Iesus Expounds His Inner Teaching To The Twelve.
1. AND the disciples came and said unto him,
Why speakest thou unto the multitude in parables?
He answered and said unto them,
Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom (of Heaven) but to them it is not given.
2. For whosoever hath to him shall be given and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he seemeth to have.
3. Therefore speak I to them in parables because they seeing see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
4. For in them is fulfilled the prophecy (of Esaias) which saith, Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive; for this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing and their eyes they have closed, lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted and I should heal them.[1]
5. But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear, and your hearts for they understand. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye See, and have not seen them, and hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
6. THEN Iesus sent the multitude away and his disciples came unto him, saying,
Declare unto us the parable of the field;
and he answered and said unto them,
He that soweth the good seed Is the Son of man;
the field is the world,
the good seed are the children of the kingdom,
but the tares are the children of the wicked one.
The enemy that sowed them is the devil,
the harvest is the end of the world,
and the reapers are the angels.[2]
7. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into a furnace (of fire) and they who will not be purified shall be utterly consumed. Then shall the righteous shine forth [as] the Sun in the Kingdom (of Heaven).
8. HEAR ye also the parable of the sower. The seed that fell by the wayside is [like as] when any hear the word of the Kingdom, and understand it not, then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was sown in their heart. These are they which received seed by the wayside.
9. And they that received the seed into stony places, the same are they that hear the Word and anon with joy receive it. Yet have they not root in themselves but endure only a while, for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the Word, by and by they are offended.
10. They also that received seed among the thorns are they that hear the Word, and the cares (of this world) and the deceitfulness (of riches) choke the Word, and they become unfruitful.
11. But they that receive the seed into the good ground, are they that hear the Word and understand it, who also bear fruit and bring forth, some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred fold.
12. These things I declare unto you of the inner circle; but to those of the outer in parables. Let them hear who have ears to hear.
Read: Isaiah 6:9,10;
Read: Revelation 14:14-20