EXPLORE THE TEXT

Wheat or Weeds (Matt. 13:24-30)

Application Point:

We must examine our own faith as we wait for Jesus’s return.

24 He presented another parable to them:
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to
a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25 But while people were sleeping, his enemy came,
sowed weeds among the wheat, and left.

26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared.
27 The landowner’s servants came to him and said,
‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
28 ‘An enemy did this,’ he told them.
‘So, do you want us to go and pull them up?’ the servants asked him.

29 ‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest.
At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.’”

Context:

Point out that initially Jesus was sitting by the sea (Matt. 13:1).
Point out Capernaum on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee
and suggest that this area could have been the setting for Matthew 13.

Discuss:

“The Wheat and the Weeds.”
Summarize the plot of the parable.
Discuss what each element might represent.

the parable: Matthew used the phrase “kingdom of heaven” while Mark and Luke preferred “kingdom of God.”

Both terms apply to the reign of God now and in the future.

a farmer

God, the owner of the field.

sowed good seed

emphasizes his labor,

good seed

his quality investment.

enemy of the landowner.

the devil is the personal enemy

He sowed weeds among the wheat.

to mix a counterfeit product among the good seed.

Why would one group sow weeds in the fields of someone else.
Highlight the distinction between believers (wheat) and unbelievers (weeds).

Ask:

• Is it always possible to distinguish sincere believers from insincere believers? How? (PSG, p. 121)

Recap:

To dig deeper into the parable, share this information from pages 119-120 of the PSG:

The Greek word for “weeds” likely refers to darnel, a type of toxic weed
that closely resembles wheat in its early growth.
It was impossible to tell the two plants apart until the grain formed.
As the wheat and weeds grew in proximity to each other, their roots became intertwined.
This made it impossible to root out the weeds without also uprooting the wheat.
In the same way, godly and ungodly people populate the same community.
While they may outwardly look similar, eventually each will manifest their true nature.

State:

While the landowner directed his servants to wait until the harvest to pull anything up,
he had definite plans for each kind of plant in his field.
Eventually, the weeds would be tied up and burned,
while the genuine wheat would be protected and used for his benefit.
Likewise, those who reject Christ can expect punishment from Him,
while true believers will enter God’s presence.
The important thing is not how we look, but how we respond to God.