Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, 38 the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children 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 Just as weeds are collected and burned [up] with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.
In this passage, Jesus privately unveils to His disciples the deeper meaning behind the Parable of the Weeds (vv. 24–30), which He had earlier proclaimed to the crowds. He reveals that this is not merely a lesson about patience or an agricultural metaphor—it is a window into the mystery of the Kingdom of God, its present hiddenness, and its future triumph. Christ, the “Son of Man,” is both sower and judge: He plants righteousness in the world through His Word and His Church, but permits evil to coexist with good until the appointed time of harvest—the end of the age.
The field is the world, not merely the Church, which underscores the universal scope of God’s Kingdom. The coexistence of good and evil is not an oversight but a manifestation of divine patience (cf. Wis 12:19-22; 2 Pt. 3:9). Yet the patience of God is not the absence of justice. A final reckoning will come when angels, acting as divine harvesters, will separate those who have lived as children of the Kingdom from those who have lived in rebellion.
This passage recalls Daniel 12:2-3, where the righteous are promised to “shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament,” a prophetic anticipation of the same glory Christ promises in this passage: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” In both cases, light symbolizes not only vindication but transformation—the final glorification of the just.
The fiery furnace echoes Malachi 3:19 (4:1), where “the day is coming, blazing like an oven,” for those who oppose God. In the New Testament, this image reappears frequently, especially in Revelation 20:10-15, reinforcing that God’s judgment is not symbolic but final and eternal. It is not merely punishment for wrongdoing, but the consequence of rejecting the grace of the Kingdom offered in Christ.
Importantly, the children of the Kingdom are described as 'good seed'—an image that speaks not only of their origin, being sown by Christ through His Word and grace, but also of their destiny: to grow, bear fruit, and be gathered into the glory of the Father’s Kingdom. Their goodness is not self-made but sown by Christ, the divine Sower. They are not spared from suffering in this life, nor always distinguished from the wicked in appearance, but they are known to God. At the end of time, their hidden fidelity will be revealed in radiant glory.
Lord Jesus, Son of Man and divine Sower, plant in us the seed of righteousness and tend it with Your grace. In a world of confusion, help us to grow in faith, hope, and love. Keep us vigilant, yet patient, as we await the final harvest. May we never lose sight of Your promise that the righteous will shine like the sun in Your Kingdom. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
- The Navarre Bible: Matthew, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008).
- The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Aguilar Chiu et al. (2018).
- A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Bernard Orchard et al. (1953).
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§678–682, 1038–1041.
- St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew (late 4th c.).
- St. Gregory the Great, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 40 (c. 590 AD).
- St. Thomas Aquinas, Catena Aurea on Matthew 13:36–43.
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