A sower went forth to sow, and as he sowed, some seeds fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured them. And some fell upon rocky places, where they had not much earth; and straightway they sprang up, because they had no deepness of earth; and when the sun was risen, they were scorched and withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. But some fell upon good ground and yielded fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. As the disciples did not understand the meaning of this parable, Jesus gave them this explanation: The seed is the Word of God; when any one hears the Word and does not understand it, then comes the evil one and snatches away that which is sowed in his heart. This is the seed sown by the wayside.--That which fell upon rocky places is he that hears the Word, and straightway with joy receives it; and when tribulation and persecution arise because of the Word, he straightway stumbles.--That which is sown among thorns is he that hears the Word, and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.--But that sown in the good ground is he that hears the Word and keeps it in his heart, and it bears fruit. (Matt. 13:1-23.) 64. The Tares Among the Wheat The Kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field. But in the night an enemy came, and sowed tares among the wheat. When the seed sprang up, the tares appeared also. And the servants went to the householder and said: Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence has it then tares? He answered: An enemy has done this. The servants said: Wilt thou, then, that we go and gather them up? He answered: Nay, lest haply ye root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until harvest; then I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. Jesus has explained also this parable: He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; the good seed is the children of the kingdom, and the tares are the children of the evil one; and the enemy that sowed the tares is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the servants are the angels. As the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be in the end of the world. Then shall the Son of Man send forth His angels, and they shall gather the ungodly, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. (Matt. 13:24-43.) 65. The Good Samaritan