THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND THE WEEDS

After telling the story of the Sower, Seeds, and Soils, Jesus gave another parable about farming. His purpose wasn’t to teach farmers how to farm. Rather, Jesus wanted us to know about His kingdom. “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field” (Matthew 13:24).

As Jesus sat before a congregation of seekers, He told a story… “A farmer planted wheat. Later, his enemy snuck into his fields and planted weeds. When the crops began to grow, the farmer’s servants suggested pulling up the weeds.”  

The listeners leaned forward…

“ ‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest’ (Matthew 13:29-30). Then at harvest time, ‘gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn’ ” (Matthew 13:30).

Thankfully, when Jesus was alone with His disciples, He decoded the message. “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age” (Matthew 13:37-40).

Be ready. The Kingdom is real … and the harvest is right around the corner.

“… think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV).