What Is God’s Kingdom Like?^(A)

³¹ Then Jesus told the people another story: “God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed that a man plants in his field. ³² It is the smallest of all seeds. But when it grows, it is the largest of all garden plants. It becomes a tree big enough for the birds to come and make nests in its branches.”

³³ Then Jesus told them another story: “God’s kingdom is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour to make bread. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”

Stories About a Treasure and a Pearl

⁴⁴ “God’s kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure. He hid it again and was so happy that he went and sold everything he owned and bought the field.

⁴⁵ “Also, God’s kingdom is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. ⁴⁶ One day he found a very fine pearl. He went and sold everything he had to buy it.

A Story About a Fishing Net

⁴⁷ “Also, God’s kingdom is like a net that was put into the lake. The net caught many different kinds of fish. ⁴⁸ It was full, so the fishermen pulled it to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets. Then they threw away the bad fish. ⁴⁹ It will be the same at the end of time. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the godly people. ⁵⁰ They will throw the evil people into the place of fire. There the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”

⁵¹ Then Jesus asked his followers, “Do you understand all these things?”

They said, “Yes, we understand.”

⁵² Then Jesus said to the followers, “So every teacher of the law who has learned about God’s kingdom has some new things to teach. He is like the owner of a house. He has new things and old things saved in that house. And he brings out the new with the old.”