By Peter Amsterdam
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The parable of the wheat and the weeds, which only appears in the Gospel of Matthew, shares some similarities with the parable of the seed growing in Mark 4:26–29, in terms of vocabulary used and ideas expressed, but it is also significantly different. Chapter 13 of Matthew contains eight parables, and in that line-up “the wheat and weeds” directly follows another parable that has to do with sowing seed—“the sower and the seed.”
Let’s take a look at the parable:
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).
Unlike the farmer in the parable of the sower and the seed, who actually did the sowing himself, the man in this parable was a man of means, a landowner who had servants who did such tasks. In the story, after the good wheat seed was sown, an enemy came in the night and sowed weed seeds in the same field.
In the ancient world, when there were rivalries between farmers, they would sometimes sow harmful seeds in the field of their enemy. The weeds (tares in some translations) referred to here were likely darnel—a poisonous weed which is related to the wheat family and grows plentifully in Syria and Palestine. In its early stages of growth, darnel resembles wheat; though it’s easy to distinguish between the two later, as darnel produces a smaller ear.
No one noticed that the man’s enemy had sown the darnel until months later, when the plants came up and bore grain. It was at that time that the weeds appeared, and until then it hadn’t been obvious that the wheat and weeds were growing together.
The master of the house recognizes that his enemy has sowed the weeds, and also knows that it would be futile to pull out the darnel. Any effort to enter the field and pull out the darnel plants at this stage would damage the wheat as well, since their roots would be completely intertwined. Instead, he decides that when the time of harvest comes, the harvesters will do the laborious task of harvesting twice, first gathering the darnel and then the wheat. The darnel will be bound in bundles to be burned, probably as fuel. The wheat will be gathered and put into the barn.
Jesus didn’t give an explanation of this parable to the crowds, but later He explained it 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 close of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close 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).
The field is the world, in which the Son of Man, Jesus, sows “the sons of the kingdom.” However, the Devil has sown “the sons of the evil one” in the field as well. The expression “sons of…” in this sort of context is a familiar phrase in Hebrew or Aramaic, meaning “someone who belongs to.”
The sons of the kingdom were sown by the sower (Jesus), God is described as “their Father,” they are called “righteous,” and they will “shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” In contrast, the sons of the evil one are “sown by the enemy” (the Devil), called “lawbreakers,” or in other translations, “those who do evil,” and the end result for them is described as being “thrown in a fiery furnace” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
According to Jesus’ teaching in this parable, good and evil would continue on side by side within the world and evil would not be purged from humanity until the close of the age, the Day of Judgment. While wheat and weed grow side by side for a while, the time will come when there is a separation, and the fate of each will be different. The darnel which grew alongside the wheat will be gathered, bundled, and burned.
By contrast, the imagery for the fate of the wheat that is gathered into the barn of the landowner is one of glory. The language reflects Daniel 12:3: “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.”
This parable teaches us that sons of the kingdom and sons of the evil one coexist in this world and that it will remain that way until the Day of Judgment. While the kingdom had come into the world through Jesus’ ministry, it didn’t come in its fullness. Both good and evil cohabit this world, but in the future, evil will be cast out—and at that time, the fullness of God’s kingdom will be present.
We see a similar message given in the parable of the dragnet, which Matthew includes just a few verses later.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:47–50).
While the parable of the wheat and weeds speaks about the righteous shining like the sun, as well as the fate of the lawbreakers, this parable of the dragnet focuses solely on the destiny of the evil or wicked. We again hear of the angels separating the evil and throwing them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In telling this parable, Jesus was saying there will be a separation process and that judgment will occur. At that specific time, the end of the age, evil will be excluded from God’s kingdom.
I have to admit that I don’t like to think about the judgment that is woven throughout the entire Bible and was often spoken about by Jesus. As C. S. Lewis wrote:
There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than this, if it lay in my power. But it has the full support of Scripture and, specially, of our Lord’s own words; it has always been held by Christendom; and it has the support of reason.1
In Matthew’s Gospel alone, there are 21 separate instances when Jesus speaks directly about or infers judgment. Judgment isn’t a popular topic, and it has wrongly been used as a scare tactic by some within the body of Christ, both past and present. But however much we might not like the concept, it is undeniably a central feature of Jesus’ message as part of His preaching about the kingdom.
Future judgment is a reality, and it is precisely the reason Jesus came to earth and sacrificed His life for all of us. Every human being deserves judgment because of our sin, which separates us from God. God doesn’t want that separation, but because He is complete holiness, nothing unholy can be in His presence. However, because of His love for humanity, He made a way for us to be redeemed and pronounced pure—through Jesus’ death on the cross bringing forgiveness of our sins. Due to this, we are counted as righteous; and at the separation at the end of the age, those who have entered a relationship with God through Jesus will not share the same fate as those who haven’t.
The imagery of a fiery furnace and a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth used within both of these parables is just that—imagery, and it shouldn’t be taken literally. However, whatever the exact circumstances will be, it will be a place of a separation from God and from those who love God. When we consider all the things that God is—love, beauty, goodness, mercy, holiness, kindness, justice, righteousness, trustworthiness, and so much more—thinking of being in a place where the things that God is are not present is harrowing.
This truth should make us grateful that we had the opportunity of hearing the gospel, receiving Jesus as our Savior, and entering into a relationship with God. Second, it should impress upon us the importance of sharing the gospel message with others.
People need God. God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but rather, as the apostle Peter wrote, He desires that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God “so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We who have experienced the love and mercy of God have been asked to share the news of God’s love with others, and when we do, we bring them the opportunity to be in company with those who will eternally be in a place that is full of all that God is. May we do our best to share God’s love and message with others.
Originally published November 2015. Adapted and republished January 2025. Read by Jon Marc.
1 The Problem of Pain (New York: HarperCollins, 2015), 119–20.
