Priest The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew.
People Glory be to thee,
O Lord.
Jesus put before the crowds another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is
like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the
smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs
and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." He told them another parable: "The
kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three
measures of flour until all of it was leavened." "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure
hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and
sells all that he has and buys that field.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine
pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had
and bought it. "Again, the kingdom
of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every
kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into
baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels
will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the
furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. "Have you understood all this?"
They answered, "Yes." And he said to them, "Therefore every
scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a
household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."