Matthew 13 (résumé): A series of Parables

Matthew 13 presents a series of 7 parables, and as I was taught as a child at Sunday School, parables are earthly stories with heavenly meanings - everyday topics with spiritual meaning. The first parable here is the parable of the Sower where a farmer sows seed and some fell in the path and the birds ate it (the evil one snatches away what was sown), some seed fell on rocky terrain and in the shallow earth the plants withered with no roots (a person receives the word but he doesn't last because of lack of roots), other seed fell among thorns (a person who received the word but lets "the deceitfulness of wealth choke it), and other seed fell on good ground which produces fruit. There then follows a further agricultural parable with good seed being sown, but with an enemy planting weeds to mess things up. The farmer decided to let everything grow together and then burn the weeds at harvest time before gathering the wheat. Jesus says the good seed are the sons of the kingdom, and the bad seed are the sons of the evil one. At the end of the age the evil ones will be thrown in the fiery furnace, and the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom. Next came the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast. The moral of the Mustard Seed parable is that though the seeds are tiny yet they produce large plants that become trees. Then comes the parable of the Yeast which leavens a large amount of flour. These 2 parables show the kingdom with modest beginning having strong effects on people's lives. Next come the parables of hidden treasure  which is bought at all cost, and then the parable of the Pearl which too is purchased at all cost. The moral of these parables is that Jesus and the kingdom are worth more than anything else! Finally comes the parable of the net which catches good and bad fish. Jesus says that at the end of the age angels will put the bad fish in a fiery furnace, but collect the good ones in baskets. Finally Jesus returned to his home town of Nazareth and there people were amazed at his teaching, especially considering that they knew his mother, brothers and sisters. Jesus remarked that a prophet is without honour in his home town.