The Parable of the Wheat & the Weeds
December 17, 2019
Commentary
Jesus told a second parable about a farmer sowing wheat in his field (vv. 24-30). Later in the chapter (vv. 36-43) Jesus explained the meaning of the parable to the disciples. The Kingdom of heaven is like a farmer (Jesus) who sows good seed (believers) in a field (the world). But in the night, an enemy (the devil) sows weeds (unbelievers) in the field with the good seeds. If the farmer tries to remove the weeds before the harvest (the end of the age) he will destroy the wheat as well. And so, He told his workers (the angels) to wait for the harvest, at which time the wheat will be placed in the barn and the weeds will be burned (in hell). We may not like it, but in this life God allows the righteous and the wicked to live side by side. It is more important to judge our own response to God than to analyze the responses of others.
Jesus’s third and fourth parables are seemingly connected in meaning. Unfortunately, Jesus did not explain these so their meanings can only be conjectured. A mustard seed was the proverbial “very small thing” (Matt. 17:20). It was the smallest garden seed known yet it produced a plant that grew to a height of twelve feet (v. 32). One interpretation of this parable sees the mustard seed’s rapid, expansive growth as symbolic of the church, with the birds representing the peoples of the world finding refuge in it. Old Testament passages use similar imagery (Ps. 104:12; Ezek. 17:22-24; 31:3-14). Another interpretation sees the birds as agents of Satan (as in the first parable) invading and perverting the church. Similarly, the fourth parable about the leaven (v. 33) is either about the invisible working of leaven in bread to make it rise, symbolizing God’s invisible work to grow his kingdom or it can be interpretated as false doctrine entering the church being passed on from generation to generation. Leaven often symbolizes evil in the bible (Matt. 16:5-12).
Application
I think it is important to tell stories and use illustrations when preaching or teaching.
Matthew 13:24– 43 (NET)
24 He presented them with another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat and went away. 26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the darnel also appeared. 27 So the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the darnel come from?’ 28 He said, ‘An enemy has done this!’ So the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather it?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the darnel you may uproot the wheat along with it. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
31 He gave them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest in its branches.”
33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of flour until all the dough had risen.”
34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable. 35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.”
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world and the good seed are the people of the kingdom. The poisonous weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 As the poisonous weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!