The Weeds among the Wheat is the parable Jesus told of a field sown with good seed and then sown again with weeds while men slept.
The servants wanted to pull the weeds at once.
The master said no, lest they uproot the wheat.
Let both grow together until the harvest.
The field is the world.
The good seed is the sons of the kingdom.
The weeds are the sons of the evil one.
The harvest is the end of the age.
Jesus sat in a boat and told of a man who sowed good seed in his field. An enemy came at night and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the plants came up, the servants saw the mix and asked if they should gather the weeds. He said, No. Gathering now would tear the wheat. Let both grow until harvest. Then the reapers will bind the weeds for the fire and gather the wheat into the barn.
Later, away from the crowd, the disciples asked for the meaning. He gave it piece by piece.
- The sower is the Son of Man.
- The field is the world, not only a local church row.
- The enemy is the devil.
- The harvest is the end of the age.
- The reapers are angels.
- The Son of Man will send them to gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace.
- The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
The parable answers a raw question: why does the Lord not clean the field now? Because He will not lose wheat to a hasty hand. Patience is not approval of the weeds. It is protection of the crop until the day He named.
- The field is the world. Do not shrink the parable into one congregation and then play judge.
- Good seed and bad seed look alike at first. Wait is part of wisdom.
- The enemy sows. The night is his hour for counterfeit grain.
- Servants are not told to be naive. They are told not to run the harvest.
- Fire and barn are both real. The end of the age is not a metaphor for a feeling.
- Causes of sin and law-breakers are gathered out of His kingdom. The kingdom has a cleaning day.
- He who has ears, let him hear.
- Good Seed – Sons of the kingdom, sown by the Son of Man.
- Weeds – Sons of the evil one, sown by the devil.
- The Field – The world.
- Sleep and Sowing – The enemy works while men sleep.
- Grow Together – No premature purge that wrecks the wheat.
- Harvest – The end of the age; angels as reapers.
- Two Ends – Furnace and the Father’s kingdom; weeping, or shining like the sun.
- Matthew 13:24-30 – “He put another parable before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to 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 went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” So the servants said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he said, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
- Matthew 13:36-43 – “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.’”
- Matthew 13:47-50 – The net that gathered fish of every kind; the good kept, the bad thrown away at the close of the age—same harvest logic.
- Matthew 3:12 – “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
- Malachi 4:1-2 – The day burns like an oven for the arrogant; for those who fear His name, the sun of righteousness rises.
- Daniel 12:3 – “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”
- 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”
- Revelation 14:14-16 – The Son of Man with a sickle; the earth is reaped.
- 1 Corinthians 4:5 – “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness…”
- Matthew 7:21-23 – Not everyone who says Lord, Lord; lawlessness named at the end.
- John 8:44 – The devil is a liar and the father of lies—the sower of the counterfeit.
- Genesis 3:15 – Enmity between the serpent’s offspring and the woman’s—two seeds in the field of the world.
An enemy has done this.
Let both grow together until the harvest.
The field is the world. The good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one.
The harvest is the end of the age. The reapers are angels.
Do not play the reaper before the day. Do not call the weeds wheat to keep the peace.
They will gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
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