Bible Verses of the Week

Parable of the Wheat and Weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. ²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ²⁸ “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ²⁹ “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ” (NIV, Matthew 13:24–30)

Jesus explained this parable in Matthew 13:36-43. Just as both wheat and weeds grow together in a field, there are both good people and evil people in the world. Some people do God's work in the world and some people do Satan's work. Just as it is difficult to distinguish the weeds from the wheat, we cannot accurately determine who is truly good and who is truly evil. Our inability to see into another person's heart as well as our fears, jealousies and prejudices prevent us from making accurate judgments about other people. Just as the owner of the field prohibited his servants from pulling up the weeds, it is not our privilege to judge other people. That is God's privilege alone. Just as the harvesters separate the weeds from the wheat in the end, God will determine who is truly good and who is truly evil at the final judgment. In this parable, Jesus warns us against substituting our judgment for God's judgment. Only God knows all the facts about a person. We must be tolerant of other people and leave the task of judgment to God. For more information: The Parables of Jesus.