Discovery BoxMatthew 10:31 
Context10:31 So do not be afraid; 1 you are more valuable than many sparrows.
Matthew 13:3
Context13:3 He 2 told them many things in parables, 3 saying: “Listen! 4 A sower went out to sow. 5
Matthew 13:58
Context13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
Matthew 16:10
Context16:10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you took up?
Matthew 19:30
Context19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
Matthew 24:12
Context24:12 and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold.
Matthew 26:60
Context26:60 But they did not find anything, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally 6 two came forward
Matthew 27:52
Context27:52 And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died 7 were raised.
1 sn Do not be afraid. One should respect and show reverence to God, but need not fear his tender care.
2 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
3 sn Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. the remainder of chapter 13), many times they are simply stories that attempt to teach spiritual truth (which is unknown to the hearers) by using a comparison with something known to the hearers. In general, parables usually advance a single idea, though there may be many parts and characters in a single parable and subordinate ideas may expand the main idea further. The beauty of using the parable as a teaching device is that it draws the listener into the story, elicits an evaluation, and demands a response.
4 tn Grk “Behold.”
5 sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through which a well-worn path runs. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots (Isa 55:10-11). The point of the parable of the sower is to illustrate the various responses to the message of the kingdom of God.
6 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
7 tn The verb κοιμάω (koimaw) literally means “sleep,” but it is often used in the Bible as a euphemism for the death of a believer.
