Matthew 13:18-23
New Catholic Bible
18 The Explanation of the Parable of the Sower.[a]“Therefore listen to the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart; that is the seed sown on the path. 20 As for the seed sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But such a person has no deep root, and he endures for only a short time. When some trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, he immediately falls away.
22 “The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but worldly cares and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. 23 However, the seed sown in rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 13:18 It is not enough for us to hear the word; we must accept it with all its demands so that it may transform our existence. The four types of persons described in the parable are: (1) those who never accept the word of the kingdom (v. 19); (2) those who believe for a while but fall away because of persecution (vv. 20-21); (3) those who believe, but in whom the word is choked by worldly cares and the lure of riches (v. 22); and (4) those who hear the word and produce an abundant crop (v. 23).
