24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matthew 13:24-30 KJV)
The Parable of the Weeds
Christ’s preaching contained truths hidden since the world’s foundation. The mystery of the gospel had been concealed in God’s plans (Ephesians 3:9; Romans 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Colossians 1:26). If we love learning about ancient and secret things, we should welcome the gospel, which is both ancient and mysterious. It had been wrapped in symbols and shadows but is now revealed for us and our children (Deuteronomy 29:29).
Christ taught through parables—figurative sayings that captured attention and encouraged deeper thought. Solomon’s proverbs, filled with imagery, were called parables, but Christ’s wisdom surpasses Solomon’s. His words contained treasures of wisdom.
The parable of the weeds and its explanation must be taken together. The disciples asked Jesus to explain it (Matthew 13:36). He had sent the crowd away, and sadly, many left no wiser than they came. They heard words but did not let them take root in their hearts. Christ then entered the house, not for rest but for private instruction with his disciples, whom he mainly intended to teach. He was always ready to help. The disciples seized the opportunity, showing their desire to understand. It is good to discuss sermons afterward, helping one another remember and apply what was taught (Luke 24:32; Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
Jesus explained that the parable represents the present and future state of God’s kingdom. It illustrates Christ’s care for the church, the devil’s hostility, the mix of good and evil in this world, and the final separation in the next. The visible church, though containing hypocrites, belongs to Christ. The true believers in it are heirs of heaven.
The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. Christ is the Lord of the field and the harvest. All good in the world comes from him—truths preached, faith planted, souls sanctified. Ministers are his instruments, depending entirely on his blessing. Christ, being the Son of Man, is approachable yet authoritative.
The field is the world—a vast place capable of producing good fruit, though much bad fruit grows instead. The world here represents the visible church scattered across the earth, not confined to one nation. It is Christ’s field because all things are under his authority. Any power the devil has is unjustly usurped. When Christ fully claims his kingdom, it will be rightfully his.
The good seed are the children of the kingdom—true saints, not just by profession like the Jews (Matthew 8:12), but sincerely. They are God’s precious seed (Psalm 126:6), scattered throughout the world. They are the ones from whom God receives honor and service.
The weeds are the children of the evil one—sinners, hypocrites, and the ungodly. Though they do not openly claim the devil’s name, they bear his image, follow his desires, and are influenced by him (Ephesians 2:2; John 8:44). They are weeds among the wheat, unfruitful themselves and harmful to the good crop. Yet God permits good and evil to exist together for now—to test the faithful, leave sinners without excuse, and distinguish earth from heaven.
The enemy who sowed the weeds is the devil, an enemy of Christ, of all goodness, and of the world itself. Ever since he became a fallen spirit, he has worked tirelessly to spread wickedness, trying to counteract Christ’s work. Take note of the following:
- In the outward and visible church, there has always been and will be a mixture of good and bad, saints and sinners, hypocrites and sincere Christians until the day of judgment.
- A day will come when Christ will make a perfect separation and divide the tares from the wheat—that is, the righteous from the wicked.
- In the meantime, no one should be so offended by this mixture in the church to the extent of quitting the church because of it. Until the harvest, it is not to be expected that the tares and the wheat will be completely separated.
- Although the tares are not to be pulled up once sown, the church still must do all it can to prevent their sowing. Though we must not root out the wicked, we must prevent wickedness from taking root as much as possible. Our Savior, who forbade pulling up the tares, did not forbid preventing their sowing.
- This does not mean that the wicked should not be removed from church communion by excommunication. This text also does not prove that magistrates should not punish evildoers since these words were spoken to the ministers of the church, not to civil authorities.