Parable of the

Weeds/Tares

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Parable of the Weeds/Tares: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

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The parable of the weeds, also called the parable of the tares, is
told by Jesus to depict what the kingdom of heaven is like. In the
context of Matthew, this parable of the weeds is one of a series of
parables about God's word and the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus has just told the Parable of the Sower and the Four Soils, and
he follows this weeds parable with the Parable of the Mustard
Seed and the Parable of the Yeast.
Related: Miraculous Physical Healing Explains Salvation: The Truth of Jesus’
Salvation

Summary of the Parable of the

Weeds/Tares

Jesus speaks of a man who sows good seed (wheat) into his field.
However, an enemy sows bad seed (weeds). The man's servants
notice the weeds growing with the wheat and say, "Master, did you
not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds
come from?" (Matthew 13:27)

The master says, "An enemy has done this," and so the servants
ask, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?" (Matthew
13:28) However, the man responds by saying, "No; for in gathering
the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of
them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell
the reapers, 'Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be
burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" (Matthew 13:29-30)

Meaning of the Parable of the

Weeds/Tares
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In Matthew 13:36-43, the disciples of Jesus ask him to explain this
parable of the weeds. Jesus says that the Son of Man is the one who
sows good seed. The field is the world, and the good seeds are the
children of the kingdom of God. However, the weeds are the
children of the devil, and it was the devil who sowed these weeds.
The harvest is the end of the age and the reapers are angels.

Accordingly, Jesus has sown good seed into the world, but the devil
has also sown bad seed into the world.

If we only consider this parable in terms of the Christian church,

then it does not make as much sense since both good and evil
existed before humans. However, if we consider the fact that Jesus
Christ is God, then the parable makes more sense because it
includes the people who existed prior to the new covenant.

Jesus is saying that since the creation of humanity, both the

children of God and the children of the devil have been allowed to
live together in the world. Both will continue to live together in the
world, until the end when the children of the devil will be destroyed.

Jesus says, "The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will
collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and
they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 13:41-42)

Jesus calls the kingdom of God, his kingdom further implying that
he is actually God in a human body. Jesus then says, "Then the
righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let
anyone with ears listen!" (Matthew 13:43)

Regarding the children of God and the children of the devil, John
says in 1 John 3:7-10, "Little children, let no one deceive you.
Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is
righteous. Everyone who commits sin is a child of the devil; for the
devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God was
revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Those

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who have been born of God do not sin, because God's seed abides
in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God. The
children of God and the children of the devil are revealed in this
way: all who do not do what is right are not from God, nor are those
who do not love their brothers and sisters."

Jesus ends this parable of the weeds with the statement, "Let
anyone with ears listen!" (Matthew 13:43) Jesus is forewarning
everyone that sin is serious and judgment will come one day. We
have all been evil, but God has made a way for us to be saved
(Matthew 19:25-26).

When Judgement day does come, "his angels...will collect out of his
kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers" for destruction. The
good news is that we get to choose whether we grow as good seeds
that turn into wheat or bad seeds that turn into weeds.

As the Parable of the Sower teaches, God's word is like a seed

planted in our hearts and it has the ability to grow and "bear fruit
worthy of repentance." (Matthew 3:8) We have been given the
opportunity to determine our destinies. It is our choice to obey or
disobey God.

As James says, "No one, when tempted, should say, 'I am being
tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself
tempts no one. But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured
and enticed by it; then, when that desire has conceived, it gives
birth to sin, and that sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to
death." (James 1:13-15)

For more information on this subject, read about the Meaning of

Repentance and Salvation.