Page 59 - Quintessential Gospel of Jesus Christ 1

Truly, I say to you, if a man is not born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God. Truly, I say to you, if a man is not born of water and the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God.

Not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but born of God.
What is born of flesh is flesh; and what is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not be
surprised because I have told you that you all must be born again to see and
enter the kingdom of God.

He Speaks in Parables

He said such is the kingdom of God, like a man who casts seed in the ground
and sleeps and rises up night and day and the seed springs up and grows, while
he is not aware of it. The earth cause it to yield fruit; yet first the root than a blade
of grass, then an ear, and at last a full grain in the ear. When the fruit is ripe and
then straightway comes the sickle, because the harvest is ready.

Jesus said, to what is the kingdom of God like? To what shall I liken it? It is like a
grain of mustard seed, which a man took and cast into his garden. It grew and
became a large tree and the fowls of the sky settle on it branches.

He related another parable to them, and said the kingdom of heaven is like a
man who sowed beneficial seed in his field. When men slept, the adversary
came and sowed tricksters among the beneficial seed and went away; when the
beneficial seed sprang up and bore fruit. Then the trickster also appeared. The
followers of the Sower came and said to him, our Lord, did you not sow beneficial
seed in your field; when did the deceivers come into it? He said to them, the
adversary did this; his followers then said to him; do you want us to go and pluck
them out? He said to them, it might happen that while you were removing the
deceivers you might uproot the beneficial with them. Let then both grow together
until the harvest; at the harvest season I will say to the reapers, pick out first the
tricksters and deceivers, and bind them into bundles to be burned; but gather the
righteous into my barn.

Again the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure which is hidden in the field, which
a man discovered and hid. Because of his joy, he went sold everything he had
and bought that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant, who was seeking good pearls.
When he had found one costly pearl, he went and sold everything he had, and
bought it. Again, the kingdom of God is like a net which was thrown into the sea
and it enclosed fish of every kind. When it was filled; they drew it to the shore; sat
down and sorted them the good ones they put into bags, and the bad they threw
away. Jesus spoke to them with parables like these, such parables as they were
able to hear. Without parables he did not speak to them