The Parable of the Wheat and the Weed 

Matthew 13:24–30; (Explanation) Matthew 13:36–43

Introduction

In the parable of the Sower, we looked at the question: what kind of audience am I? We discussed the FOUR types of audience and concluded that you are ONE of these audiences. (1) Unrepentant audience – this audience that would not repent no matter what Jesus did. (2) The oppositional audience – this audience seeks to trap Jesus in order to accuse Him – these are the types of audiences looking for something that is wrong with the Bible so that they could say the Bible contains inconsistencies. NEWS FLASH – The Bible contains zero inconsistencies. (3) Stomach infrastructure (Stomach Politics) audience – This audience follows Jesus because of what Jesus would do for them. (4) Life-seeking audience (receptive audience) – This audience genuinely seeks Jesus because Jesus offers life. 

The Parable Explained 

1. THE SOWER – “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man – Jesus Christ” 
2. THE FIELD – “The field is the world” 
3. THE GOOD SEED (WHEAT) – “The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom” 
4. THE TARES (WEEDS) – “The tares are the sons of the evil one” 
5. THE ENEMY – “The enemy who sowed them is the devil” 
6. THE HARVEST – “The harvest is the end of the age” 
7. THE REAPERS (THE HARVESTERS) – “The reapers are the angels” 

Matthew 13:40-42 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. 

1. In God’s kingdom, there are things that cause sin and there are those who do evil (law-breakers). These are the things that have been permitted to grow in His field. The kingdom of God is the rule and the reign of God and the sons of the kingdom live under God’s reign in the “present evil age”, and the sons of the evil one refuses to live under the reign of God in this “present evil age”
2. Matthew 13:25 ESV – “but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. The devil, came and did the exact same this as Jesus did while God’s men were sleeping. Just as the sower came, sowed his seeds and went away, the enemy also came, sowed his seeds and went away.

(1) The devil comes in at night. (2) The devil comes in unnoticed. (3) The devil comes in undetected

Application of the Parable

(What kind of seed am I – what kind of fruit am I producing? Galatians 5:19-24)

Matthew 13:27 “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?’

1. Are you a weed? Are you wheat? What kind of fruits are you producing?

2. The Servants do not suspect the presence of the enemy – The devil is very subtle. The Lord’s people did not even know that the enemy had come – they were sleeping.
3. He who has ears, let him hear… our adversary is very much seeking to destroy us! 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But if we can allow the word of God to abide in us, we can overcome the wicked one.