24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ 28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 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.’” 31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” 33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” 34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” 36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 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, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
This Sunday’s gospel consists of a series of parables. The first shares a number of themes with last Sunday’s parable of the sower. Both focus on the problem of disbelief and those who refuse to accept the gospel, and both insist that nothing can defeat the kingdom of God. Both also discuss the problem of evil in the world and provide a similar response. In this fallen world, good and evil are mixed together, and the latter cannot be destroyed (at least not yet) without hurting the former. Indeed, in verse 29, the servants are told not to pull up the weeds for fear of hurting the wheat. Matthew gives us several important lessons here. First, in this fallen world, it’s difficult to draw a clear line between good and evil. It helps to think of this not referring to individuals (some are completely good, others completely evil) but to each one of us (we each mix together both good and evil). We need to have confidence that God will sort everything out eventually.
The next two parables tell us that the kingdom of God does not and should not begin with a great public show but rather with a hidden, growing presence in perfectly ordinary lives. The parables also tell us that the end of a story is in its beginning. Note that the New American Bible gives the usual translation for the flour the woman uses in the second parable: three measures, which doesn’t really communicate Jesus’ point. The NIV translation, which I’ve used here, is better since it translates it as 60 pounds. The point is that the amount is absolutely excessive and suggests preparations for a grand feast – and a feast was one of Jesus’ favorite images for the kingdom of God. The basic point here is that the kingdom is growing on earth although in a quiet and often unnoticed way.
The next verses reflect on why Jesus spoke so often in parables. Jesus does not do so in order to hide things from people. Matthew tells us that he does so because this is what the prophets said would happen, and the evangelist quotes psalm 78 to prove his point. Predictions of Jesus’ birth, mission and death can all be found in the Old Testament since they are part of God’s plan – a plan that is revealed to us in scripture. Therefore, as we read and study scripture we learn more about God and his plans for the world – and for us.
In the final part of the gospel, Jesus meets alone with his disciples who ask him to explain the parable of the weeds. He tells them that the parable relates to the end of the world and the final judgment of humanity. The parable is meant to encourage us in all the trials we face for evil cannot last forever; its defeat is assured. However, we will only understand the mysteries of this world at its end. And, we must always remember that only God can truly separate good from evil.
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