The Parable of the Weeds: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Matthew 13:24-30,36-43 Outline
At the end of the age ...
there will be REAPING!
there will be RECKONING!
there will be REJOICING!
Jesus declared the parable to the crowds vs. 24-30
Jesus explained the parable to the disciples vs 36 – 39
the master = the Son of Man
the field = the world
the wheat = the sons of the kingdom
the weeds = the sons of the evil one
the enemy = the devil
the harvest = the end of the age
the reapers = angels
There will be REAPING at the end of the age. vs. 39b-40
There will be a RECKONING at the end of the age. Vs. 41
There will be REJOICING at the end of the age. Vs. 42
Commentary Notes on Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Kingdom servants should take courage in the midst of an evil world, finding hope in the justice and reward of the final judgment.1
Jesus and Matthew felt a burden to help the faithful understand why they must tolerate evil for a time, and to give hope of ultimate justice and reward.2
In the present hour, God is drawing or gathering persons of every sort to take part in the kingdom. In the future, however, there will be a sorting-out process, a time for separating the evil from the righteous (v. 49; cf. vv. 41–42).3
24 He put another parable before them, saying,
• PUT PARABLE BEFORE THEM - the word here used means rather to set before or offer. Often used of meals, to serve up.4
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,
Parable of the Kingdom of Heaven...God’s Rule on earth.
Focus is not on SOIL..but seed.
God’s kingdom refers to his sovereign rule
It is an entire mistake to interpret the passage as implying that the kingdom of heaven was “at that time not yet founded”
25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
WEED – darnell. Looks just like wheat.
Roman law against sowing
This was a way that people in the ancient world sought vengeance against their enemies. In addition to sowing weeds, they
also salted fields – anything to disrupt the harvest. – this was such a problem that the Roman government stipulated
punishment for those who were caught in this type of act.
In his book, Oriental Illustrations of the Sacred Scriptures (1844), J. Roberts states that this nocturnal evil occurs in this way:
A man wishing to do his enemy an injury, watches for the time when he has finished plowing his field, and in the night he goes into the field and scatters pandinellu, or “pig-paddy.” Says Roberts: “This being of rapid growth springs up before good seed, and scatters itself before the other can be reaped, so that the poor owner of the field will be some years before he can rid the soil of the troublesome weed. But there is another noisome plant that these wretches cast into the ground of those whom they hate: it is called perum-pirandi, and is more destructive to vegetation than any other plant.”7
Illustration from “Christ's Object Lessons” by Ellen Gould Harmon White, c. 1900.
26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 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?’
Jesus has been preaching Good News.....Where did all these weeds come from?
28 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?’
Enemies are not Scribes and Pharisees...but the ENEMY – Satan.
Evil = intruder...
29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
• Workers are not poor assesors.....we are not supposed to deal justice... o Church history....many times....
• The context seems to relate this to the religious leaders of Jesus’ day.
There is no way for humans to know the hearts of other humans. God
will set all things straight on Judgment Day. One of Satan’s most
effective schemes is religion. People seem to be spiritual but they are not. The wheat and tares look alike but time reveals the difference. Many people are fooled by religiosity (cf. Isa. 29:13; Col. 2:16–23) masquerading as true spirituality! (cf. Matt. 7).8
30 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.” ’ ”
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 weeds of the field.”
The Parable was about the weeds.
WEEDS - tn Grk “sowed darnel.” The Greek term ζιζάνιον (zizanion) refers
to an especially undesirable weed that looks like wheat but has poisonous
seeds (L&N 3.30).9
37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
Christ = the Son of Man – Messianic Title – Daniel 7:13, Luke 22:69 Jews were familiar with the title.
The Lord is sowing seed
38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
SONS OF THE KINGDOM - tn Grk “the sons of the kingdom.” This idiom refers to people who should properly be, or were traditionally regarded as, a part of God’s kingdom. L&N 11.13 translates the phrase: “people of God’s kingdom, God’s people.”10
people who should properly be or were traditionally regarded as a part of the kingdom of God—‘people of God’s kingdom, God’s people.11
SONS OF THE EVIL ONE - tn Grk “the sons of the evil one.” See the preceding note on the phrase “people of the kingdom” earlier in this verse, which is the opposite of this phrase. See also L&N 9.4; 11.13; 11.14.12
The world belongs to the Lord. Rev = he takes the title deed, Romans 8..creation groans.
Jesus puts the sons of the kingdom in the world. – Believers – children of the Kingdom
Church is planted in the world. – to develop and influence.
Matthew 7:21-23 – Not everyone who says to me Lord Lord ....
39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
EVIL ONE – absolutely evil one...wicked one...Satan. (Eph 2)
Devil – means adversary.
Evil comes from the evil one.
Disciples were ready to put in the sickle right now......Destroy them, Judge them.
If you go about judging the world....without divine insight....persecute true believers. – Beleivers are not to judge/ripping out the tares.
Crusades
Inquisition
Christians called to righteous influence – not judgement. – Angels are the reapers....not us.
2Thess1–
HARVEST – separating.
