Matthew 13:38 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,

NIV: The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,

NASB: and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one;

CSB: the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one,

NLT: The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.

KJV: The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

NKJV: The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.

At the disciples' request (Matthew 13:36), Jesus is describing a parable He taught to the crowd (Matthew 13:24–30). This parable is called the "parable of the weeds" or the "wheat and the tares." Jesus described a man who sowed good seed into his field. His enemy, though, came in the night and scattered tares, a kind of weed, among the good wheat seeds.

Jesus has said that the man who sowed the field represents Himself, the Son of Man (Matthew 13:37). This is a Messianic title taken from a vision recorded by Daniel (Daniel 7:13–14). Now Christ explains that the field represents the entire world. The good wheat seeds are the "sons of the kingdom" and the weeds are the "sons of the evil one."

By sons of the kingdom, Jesus seems to mean all people who can be described as God's people. These are the ones who will be citizens of His eternal kingdom, the kingdom of heaven. The sons of the evil one are all who, in rejecting Christ, belong to the Devil (John 8:43–47). Jesus allows for only one option or the other. Nobody is described as belong to him- or herself.

Historically, some commentators have taught that "the world" here means "the church" and that those who belong to the Devil will participate in the church alongside those who belong to God as legitimate children of the kingdom. That seems to be quite a stretch, given that Jesus refers to the field as "the world," not "the kingdom." And, that Jesus refers to there being a notable difference between the two (Matthew 13:26–27). The more reasonable explanation is that it is not the church represented by the parable, but the world at large, occupied until the time of judgment both by those who are citizens of God's kingdom and those who are not.

Matthew 13:36–43 follows Jesus away from the crowds and back into a house with His disciples. They ask Him to explain the parable of the wheat and the weeds (Matthew 13:24–30). Jesus tells them He is the farmer, and the field is the world. The good wheat seeds represent the children of the kingdom, and the weeds—also known as "tares," likely an inedible plant that looks like wheat—are the children of the Devil who planted them. The harvest is the judgment at the end of the age. Then the reapers, God's angels, will gather all the wicked and all forms of sin and throw them into the fiery furnace. The righteous, though, will shine in the kingdom of their Father.

Matthew 13 focuses mainly on a series of parables. Jesus first describes these to a large crowd along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Later, in a house, He explains to the disciples the meanings of the parables of the sower, the weeds, and the fish caught in the net. Jesus then travels to Nazareth, teaches in the synagogue, and is rejected by the people of His original hometown.

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.