Parable · Matthew 13:24-30
The Weeds Among the Wheat
An enemy sows weeds in a wheat field. The owner says let both grow until harvest.
Also called The Tares, Wheat and Weeds
The point
Pulling the weeds early would tear up the wheat. Patience here is not passivity.
24Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away.
26When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
27The 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. So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them.
30Let 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 into my barn.’”
Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Read the whole chapter
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Lectionary 16 Year AGospel, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
For a newsletter or sermon notes
The parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat, explained in plain words. An enemy sows weeds in the wheat. Both grow until harvest. https://freescripture.org/parables/weeds/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church
More on what the kingdom is like
The Sower Seed falls on a path, on rock, among thorns, and on good soil. Only one yields.The Mustard Seed The smallest seed grows into a shrub large enough for birds to nest in.The Yeast A woman mixes yeast into a large batch of flour until it works all the way through.The Hidden Treasure A man finds treasure buried in a field, and sells everything he has to buy that field.