Matthew part 21
Weeds and Wheat
The Parable of the Weeds and Wheat | 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 13:24-30
We will read the interpretation of this parable in a bit, but first, I’d like to point out a couple key points. First is the repetition of ‘good’. The Master sows good seed. ‘Good’, here, reinforces a point made throughout Scripture. God’s original design is good. There a few options in Greek to describe something is ‘good’, and this one denotes virtue, health, and suitability. God’s design for humanity and the cosmos is ‘as it should be.’
The initial state of the fields remind us God’s original design was perfectly as it should be.
The problem is an enemy has sown weeds—useless plants that choke the life of the crop. The enemy sneaks into the field and scatters his own seed that takes root in the field. The Master’s servants realize the problem, and they offer a solution. They will go and rip up the weeds. The Master stops them, however, because if they rip up the weeds, there is a strong chance they will destroy some of the crop. They must wait until the harvest time, when all the crops are ready, and then they can separate the good from the bad.
The willingness of the Master to allow the weeds to grow demonstrates how important the crop is to him. He is not willing that any of the wheat be destroyed because of the weeds. Likewise, he is willing to let the weeds cause some harm, because it will allow the wheat to grow.
The Master is willing to let the weeds cause some harm, because it will not destroy the wheat.
At the harvest time, the workers will go and rip up the weeds. Because at that time, the wheat will have grown to maturity and be ready to move on to the next phase of its existence. Any power the weeds have over the crop will be fully removed, and the wheat will be gathered into the barn. The weeds, on the other hand, will be sent to the burn pile.
Now, let’s skip down to verse 36 and read what Jesus has to say about his parable.
The Weeds Explained | 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 13:36-43
As we read the interpretation, we can look back at those initial points and see how they apply to our lives. First, God’s initial design was good—exactly as it should be. That means, for us, if we want to live the best life, we must seek after God’s original design. The enemy has planted weeds, sons of evil, who have corrupted this world. The Son of Man did not come to bring us some arbitrary rules or another religious system. He came to bring us life as God intended our lives to be.
Following Jesus is about living as God designed us to live.
Now, we have a choice in the matter. Keep in mind this parable is ‘like’ the kingdom of heaven. We should not stretch the metaphor too far. Because if the field is the earth, and the wheat and weeds are the sons of the kingdom and sons of the evil one, then we naturally must ask where we are in this story.
Look again at verse 41. When the angels come to harvest, they will gather out of the kingdom “all causes of sin and all law-breakers.” Your translation may say “all who offend” or “all that cause stumbling.” Interestingly, the word is skandalon which is the same word Jesus uses when reporting to John the Baptist’s disciples. Jesus says, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” It is also the same word in the Sermon on the Mount when Jesus says, “If your eye offends you, pluck it out.” In fact, it is a word used throughout Matthew that gives us the picture of ‘something that hinders the truth of the kingdom.’ Here, Jesus gives this type of offense the picture of weeds in a garden.
God is growing His Kingdom, but there are weeds in life that try to get in the way.
Blessed are those who overcome the weeds. And we can do that by turning to Jesus. Even more so, God promises us that when we do overcome this present world through Christ, we will “shine like the sun.” We will be transformed into something absolutely glorious.
As we consider the growth of the kingdom, let’s take a look at the next parable which illustrates this truth.
The Parables of the Mustard Seed & Leaven | Matthew 13:31-32
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Matthew 13:31-32
These two parables work together to illustrate the unrelenting growth that is the Kingdom of Heaven. The first reminds us the kingdom on earth begins very small. In fact, it began 2,000 years ago with the arrival of Jesus Christ. At the Incarnation, heaven invaded earth. We celebrate this each year at Christmas. We remember that God came into this lost and dying world to bring life. But Jesus didn’t stop with just showing up. He grew the kingdom into a tree that will grow so large birds can nest in it. This reminds us the kingdom is growing, and will continue to grow until it reaches the maturity God intends.
The second parable reinforces the inevitability of the kingdom. When a woman adds leaven for bread making, it doesn’t take much. Leaven is a small bacteria that multiplies in the mix. Even in our modern day, it’s almost impossible to remove all yeast. To make unleavened bread, bakers have to be careful to avoid making an environment for yeast to take effect. Sometimes the stuff just happens to be floating around the air. But once a little gets into the flour, the process begins and eventually the whole batch will be leavened.
Jesus is going to save this world—the kingdom of heaven will grow.
Now, I can use this type of assurance for two reasons. One, Jesus has already demonstrated his power through the Resurrection. If He says it will happen, it will happen. Two, the truth of Jesus was promised long before Jesus ever showed up. And if those things are true, then so is this prophecy, too.
The Parables in Prophecy | Matthew 13:34-35
All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”Matthew 13:34-35
Last week we read the first occurrence of this point by Matthew. Jesus purposefully told the truth about the kingdom through parables, so that whoever is willing to learn will learn, but those who reject Jesus will continue in ignorance. But let’s consider the second part of this prophecy.
Isaiah says the Messiah will speak in parables and teach what has been hidden since the beginning of the world. These are eternal truths about reality beyond this physical world. Each prophecy has come to fulfillment, and the ones promised to us in this age will be fulfilled, as well.
Prophecy will be fulfilled just as God promises.
Jesus is going to save this world. He has already started. And each time someone comes to faith in Jesus, they become a wheat that will be gathered into the heavenly barn at the harvest. They become a part of the kingdom tree that is growing into a massive environment for all God’s creatures.
A harvest time is coming when the work of the enemy will be uprooted and burned. All the devil has done to hold back the kingdom will be seen for what it is—an act of complete futility. The Master will have His Kingdom and His harvest. The righteous ones who have surrendered to Jesus will shine like the sun into eternity.
The question for us, today, is not whether these things will occur, but which side of the harvest will we find ourselves? Will we surrender to Jesus, join the kingdom of heaven, and shine like the sun? Or, will we continue in our sin, causing others to sin, and be burned up like the rest of the devil’s work? These are our only choices.