Matthew 13

Matthew 13 is the thirteenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Verses 3 to 52 of this chapter form the third of the five Discourses of Matthew, called the Parabolic Discourse, based on the parables of the Kingdom.[1] At the end of the chapter, Jesus is rejected by the people of his hometown, Nazareth.

Matthew 13
Gospel of Matthew 13:55–56 on Papyrus 103, from c. AD 200
BookGospel of Matthew
CategoryGospel
Christian Bible partNew Testament
Order in the Christian part1
Gospel of
Matthew
Chapters

Text
The parable of the tares

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 58 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:

Old Testament references

New Testament references

Structure

This chapter can be grouped (with cross references, where there are parallels, to the other gospels):

Parables

Matthew 13 presents seven parables,[5] and two explanations of his parables. The chapter contains the following parables, in respective order:

  1. Parable of the Sower
  2. Parable of the Tares
  3. Parable of the Mustard Seed
  4. Parable of the Leaven
  5. Parable of the Hidden Treasure
  6. Parable of the Pearl
  7. Parable of Drawing in the Net

The following explanations of the first two parables are included:

  1. Explanation of the Parable of the Sower
  2. Explanation of the Parable of the Tares

Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer identifies two groups of parables: the four first parables (up to Matthew 13:34) "were spoken in presence of the multitude, and the other three again within the circle of the disciples".[6] German liberal Protestant theologian David Strauss thought this chapter was "overwhelming with parables".[6] At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus sits in a ship or a boat on the Sea of Galilee and addresses the crowd who stand on the shore or the beach.[7] The Textus Receptus has inserted the definite article (Greek: τὸ πλοῖον, to ploion), suggesting that there was a boat kept waiting for him,[8] but other texts do not include the definite article and the Pulpit Commentary therefore argues that it was "wrongly inserted".[9]

Verses 51-52
51"Have you understood all these things?" Jesus asked.
"Yes", they replied.
52 He said to them, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old."[10]

These verses conclude the Parabolic Discourse and may be called a "comparative proverb".[11] Henry Alford describes them as a "solemn conclusion to the parables.[5] Johann Bengel suggests that Jesus would have been ready to explain the other parables if necessary, "but they understood them, if not perfectly, yet truly".[8] The reference to scribes, or teachers of the Jewish law, who became disciples reflects the Matthean gospel focus in particular; the Jerusalem Bible suggests that this reference may portray the evangelist himself.[12]

Verses 53-58

The final verses of this chapter see Jesus return to his home town, meaning Nazareth,[11] where he preaches in the synagogue and experiences the rejection of his "own people",[13] and his own country.

Dale Allison sees these verses and the following chapters as far as chapter 17 as recounting "the birth of the Church";[11] the Jerusalem Bible likewise holds that the same long section constitutes a narrative on the Church, followed by Matthew 18, which is often called the Discourse on the Church.[14]

See also

References
  1. Preaching Matthew's Gospel by Richard A. Jensen (1998). ISBN 978-0-7880-1221-1. pp. 25 and 158.
  2. Alexander, Loveday (2007). "62. Acts". In Barton, John; Muddiman, John (eds.). The Oxford Bible Commentary (first (paperback) ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 1061. ISBN 978-0199277186. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  3. Kirkpatrick, A. F. (1901). The Book of Psalms: with Introduction and Notes. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges. Vol. Book IV and V: Psalms XC-CL. Cambridge: At the University Press. p. 839. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  4. Sub-heading in Jerusalem Bible
  5. Alford, H., Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary - Alford on Matthew 13, accessed 25 February 2021
  6. Meyer, H. A. W., Meyer's NT Commentary on Matthew 13, published 1880, accessed 13 January 2017
  7. Matthew 13:2
  8. Bengel, J. A., Bengel's Gnomon on Matthew 13, accessed 13 January 2017
  9. Pulpit Commentary on Matthew 13, accessed 13 January 2017
  10. Matthew 13:51–52
  11. Allison, D. Jr., Matthew in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001), The Oxford Bible Commentary, p. 862
  12. Jerusalem Bible, footnote l at Matthew 13:52
  13. Matthew 13:57:TLB: The Living Bible, Kenneth N. Taylor's paraphrase, accessed 29 November 2022
  14. Jensen, R. A. (1998), Preaching Matthew's Gospel, ISBN 978-0-7880-1221-1 pages 25 and 158
Preceded by
Matthew 12		 Chapters of the New Testament
Gospel of Matthew		 Succeeded by
Matthew 14
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