Matthew 13:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, "Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."’"

NIV: 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.’ "

NASB: Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather up the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.'?’?'

CSB: 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.’"

NLT: Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’'

KJV: Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

NKJV: Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

This concludes the parable of "the wheat and the weeds," also known as "the wheat and the tares." A farmer's field has been attacked. After the farmer planted good wheat seeds, an enemy snuck in after dark and planted weed seeds alongside the wheat. The weed in question is almost certainly darnel, also known as tares or "false wheat." This looks almost exactly like wheat early on, so the infestation is only discovered after the good wheat plants begin to develop their grain.

The farmer has explained to his servants why they cannot pull up the weeds. By this time, the roots of both wheat and weed are likely entangled. Taking out one or two plants would be one thing, but in this case the entire field is riddled with weeds. To yank out the weeds will bring up the wheat plants too soon.

Now the farmer reveals his strategy for dealing with these weeds. He will leave them alone for now. He will let them grow to maturity alongside the wheat, and then he will tell his harvesters to gather the weeds first and then the wheat. They will harvest the weeds, bundle them, and burn them. At that point, the wheat is going to be harvested anyway, so it can be collected and put into storage in the farmer's barn.

Jesus began this parable as He did most of those recorded in this section: by saying "the kingdom of heaven may be compared to…" (Matthew 13:24). This is because many people wondered why Jesus, as the supposed Messiah, was not immediately bringing judgment on Israel's enemies and the unfaithful. They assumed the Promised One would set right to overthrowing the Romans and setting up His kingdom on earth. To dispel those misunderstandings, Jesus explains the kingdom using parables.

In this parable, Jesus symbolically described two groups of people: those who will be gathered into the barn and those who will be burned up. The barn represents the kingdom of heaven that He has been preaching about. The fire represents God's judgment, which is sometimes compared to a harvest. Jesus, then, is answering the question of how He has brought the kingdom without bringing the judgment. He is allowing both the "kingdom people" and those destined for God's wrath to remain together until the "day of the Lord" when the judgment will come and He will establish His political kingdom on earth (Matthew 13:36–43).

Matthew 13:24–30 contains the parable of the wheat and the weeds, also known as the parable of the wheat and the "tares." Christ will later explain this as a metaphor for God separating believers from non-believers in the final judgment (Matthew 13:36–43). He tells the crowd of a farmer who sowed good wheat seeds into a field. His enemy, though, sabotaged the field with weeds. This probably meant planting a worthless plant that looks deceptively like wheat. The farmer sensibly waits, allowing the wheat and weeds to grow together rather than risking damage to the wheat by uprooting the other plants. At the harvest, the farmer will tell his workers to gather up the weeds and bundle them to be burned.

Matthew 13 follows Jesus from the overcrowded house at the end of the previous chapter to a crowded beach on the Sea of Galilee. He teaches a large crowd in a series of parables, which He doesn't fully explain. However, He reveals their meaning to His disciples inside a nearby house. Jesus pictures the kingdom of heaven as a sower, a sabotaged field of wheat, a mustard seed, and a pearl dealer, among other things. He then travels to His original hometown of Nazareth where He is rejected by the people He grew up with. This leads Matthew back to depictions of Jesus' miracles, after sadly recording John the Baptist's death.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.