12:43. And when an unclean spirit is gone out of a man he walketh through dry places seeking rest, and findeth none.
12:44. Then he saith: I will return into my house from whence I came out. And coming he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
12:45. Then he goeth, and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is made worse than the first. So shall it be also to this wicked generation.
12:46. As he was yet speaking to the mult.i.tudes, behold his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him.
12:47. And one said unto him: Behold thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking thee.
12:48. But he answering him that told him, said: Who is my mother, and who are my brethren?
Who is my mother?... This was not spoken by way of slighting his mother, but to shew that we are never to suffer ourselves to be taken from the service of G.o.d, by any inordinate affection to our earthly parents: and that which our Lord chiefly regarded in his mother, was her doing the will of his Father in heaven. It may also further allude to the reprobation of the Jews, his carnal kindred, and the election of the Gentiles.
12:49. And stretching forth his hand towards his disciples, he said: Behold my mother and my brethren.
12:50. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, that is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
Matthew Chapter 13
The parables of the sower and the c.o.c.kle: of the mustardseed, etc.
13:1. The same day Jesus going out of the house, sat by the sea side.
13:2. And great mult.i.tudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went up into a boat and sat: and all the mult.i.tude stood on the sh.o.r.e.
13:3. And he spoke to them many things in parables, saying: Behold the sower went forth to sow.
13:4. And whilst he soweth some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate them up.
13:5. And other some fell upon stony ground, where they had not much earth: and they sprung up immediately, because they had no deepness of earth.
13:6. And when the sun was up they were scorched: and because they had not root, they withered away.
13:7. And others fell among thorns: and the thorns grew up and choked them.
13:8. And others fell upon good ground: and they brought forth fruit, some an hundred fold, some sixty fold, and some thirty fold.
13:9. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
13:10. And his disciples came and said to him: Why speakest thou to them in parables?
13:11. Who answered and said to them: Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven: but to them it is not given.
13:12. For he that hath, to him shall be given, and he shall abound: but he that hath not, from him shall be taken away that also which he hath.
13:13. Therefore do I speak to them in parables: because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
13:14. And the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in them, who saith: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.
13:15. For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut: lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
13:16. But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
13:17. For, amen, I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them: and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them.
13:18. Hear you therefore the parable of the sower.
13:19. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, there cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart: this is he that received the seed by the way side.
13:20. And he that received the seed upon stony ground, is he that heareth the word, and immediately receiveth it with joy.
13:21. Yet hath he not root in himself, but is only for a time: and when there ariseth tribulation and persecution because of the word, he is presently scandalized.
13:22. And he that received the seed among thorns, is he that heareth the word, and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choketh up the word, and he becometh fruitless.
13:23. But he that received the seed upon good ground, is he that heareth the word, and understandeth, and beareth fruit, and yieldeth the one an hundredfold, and another sixty, and another thirty.
13:24. Another parable he proposed to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field.
13:25. But while men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed c.o.c.kle among the wheat and went his way.
13:26. And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the c.o.c.kle.
13:27. And the servants of the good man of the house coming said to him.
Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then hath it c.o.c.kle?
13:28. And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up?
13:29. And he said: No, lest perhaps gathering up the c.o.c.kle, you root up the wheat also together with it.
13:30. Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the c.o.c.kle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn.
13:31. Another parable he proposed unto them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.
13:32. Which is the least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof.
13:33. Another parable he spoke to them: The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened.
13:34. All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the mult.i.tudes: and without parables he did not speak to them.
13:35. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.
13:36. Then having sent away the mult.i.tudes, he came into the house, and his disciples came to him, saying: Expound to us the parable of the c.o.c.kle of the field.
13:37. Who made answer and said to them: He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man.
13:38. And the field is the world. And the good seed are the children of the kingdom. And the c.o.c.kle are the children of the wicked one.
13:39. And the enemy that sowed them, is the devil. But the harvest is the end of the world. And the reapers are the angels.