Discovery BoxMatthew 13:19 
Context13:19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one 1 comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; 2 this is the seed sown along the path.
Matthew 13:52
Context13:52 Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law 3 who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.”
1 sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Mark 4:15 has “Satan,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.
2 sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.
3 tn Or “every scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4. It is possible that the term translated “expert in the law” (traditionally, “scribe”) here is a self-description used by the author, Matthew, to represent his role in conveying the traditions about Jesus to his intended audience. See David E. Orton, The Understanding Scribe [JSNTSup].