Matthew 25:32 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats
The word end (Gr., sunteleia) means “completion,”13
13:39 the harvest is the end of the age Refers to the eschatological ingathering of the people of God to life, and His opponents to death. Rev 14:14–20 likely draws from this tradition (see Matt 14:15 and note). Compare v. 30.14
Rev 14:14-20 - 14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped. 17 Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 And another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over the fire, and he called with a loud voice to the one who had the sharp sickle, “Put in your sickle and gather the clusters from the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” 19 So the angel swung his sickle across the earth and gathered the grape harvest of the earth and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. 20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress, as high as a horse’s bridle, for 1,600 stadia. 15
“The end of the Age” represents the conclusion of the present Age before Christ establishes the messianic kingdom. Thus the parables in Matthew 13 cover the period of time from Christ’s work on earth to the time of the judgment at His return. At His second coming, the angels will gather the wicked and throw them into judgment (vv. 40–42; cf. vv. 49–50; 2 Thes. 1:7–10; Rev. 19:15).16
40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,
Images from the book of Daniel – metaphors to describe something real.
Matthew 8:12
Matthew 13:42
Fire and Darkness = metaphors.....lonliness and isolation....
CAUSES OF SIN - (skandalon), sin, stumbling-block, obstacle; that which causes to sin17
As the vice-regent of God’s sovereignty, Jesus promises painful punishment for those who reject him. These people are
described, literally, as everyone who causes sin and does evil (v. 41—not two separate categories as the NIV seems to suggest).18
The “fiery furnace” comes from Dan 3:6 but is used in 2 Esdr 7:36 for hell.19
42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
THROW THEM INTO THE FIERY FURNACE - sn A quotation from Dan 3:6.20
Grinding teeth and shrieks.
As Bruner provocatively warns, “Hell is not a doctrine used to frighten unbelievers; it is a doctrine used to warn those who
think themselves believers.”21
In the Greek it is THE fiery furnace (not a fiery furnace)
What terrific strength of language—the “casting” or “flinging” expressive of indignation, abhorrence, contempt (compare Ps
9:17; Da 12:2): “the furnace of fire” denoting the fierceness of the torment: the “wailing” signifying the anguish this causes;
while the “gnashing of teeth” is a graphic way of expressing the despair in which its remedilessness issues 22
Rev 20:15 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Matthew 25:41 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the
devil and his angels
weeping and gnashing of teeth This refers to the day of final judgment (Rev 20:11–15). Once God’s judgment comes, it will
be unbearable for those who have not chosen to follow Jesus. See note on Matt 8:12.23
“Weeping” suggests sorrow and grief (emotional agony of the lost in hell), and grinding of one’s teeth speaks of pain
(physical agony in hell).24
43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
THEN – glory/shekinah glory.
Judgement is inevitable.
Fire – concumed in fire. Rev 19 – Fire of hell....eternal punishment.
APPLICATION = HEAR...listen. Are you wheat or weeds?
4th verse of Amazing Grace – When we’ve been there,
Throughout Scripture, the picture of brightly shining light (here like the
sun) often refers to God’s perfect righteousness and glory, sometimes as it is imputed to his saints (e.g., Exod. 13:21, 22; Matt. 17:2; Phil. 2:15; Rev. 1:14–16). Here, finally, is the hope of the kingdom as it was meant to be. Evil has been purged, and the Father is present in person with his children. They have been purified of sin so that they shine with his perfect righteousness.25
SHINE LIKE THE SUN - n sn An allusion to Dan 12:326 - The context of Daniel 12 describes the final judgment and resurrection of both the good and the evil (“to shame and everlasting contempt”).27
Daniel 12:3 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.
HE WHO HAS EARS, LET HIM HEAR - tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15, 13:9; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).28
The righteous shall shine forth as the sun from behind a cloud. The mixture of evil with good in the world obscures the good, and veils the true glory of righteous character. Compare Dan. 12:3.29
The tares—false Christians (vv. 24–30, 36–43). Satan cannot uproot the plants (true Christians), so he plants counterfeit Christians in their midst. In this parable, the good seed is not the Word of God. It represents people converted through trusting the Word. The field is not human hearts; the field is the world. Christ is sowing true believers in various places that they might bear fruit (John 12:23–26). But, wherever Christ sows a true Christian, Satan comes and sows a counterfeit.We must beware of Satan’s counterfeits. He has counterfeit Christians (2 Cor. 11:26) who believe a counterfeit Gospel (Gal. 1:6–9). He encourages a counterfeit righteousness (Rom. 10:1–3), and even has a counterfeit church (Rev. 2:9). At the end of the age, he will produce a counterfeit Christ (2 Thes. 2:1–12).We must also stay awake to make sure that Satan’s ministers do not get into the true fellowship and do damage (2 Peter 2; 1 John 4:1–6). It is when God’s people go to sleep that Satan works. Our task is not to pull up the false, but to plant the true. (This does not refer to discipline within the local church.) We are not detectives but evangelists! We must oppose Satan and expose his lies. But we must also sow the Word of God and bear fruit in the place where He has planted us.What will happen to the tares? God will gather them together and burn them. It is interesting to see that some of this “bundling” is already going on as various religious groups merge and strive for union. Spiritual unity among true Christians is one thing, but religious uniformity among mere professing Christians is quite another. It is difficult to tell the false from the true today; but at the end of the age, the angels will separate them.30
“He who has ears, let him hear” Those whom God has allowed to understand the gospel must respond to it now! This cryptic phrase occurs many times in the NT (cf. Matt. 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8; 14:35; Rev. 2:7, 11, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 13:9). These parables strike a note of urgency in the immediate need to hear, trust and respond to Him, and respond now!31
