He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. 26 When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. 27 The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
31 He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’”
33 He spoke to them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.”
34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, 35 to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation [of the world].”
36 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.
Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ “Parable Discourse,” in which He reveals the Kingdom of Heaven through familiar images drawn from everyday life in ancient Palestine. He speaks of wheat and weeds, a tiny mustard seed, and yeast hidden in dough. Each parable reveals something about the Kingdom, and together they also reveal what Jesus is accomplishing through His saving work.
The first parable tells of a man who sows good seed in his field. During the night, an enemy secretly sows weeds among the wheat. When the servants discover the weeds, they ask whether they should pull them up. The master refuses because removing the weeds too soon could also uproot the wheat. Both must remain until the harvest, when the crop can be separated safely.
Jesus later explains that He is the sower and that the field is the world. The good seed represents the children of the Kingdom, while the weeds represent the children of the evil one. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are the angels. His explanation addresses a question believers have asked throughout the centuries: If Christ has already come and God’s Kingdom is present, why does evil still remain?
Jesus teaches that the Kingdom has truly begun through His coming and ministry, but it has not yet reached its fullness. We now live in the time between Christ's First Coming and His return in glory. During this time, evil remains active in the world, yet it has not defeated God's saving plan. God continues to extend His mercy, calling sinners to repentance and strengthening those who seek to remain faithful. His patience is neither weakness nor indifference. It gives people time to turn to Him before the final judgment, because He does not desire that anyone perish but that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
The mustard seed and the yeast reveal another truth about Christ’s Kingdom: its beginnings may appear small, and its growth may remain hidden, but its final effect will be far greater than anyone expects. The mustard seed grows into a large plant where birds find shelter in its branches. In a similar way, a small amount of yeast works quietly within a large quantity of flour until the whole batch is changed. Christ’s Kingdom continues to grow throughout the world, often in ways that attract little attention but gradually transform lives.
Jesus does not tell His disciples to ignore evil or pretend that it does not exist. Rather, He teaches them to trust God's wisdom and His timing. During this present age, Christians are called to resist evil, pursue holiness, and invite others to repentance. The final separation of the righteous and the wicked belongs to Christ alone and will take place when He returns in glory.
The One who patiently allows the wheat and weeds to grow together is the same Son of Man who will return in glory to judge the living and the dead. His mercy gives time for repentance, but His justice will not fail. At the appointed time, evil will be removed, those who cause others to sin will be judged, and “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (v. 43).
For now, Christ calls His disciples to remain faithful to Him and to live according to His teaching. We may not always see the fruit of our prayers, sacrifices, works of charity, or efforts to share the Gospel. The Kingdom often grows through small acts of obedience that attract little attention. Because Christ is the Sower and the One who will bring the harvest to completion, we can serve Him with confidence, trusting that His work will reach its fulfillment when He returns in glory.
Lord Jesus, You are the Sower of the good seed and the Lord of the harvest. Help us to remain faithful when we cannot yet see the fullness of Your Kingdom. Give us patience, perseverance, and confidence in Your promises, so that our lives may bear abundant fruit and we may one day shine with You in the Father's Kingdom. Amen.
––––––––––––––––
Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Notes on Matthew 13:24–43.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. 31–32.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. 93–95.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 656–57, paras. 88–91.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 936–37.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully rev. ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1199–1200.
- Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. 180–82.
Comments