into the fiery furnace: there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Grammatically, both in the Greek text and in the Russian translation, the word “them” refers to the word “righteous,” but in meaning, “them” should, of course, be classified as evil. Only the third parable of the second row is partly explained. Matthew 13:51. And Jesus asked them: Have you understood all this? They say to Him: Yes, Lord! Jesus Christ was also ready to explain the remaining parables to the disciples. But they understood them, if not perfectly, but correctly. Matthew 13:52. He said to them: Therefore, every scribe who has been taught the kingdom of heaven is like a master who brings out of his treasury new and old. The word “therefore” (διὰ τοῦτο) is attributed by some to the previous teaching in parables in general: “since I told you how to understand parables, you should know that every scribe,” etc. Others relate διὰ τοῦτο to the previous question of the Savior: “therefore I asked what every scribe,” etc. According to Augustine, διὰ τοῦτο refers only to the parable of the treasure (verse 44). But it is most natural, like most interpreters, to attribute διὰ τοῦτο to the immediately preceding answer of the disciples. The meaning of this entire speech can be understood from the following paraphrase: “since you say that you have understood all this, then I will inform you that not only I, but every person who has assimilated the truths of the Kingdom of Heaven can become like his master, i.e. Me, and use it to explain new truths to both the old and the new.” This idea is explained by the image of where the spiritual owner, i.e. a spiritual teacher is compared to an ordinary owner who, when necessary, takes both old and new things from his storeroom and uses them as needed. In Christ's parables one can distinguish between the new and the old. The old ones are those familiar images that He used: sower, seed, tares, treasure, pearls, etc. The new belonged to Him and was still understandable only to the disciples - these were new moral truths, explained in parables. Therefore, He simply points here to a new method of His teaching, which must be learned by every scribe, taught by the Kingdom of Heaven, to build a new one on the basis of the old, well understood and known to everyone. Matthew 13:53. And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there. From the following verse it is clear that Jesus Christ went to His fatherland; the word “fatherland” usually means Nazareth. John Chrysostom and many others think so. The further story in Matthew and Mark is similar to the story of Luke (Luke 4:16-30), but numerous details reported by Luke are omitted from the first two evangelists. The Evangelist, as Augustine notes, does not conduct his story here in a sequential order. The identity of the stories of Matthew and Mark with Luke (Luke 4:16–30) is denied by some, recognized by others; in the latter case they say that the exact chronological sequence is observed only in Luke. It is extremely difficult to figure out in what order the actual events followed. During the parable speech, Mark tells about the journey to the eastern shore of the lake and the healing of Jairus’ daughter. But Matthew has already told about this in the 8th and 9th chapters, now he omits the story of these events and continues with Mark 6:1–6. Matthew 13:54. And having come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were amazed and said: Where did He get such wisdom and power? Matthew 13:55. Isn't He the son of carpenters? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers Jacob and Joses and Simon and Judas? About the brothers and sisters of the Savior, see John 2:12; Matthew 12:46 and parallel passages; Matthew 13:55–56 and parallel passages; John 7:3 et seq.; Acts 1:14, 12:17, 15:13, 21:18; Gal.1:18–19, 2:9, 12; 1 Corinthians 9:5. James (not Alpheus and not Zebedee) was after the bishop of the Jerusalem church, and after him his third brother Simeon (see Eusebius of Caesarea. “Church History”, III, 11). He, according to the testimony of Egesippus from Eusebius (III, 32), suffered under Trajan and the consul Attica, ending his life “almost the same death that the Lord suffered” at 120 years of age. This was in the ninth year of Trajan's reign, i.e. in 107 A.D. If so, then Simeon was 11 years older than the Savior. The grandchildren of the fourth brother Judas were brought to Domitian and released by him. Nothing is known about the second brother of the Savior, Josiah (as in the Russian translation), except one name, unless we take into account the general information about the brothers of the Savior (see the above quotes about them). The name Josiah itself is spelled differently: Ἰωσήφ, Ἰωάννης, Ἰωσῆ (ς), will give birth. Ἰωσῆτος, as in Mark (Mark 6:3). The most reliable reading in Matthew is Ἰωσήφ, and in Mark - Ἰωσῆτος (genitive case). Even less is known from the Gospel about the Savior’s sisters. They are mentioned only in Matthew 13:56; Mark 3:32, 6:3, where they are not called by name. There is not much difference between the expressions "son of the carpenter" (Matthew) and "carpenter" (Mark), and it can hardly be said that the former title is "more respectful." Mark’s expression “carpenter” was echoed by later writers; Wed Celsus in Origen: ἦν τέκτων τὴν τέχνην. Origen denies that Jesus Christ is called a "carpenter" (τέκτων) anywhere in the Gospels. Justin (Dialogus cum Tryphone, 88): τὰ τεκτονικὰ ἔργα εἰργάζετο, ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὤν, ἄροτρα καὶ ζυγά (Christ “did carpentry work, being among people - plows of the yoke”). To the word “carpenter” in some manuscripts “Joseph” is added. The correct reading in Mark appears to be ὁ τἔκτων ὁ υἱὸς τῆς Μαρίας. Matthew 13:56. and are not His sisters all among us? where did He get all this from? According to Theophylact, the Savior had two sisters, who were called Mary and Salome, according to other sources - Esther and Tamar. The expression πρός ἡμᾶς εἰσίν means: “they live here with us.” Matthew 13:57. And they were offended because of Him. Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house. This is a proverb, then in use among the people and generally true, although not always. John the Baptist, also Isaiah, Elisha, Daniel and others were held in high esteem. But in general, it’s a common occurrence in life when we “love others and despise our neighbors.” Matthew's speech is similar to Mark's, but somewhat abbreviated. Matthew 13:58. And he did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief. From this it is clear that few miracles were performed by the Savior in Nazareth. John Chrysostom asks: why did few perform miracles? So that they do not say: “doctor, heal yourself” (Luke 4:23); so that they do not say: he is hostile to us and alien and despises his own; so that they would not say that if He had performed miracles, then we would have believed in Him. From this point in Matthew's Gospel the grouping of material becomes closer to Mark. You might be interested in: