Matthew 13:40 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

NIV: As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.

NASB: So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.

CSB: Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.

NLT: Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.

KJV: As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

NKJV: Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.

The parable of the wheat and the weeds was previously taught to the crowds (Matthew 13:24–30). In that parable, an enemy snuck into a farmer's field by night and sowed weeds among his good wheat seeds. The result was that the wheat and the weeds grew together, side by side, until the time for harvest came. When it did, the farmer said he would have his reapers gather the weeds and bind them in bundles to be burned (Matthew 13:30). In the story, the farmer represents Jesus (Matthew 13:37) and the good wheat represents those who come to faith in Him (Matthew 13:38).

The weeds represent the "sons of the evil one" who planted them (John 8:43–47). Those who belong to Satan will be gathered to be burned with fire at the end of the age. In the following verse, Jesus identifies the reapers as His angels who will carry out this task of separating "weeds" from the true believers of the world.

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.

Accessed 5/7/2024 8:43:47 AM