But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots.
Parallel translations
- WEB But he answered, “Every plant which my heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.
- KJV But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.
- NKJV But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.
- NASB But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted.
- NLT Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus says every plant his Father did not plant will be uprooted. It matters because it warns that teaching not rooted in God will ultimately be removed.
Overview
Using a vivid image, Jesus declares that whatever God has not planted—false teaching and those who cling to it—will be torn up. The Pharisees' man-made traditions have no lasting root and face certain judgment. The saying reassures the disciples that God's truth, not human authority, will stand in the end. It points forward to the final separation when only what God has established endures.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- John 15:2He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful.
- Isa 60:21Then all your people will be righteous; they will possess the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, so that I may be glorified.
- John 15:6If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.
- Isa 61:3to console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.
- Ps 92:13Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
- Matt 13:40–41As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
- 1 Cor 3:12–15If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw,
- 1 Cor 3:9For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 15:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.