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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.’”

In this episode, Jesus tells another agricultural parable, but this one shifts the focus. The parable of the wheat and the weeds addresses a pressing question: If God’s kingdom is present, why does evil continue to grow alongside it?

Jesus describes a man who sows good seed in his field. The beginning is intentional and good. But while everyone is sleeping, an enemy sows weeds among the wheat. As the plants grow, the servants notice the mixture and want to remove the weeds immediately.

The landowner refuses.

In the ancient world, a weed called darnel closely resembled wheat in its early stages. Only at maturity could the difference be seen clearly. That detail shapes the parable’s force. The problem is not obvious corruption but imitation. Premature removal risks damaging what is genuine.

Jesus’ point is not that evil is harmless or insignificant. It is that judgment has a proper time. The kingdom advances in a field that is not yet fully purified. Growth happens in tension. The presence of weeds does not mean the sower failed.

At harvest, separation will come. Accountability is not erased; it is deferred. But the responsibility for judgment belongs to the owner of the field, not the servants.

The parable calls for patience. It invites trust in God’s timing rather than anxious attempts to purify the field prematurely. Faithfulness, not force, defines life in the meantime.

• The kingdom grows in a mixed field

• Imitation can resemble authenticity for a time

• Premature judgment can damage what God is cultivating

• The presence of evil does not mean the absence of God’s work

• Judgment belongs to God, not to human impatience

Scripture & Translations

Matthew 13:24–30 (NIV, CSB, NRSV, ESV)

Psalm 37

Isaiah 55:8–11

Standard Study Resources

HarperCollins Study Bible

CSB Study Bible

R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew

W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Matthew

Ulrich Luz, Matthew 8–20

Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

Jewish & Historical Context

Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, The Jewish Annotated New Testament

Connect:

gospelataglancepodcast@gmail.com

Substack: Gospel at a Glance

Instagram: @gospelataglancepod

Facebook: Gospel at a Glance

Matthew 13, wheat and weeds, kingdom of heaven, judgment and patience, spiritual discernment, Gospel of Matthew

#GospelAtAGlance #Matthew13 #BiblePodcast #Parables #KingdomOfHeaven #SpiritualDiscernment #NIV

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

In this episode, Jesus interprets the parable of the sower. After telling the story publicly and explaining why He teaches in parables, He now offers a direct explanation to His disciples. This is one of the few places in the Gospels where Jesus interprets His own parable, making it especially significant.

The seed, Jesus says, is the message of the kingdom. The problem is not the message. The kingdom is not weak or ineffective. What varies is the reception.

The path represents those who hear but do not understand. Without reflection and openness, the message remains external and is quickly lost.

The rocky soil represents joyful but shallow reception. There is real enthusiasm, but no depth. When trouble or opposition comes, the initial response cannot endure.

The thorny soil represents growth that is slowly suffocated. Anxiety, distraction, and the pull of wealth do not uproot the word outright. They crowd it. Spiritual life may remain visible, but fruit does not develop.

Finally, the good soil represents hearing that leads to understanding. In Matthew’s Gospel, understanding is not merely intellectual, it is receptive and responsive. It produces fruit. The yield varies, but the mark of true reception is endurance and multiplication.

This passage does not invite comparison with others. It invites self-examination. The seed continues to be sown. The question is whether it is taking root deeply enough to last.

• The message of the kingdom is not the problem; receptivity is

• Hearing without understanding leads to loss

• Emotional response without depth cannot endure hardship

• Distraction and anxiety can suffocate spiritual growth

• True understanding produces lasting fruit

Scripture & Translations

Matthew 13:18–23 (NIV, CSB, ESV, NRSV)

Isaiah 55:10–11

Standard Study Resources

HarperCollins Study Bible

CSB Study Bible

R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew

W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Matthew

Ulrich Luz, Matthew 8–20

Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

Jewish & Historical Context

Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler, The Jewish Annotated New Testament

Gospel at a Glance walks through the Gospels one short passage at a time, finding depth, challenge, and clarity in just a few verses. Each episode invites listeners to slow down, pay attention to the text, and consider how God’s reign reshapes ordinary life.

Connect:

gospelataglancepodcast@gmail.com

Substack: Gospel at a Glance

Instagram: @gospelataglancepod

Facebook: Gospel at a Glance

Matthew 13, Parable of the Sower, spiritual growth, kingdom of heaven, receptivity, fruitfulness, Gospel of Matthew

#GospelAtAGlance #Matthew13 #BiblePodcast #Parables #SpiritualFormation #KingdomOfGod #NIV