Matthew 13:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.

NIV: 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.

NASB: But he *said, ‘No; while you are gathering up the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.

CSB: " 'No,' he said. 'When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them.

NLT: ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.

KJV: But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

NKJV: But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.

As part of a parable (Matthew 13:24–28), a farmer's servants have asked if they should pull out unwanted plants. They have discovered weeds, called darnel or tares, growing alongside the wheat. Since this inedible ryegrass resembles wheat plants early in the growth cycle, the sudden appearance of so many weeds was an unwelcome surprise. After the master explains that an enemy has done this to them, the servants want to know if they should get to work and pull up all the weeds.

The master now tells them no. Had there been only one or two small plants, or a scattering of them, weeding would have been the simplest solution. This was not a natural problem, however—this was an attack (Matthew 13:25). There would have been many, many weeds intermixed with the good plants. By this stage of development, when the plants can be distinguished, the roots of the weeds would have been entangled with the roots of the wheat. Pulling up that many weeds could destroy the good grain before it is ready to harvest. So, the master will present a better strategy (Matthew 13:30).

Parables are stories meant to summarize larger ideas about the kingdom of heaven. Jesus intends for His disciples to understand these truths, so He will explain exactly what those are later (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 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.