The Kingdom Parables: Wheat, Mustard Seed and Yeast

Matthew 13

²⁴ He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,

²⁵ but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds also among the wheat, and went away.

²⁶ But when the blade sprang up and produced grain, then the darnel weeds appeared also.

²⁷ The servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did these darnel weeds come from?’

²⁸ “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’

²⁹ “But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them.

³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

³⁶ Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”

³⁷ He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

³⁸ the field is the world, the good seeds are the children of the Kingdom, and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one.

³⁹ The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

⁴⁰ As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age.

⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and those who do iniquity,

⁴² and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

³¹ He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took, and sowed in his field,

³² which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.”

Mark 4

³⁰ He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it?

³¹ It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth,

³² yet when it is sown, grows up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”

³³ With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it.

³⁴ Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

Luke 13

¹⁸ He said, “What is God’s Kingdom like? To what shall I compare it?

¹⁹ It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and put in his own garden. It grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the sky live in its branches.”

Matthew 13

³³ He spoke another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened.”

Luke 13

²⁰ Again he said, “To what shall I compare God’s Kingdom?

²¹ It is like yeast, which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”