Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

Be Patient With Others
Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43
Some may think that the theme of this passage is our patience and that we are to learn to wait on God and endure disobedient and rebellious people. After all, the harvest will come and we will finally be separated from all those bad people. Such an approach, however, turns us into Pharisees — who simply act self-righteously — thinking that we are better than most people. The real issue of this story is that Jesus is teaching another parable about the kingdom of heaven. Chapter 13 provides parables comparing the kingdom to common scenes. First, Jesus taught about the farmer and his soils. Second, He explained why He taught in parables. Third, Jesus interpreted His own parable so that His followers would know what was meant. Following that, we discover this parable of the wheat and the weeds (sometimes referred to as tares).

Wait Until Harvest Time (24–30)
When Jesus spoke of planting seed, He did not have to describe all the details to His listeners. Jesus had no need of going into the specifics of the backbreaking labor of carrying the seed in a sack, grabbing a handful at a time and trying to make sure most of the seeds hit the dirt, rather than the rocky ground. No, Jesus simply talked about a man who went out to sow good seed in his field.

The man sowed wheat in his field, but an enemy sowed weeds there, too. This may have been a type of weed that looked similar to wheat until the grain heads appeared. Once it became obvious what had happened, the master of the house determined he would not have the weeds pulled, because it would endanger the maturity of the wheat. Instead he would wait until harvest. Once the harvest was gathered, the weeds were to be burned up and the wheat gathered into the barn.

Every farmer must exercise patience, but this man showed remarkable restraint. He could have been tempted to go ahead and get rid of the hindrance. But he, like God, allowed the true grain to develop. In due time, the harvest would be gathered in and only the grain would remain. The chaff would be burned away.

Explaining the Field (36–39)
Jesus offered other parables: the Kingdom is like a mustard seed and then like leaven. In all this parabolic teaching, the Master was fulfilling the prophecy of the psalmist (Ps. 78:2). Then Jesus’ disciples came to Him and once again asked for clarification. What did this parable mean? What did the elements of the story symbolize? The sower is Jesus. The whole world is the field, and followers of Jesus are the good seed. Satan is the enemy who sowed children of darkness throughout the world. Angels are the reapers who will gather in the harvest at the end of the age.

As long as we are in this world, there will be difficulty. Throughout the world, Satan has sown individuals who hate Jesus and hate those who follow Him. One might think that God would just yank us out but we’re not ready. It’s not harvest time yet. He has not taken us out of the field. One might also think that God should just wipe out all His enemies. God’s timing is always perfect. We have a responsibility to live for Christ before a watching world, maturing so that God receives all the glory.

Rewards Will Come (40–43)
Psalm 1 distinguishes between the blessed man who delights in the law of the Lord and the wicked man who takes no thought of God. The latter man is described as being like the chaff, which the wind drives away. When the wheat is harvested in the field, the grain is gathered in and then the stubble of the field is burned. At the final harvest, the chaff will be consumed with unquenchable fire. The way of the ungodly will perish.

In Matthew 13:43, Jesus said that the righteous would shine like the sun. Let the reader be reminded that those who are called righteous are not those who always do everything right but those who believe God. Any reward we receive will be given back and laid at the feet of Jesus, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Thank God for His patience with us.