The parable of the weeds among the wheat
Published Jul 18, 2020 11:00 pm
REFLECTIONS TODAY
MATTHEW 13:24-43
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds saying: “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
He proposed another parable to them. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open My mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
Then, dismissing the crowds, He went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Jesus’ Kingdom Message
Matthew has been called the “Gospel of the Kingdom,” because it mentions the Kingdom or reign of God 51 times. The word basileia appears about 100 times in all the Gospels. Given the centrality of the Kingdom in Jesus’ teaching, one may capture its central meaning in these succinct statements.
(1) A possible description: “The Kingdom of God, promised to Israel and proclaimed by Jesus, is God’s ultimate victory over all the enemies of human life—over sin, evil, injustice, oppression, suffering and death.” It is God’s rule in human history; it is our entry into a new heaven and a new earth.
(2) Jesus’ Kingdom message is the specific way that Jesus announces God’s salvation; it is a joyful event; it brings redemption.
(3) The Kingdom is a dynamic, growing reality; it is not static. Thus, it should not be thought of as a physical place; rather, it is God’s active rule and powerful presence in our lives.
(4) We should think of the Kingdom as a “presentist-futurist” reality; it is already here, but its final fulfillment will come at the end of time with the Parousia of Jesus.
(5) The Kingdom of God (or heaven in Matthew) is a mystery, understood in the Biblical sense (mysterion) as part of God’s unfolding plan of salvation for all people.
(6) The early Christian writer Origen called Jesus the autobasileia, meaning the “Kingdom in person.” Jesus embodies God’s plan for our salvation, inviting us to experience God’s love.
SOURCE: “366 Days with the Lord 2020,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds saying: “The Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
He proposed another parable to them. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
He spoke to them another parable. “The Kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open My mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.
Then, dismissing the crowds, He went into the house. His disciples approached Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Jesus’ Kingdom Message
Matthew has been called the “Gospel of the Kingdom,” because it mentions the Kingdom or reign of God 51 times. The word basileia appears about 100 times in all the Gospels. Given the centrality of the Kingdom in Jesus’ teaching, one may capture its central meaning in these succinct statements.
(1) A possible description: “The Kingdom of God, promised to Israel and proclaimed by Jesus, is God’s ultimate victory over all the enemies of human life—over sin, evil, injustice, oppression, suffering and death.” It is God’s rule in human history; it is our entry into a new heaven and a new earth.
(2) Jesus’ Kingdom message is the specific way that Jesus announces God’s salvation; it is a joyful event; it brings redemption.
(3) The Kingdom is a dynamic, growing reality; it is not static. Thus, it should not be thought of as a physical place; rather, it is God’s active rule and powerful presence in our lives.
(4) We should think of the Kingdom as a “presentist-futurist” reality; it is already here, but its final fulfillment will come at the end of time with the Parousia of Jesus.
(5) The Kingdom of God (or heaven in Matthew) is a mystery, understood in the Biblical sense (mysterion) as part of God’s unfolding plan of salvation for all people.
(6) The early Christian writer Origen called Jesus the autobasileia, meaning the “Kingdom in person.” Jesus embodies God’s plan for our salvation, inviting us to experience God’s love.
SOURCE: “366 Days with the Lord 2020,” ST. PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; Fax 632-895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.