Scrutatio

Venerdi, 29 marzo 2024 - Santi Simplicio e Costantino ( Letture di oggi)

Matthew 13


font

1That same day, Jesus left the house and sat by the lakeside,2but such large crowds gathered round him that he got into a boat and sat there. The people all stoodon the shore,3and he told them many things in parables. He said, 'Listen, a sower went out to sow.4As he sowed, some seeds fel on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up.5Others fel on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up at once, because there was nodepth of earth;6but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away.7Others fel among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.8Others fel on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.9Anyone who has ears should listen!'10Then the disciples went up to him and asked, 'Why do you talk to them in parables?'11In answer, he said, 'Because to you is granted to understand the mysteries of the kingdom ofHeaven, but to them it is not granted.12Anyone who has wil be given more and wil have more than enough; but anyone who has not will bedeprived even of what he has.13The reason I talk to them in parables is that they look without seeing and listen without hearing orunderstanding.14So in their case what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah is being fulfil ed: Listen and listen, but neverunderstand! Look and look, but never perceive!15This people's heart has grown coarse, their ears dul ed, they have shut their eyes tight to avoid usingtheir eyes to see, their ears to hear, their heart to understand, changing their ways and being healed by me.16'But blessed are your eyes because they see, your ears because they hear!17In truth I tel you, many prophets and upright people longed to see what you see, and never saw it; tohear what you hear, and never heard it.18'So pay attention to the parable of the sower.19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the Evil One comes and carriesoff what was sown in his heart: this is the seed sown on the edge of the path.20The seed sown on patches of rock is someone who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy.21But such a person has no root deep down and does not last; should some trial come, or somepersecution on account of the word, at once he falls away.22The seed sown in thorns is someone who hears the word, but the worry of the world and the lure ofriches choke the word and so it produces nothing.23And the seed sown in rich soil is someone who hears the word and understands it; this is the onewho yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.'24He put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man whosowed good seed in his field.25While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off.26When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, then the darnel appeared as wel .27The owner's labourers went to him and said, "Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field?If so, where does the darnel come from?"28He said to them, "Some enemy has done this." And the labourers said, "Do you want us to go andweed it out?"29But he said, "No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pul up the wheat with it.30Let them both grow til the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First col ect thedarnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn." '31He put another parable before them, 'The kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed which a mantook and sowed in his field.32It is the smal est of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest of shrubs and becomes atree, so that the birds of the air can come and shelter in its branches.'33He told them another parable, 'The kingdom of Heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed inwith three measures of flour til it was leavened al through.'34In al this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except inparables.35This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: I will speak to you in parables, unfold what hasbeen hidden since the foundation of the world.36Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, 'Explain tous the parable about the darnel in the field.'37He said in reply, 'The sower of the good seed is the Son of man.38The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of theEvil One;39the enemy who sowed it, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels.40Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it wil be at the end of time.41The Son of man wil send his angels and they wil gather out of his kingdom al causes of fal ing andal who do evil,42and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.43Then the upright will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Anyone who has ears shouldlisten!44'The kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again,goes off in his joy, sel s everything he owns and buys the field.45'Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls;46when he finds one of great value he goes and sells everything he owns and buys it.47'Again, the kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that is cast in the sea and brings in a haul of al kindsof fish.48When it is full, the fishermen bring it ashore; then, sitting down, they collect the good ones in basketsand throw away those that are no use.49This is how it will be at the end of time: the angels wil appear and separate the wicked from theupright,50to throw them into the blazing furnace, where there wil be weeping and grinding of teeth.51'Have you understood al these?' They said, 'Yes.'52And he said to them, 'Wel then, every scribe who becomes a disciple of the kingdom of Heaven islike a householder who brings out from his storeroom new things as well as old.'53When Jesus had finished these parables he left the district;54and, coming to his home town, he taught the people in their synagogue in such a way that they wereastonished and said, 'Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?55This is the carpenter's son, surely? Is not his mother the woman cal ed Mary, and his brothers Jamesand Joseph and Simon and Jude?56His sisters, too, are they not al here with us? So where did the man get it all?'57And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is despised only in his owncountry and in his own house,'58and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.