NOTES for Mat 13:24-43
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: |
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. |
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. |
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? |
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? |
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. |
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. |
31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: |
32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. |
33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. |
34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: |
35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. |
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. |
37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; |
38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; |
39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. |
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. |
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; |
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. |
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. |
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The parable of the weeds tells us about something so hard to follow in daily life. We see that the Lord counsels us to be careful and to refrain from hasty judgment. Yet again and again we feel "like gods, knowing good and evil," passing judgment on human destinies.
It is very easy to cry, "Get the bad grass out of the field," and begin uprooting everything that is bad or that looks bad to us; often it only looks that way and nothing more. And if the owner of the field is afraid that weeding might damage the good grain, such difficulties do not frighten us. More than that, we are ready to trample even half the harvest just to spite the weeds.
At the same time, we do not want to think that what looks like a weed today may turn out tomorrow to be a useful plant. In the world of living nature, of course, such transformations are exceptional; but we live among people, and with people like us changes greater than that can happen.
The weeds, however, are sown not only among those around us, but also in our own hearts. It makes no sense to uproot the weeds around us while leaving untouched the ones growing out of ourselves. In that way we will fail to notice how we become overgrown up to the crown of the head, or even become weeds ourselves.
And now, into the soil where both grain and weeds grow, a nearly invisible seed has been thrown. And strange as it is, the weeds do not manage to choke it, although at first they can cover it, it is so small.
Yet the very thing that looks insignificant often proves to be the most important. For what grows from this seed, when it has become taller than all the trees, will separate the wheat from the weeds.
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Readings for 27 April 2026
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