The Parables of Jesus - The Weeds among the Wheat

Introduction

The main theme of this parable remains the Kingdom of Heaven and how it is made known in the world through Jesus Christ. This time, the Lord uses an example similar to the parable of the sower, but with additional elements. These elements reflect the love of God, His mercy, and the patience He shows so that we may return to Him.

This parable also has a prophetic dimension. It speaks about the end times, when there will be a separation at His return, between those who did not believe the Good News of the Gospel of Christ and those who gave their lives to Christ, the One who gives abundant life for eternity. This reality is certain, because this separation will truly take place when Jesus Christ returns to fully establish His Kingdom and judge the world.

We will see that two kingdoms are clearly present in the world. Yet, despite opposition, the Lord remains sovereign over all things. In His sovereignty, God allows and limits the action of evil without being its author, so that His work may be accomplished. There is truly a distinction between these two kingdoms: the sons of the good seed and the sons of the weeds. 

Both grow together in this world, but they have different destinies and will be separated from one another at the end. Yes, it is possible to live physically with someone while being spiritually distant. Yes, it is also possible to be in an assembly and be confronted with a corrupted gospel.

The whole teaching presented in this passage speaks about two realities: on one side, the good seed, the Gospel of the Kingdom, and on the other side, the work of the evil one, who acts in the world and grows among the good plants. They grow together until the time appointed by God, in His patience, allowing the true nature of each to be revealed until the return of Christ.

We will now see how the Lord reveals God’s sovereign plan in a world where wheat and weeds grow together, awaiting the final judgment.

Reading of the passage of the day.

“Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. And when the wheat sprouted  and produced grain, then the weeds also became evident. And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers,“First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.” v24-30

Let’s now look at the text it self.« Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. » v24

The Kingdom of Heaven is manifested in the world through the Sower, that is Christ, not in a merely physical way but in a spiritual way. The Lord says « His field » which represents the world, and the Sower, who is the Son of Man, holds authority over it. The good seed represents the sons of the Kingdom, those who live for Christ and bear fruit, so that the Kingdom may be visible and life-giving.

As children of God, we are part of this good seed that Christ has placed in the world. What a responsibility we have to live as true sons of the Kingdom, making the reality of Christ visible around us. God’s field is here, and the harvest will be the one that the Lord will fully reveal in the Kingdom of Heaven when we are with Him for eternity.

« But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. » v25

We can see that the wheat is already present in the field, which shows us that the Lord was already sowing the sons of the Kingdom in the world. But the weeds, the sons of the evil one, came among the sons of the Kingdom.

In the biblical context, sleeping and allowing the seed to grow in a field is normal. The text does not emphasize a fault of the servants, but rather the subtle action of the enemy, who acts in an ordinary moment, in a hidden and quiet way. He comes, he sows, and he leaves. Evil enters silently.

This fact also reminds us of another passage in Scripture, when the Lord Jesus Christ asked His disciples not to fall asleep in the garden of Gethsemane. There, sleep became a symbol of human weakness and lack of vigilance. Without saying that Matthew 13 condemns the servants here, it reminds us how spiritual lethargy can become dangerous. 

When we stop praying, reading the Word of God, and gathering together with brothers and sisters, when we lower our guard against false teaching, we become more vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. For elsewhere, Scripture reminds us that our adversary prowls like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Let us therefore not be distracted by the things of this world, by what is temporary and not eternal. The enemy may act quietly, but the Lord remains sovereign, and the harvest will reveal everything. It is when we see Christ that we will receive the crown of glory and fully enter into what He has prepared for us.

«And when the wheat sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also became evident.» v26

Here the fruit becomes the revealing element; it is what defines the identity, or rather the nature, of the plant. When the plant bears fruit, its true nature appears. The difference is not visible at the beginning, but at the time of spiritual maturity.

It speaks here of something that was introduced alongside something good, intentionally mixed in to cause harm. The weeds grow in the middle of the wheat. They develop in the same field, in the world, and become visible over time.

This is the reality of the world: two kingdoms exist, and the sons of each grow in the same space. When the wheat and the weeds grow together, it reveals the manifestation of each one’s fruit, and also reminds us of our vulnerability in a world where the enemy is active. This reality calls us to humility and to dependence on the Holy Spirit, who alone gives true guidance and discernment.

Discernment is an essential reality in the Christian life. It is the ability to judge rightly and to distinguish between truth and falsehood, between what is right and what is wrong, between what is good and what is evil. It is both a gift given by God and a grace that believers are called to cultivate through prayer, through the study of the Word of God, and through a deep conviction of the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

If we are not watchful and vigilant over what influences and shapes our lives, the fruit that results will be affected, and therefore our whole life as well. Sin always produces consequences: suffering, turmoil, fear, doubts, and questioning. But when we allow ourselves to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, the fruit produced will be in harmony with the life that God approves.

Let us therefore make sure that the visible fruit in our lives corresponds to our belonging to the Kingdom of Heaven. The world is this field where these two realities grow together, and growth makes visible what was once hidden.

«And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds? And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. » v27-29

The slaves represent the servants, those who work for the landowner, who is the Master. They do not know how or why these things happen when they occur, even when we think we have done everything correctly, even for God. But the Master clearly reveals the origin: “An enemy has done this!” The enemy is Satan, the devil, the one who opposes God and seeks to hinder His work in the world. He acts, but he never acts outside the limits set by the Master’s sovereignty.

The servants are filled with zeal and courage. They want to act, they want to protect the field, they want to defend what belongs to the Master. But God asks us to be careful in the face of the enemy, because even when we have zeal and courage to protect what belongs to Him, it is God who acts by His mighty authority and sovereignty.

The servants cannot understand the depth, the width, the height, and the length of the building that God is constructing by His Spirit. The prophet Isaiah tells us: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8

The very desire to act immediately could have serious consequences. Pulling up the weeds at the same time as the wheat would cause damage to the Kingdom of Heaven, even while trying to “protect” it. Zeal is good, but it must be submitted to the wisdom of the Master.

Here we see the providence of God at work. The Master watches over the wheat. He protects His own from misdirected zeal. Nothing escapes Him, and even the presence of the weeds is not outside His control. In His sovereignty, He limits the action of evil and preserves what belongs to Him until the time He has appointed.

We can also see the confusion the enemy brings when he tries to disturb what God has sown. He may tempt, he may try to create confusion in the world and in our communities. But it is always the Master who sets the time and the way to act.

It is therefore always right to seek God in prayer and supplication, and to search the Scriptures, so that we may know how to act when the enemy comes to tempt us or to sow confusion in the world, in our communities, and in our lives.

In this challenging world in which we live, discernment regarding the work of the evil one is increasingly necessary because of the presence of false teaching, moral confusion, and the constant pressure of the culture around us. 

The apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.” This transformation, through the renewal of the mind, is essential for developing true discernment.

«Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.» v30

Allowing two different kinds of plants to grow together may seem strange. If we mix two incompatible plants, we would naturally want to pull out the one that overtakes the other so that the good one is not choked. But God chooses to act differently, allowing both to grow together until His appointed time.

Patience is an important virtue that the Word of God highly values. It is closely connected to endurance, perseverance, and long-suffering. It is the ability to remain steady and faithful in the midst of trials, delays, or difficulties, while trusting in God’s sovereign timing. Patience reflects the character of God Himself and is necessary for our spiritual growth and maturity.

This patience does not mean that God approves of evil, but that He acts according to His perfect wisdom and His sovereign timing. During this time, when the wheat and the weeds grow together, the sons of the Kingdom are called to remain faithful to the mission given to them: to preach Christ where they are, to persevere in the faith, to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, as the apostle Paul says; to see their faith tested, as the apostle James reminds us; and in this way to be formed into the stature of Christ.

In this coexistence, God may even use difficult moments, opposition, or testing situations to help His people grow, developing in them greater compassion, love, and dependence on Him. The sons of the Kingdom are called to be light in this world, to show the grace and truth of Christ in the midst of a reality marked by the activity of the enemy, as long as the time of harvest has not yet come.

The time of harvest is a period of separation at the end of the age, when Christ will return to judge the world. At God’s appointed time, Christ will tell the reapers, whom Jesus later identifies as the angels, to gather the weeds, that is, the sons of the evil one, those who did not follow Christ, and they will be tied in bundles to be burned.

God, in His love, still gives time to those who hear this message and who are still alive, so that they may come to Him by believing that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. But the separation will come. The wheat, the sons of the Kingdom, will be in the presence of God for eternity.

Conclusion

To conclude, we will read the very words of Jesus Christ, who gives the explanation of this parable to His disciples:

“Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” v36-43

We are called to be this strong Church, one that reflects this Kingdom, sons and daughters of the eternal Father, bringing this seed of hope and the love of Christ.

It is true that there are priorities in daily life. But the Word of God tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to us. So what are we waiting for to put this into practice? To declare clearly to whom we belong and whom we love?

If Christ is our Master and Lord, then we, His servants, say to Him today: Lord, let Your will be done. Use us as good and faithful sowers, as instruments in Your hands in this field which is the world, among souls still lost. For the time of harvest is coming. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”