The Parable of the Weeds – 4 Sobering Life Lessons

The Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat

The Parable of the Weeds is also known as the Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat, the Parable of the Weeds and Wheat, and the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat. It’s included in one of the four Gospels, Matthew 13 24. You can find it HERE.

Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat Summary

The summary of the Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat is a description of the Kingdom of God. In the parable, a man planted good seed in his field, but his enemy threw weeds on top.

The wheat grew and the weeds also grew among the good wheat. The man knew his enemy had planted the weeds but he chose to let the weeds continue to grow because some of the wheat might have been pulled out if they tried to remove the weeds.

The farmer intended to separate the good from the bad during the harvest.

Moral lesson of the Parable of the Weeds

The moral lesson of the Parable of the Weeds is that good and evil people coexist during life on earth, but we will be separated accordingly by God’s judgment in the afterlife.

Parable of the Weeds Meaning

The meaning of the Parable of the Weeds is that God (the farmer) creates good people (wheat) but the devil (the farmer’s enemy) tempts them and some turn away from God (weeds).

The people who choose a life of evil (weeds) continue to live alongside God’s faithful people (wheat) and there is no separation made between the two groups until our final judgment.

The farmer (God) chooses to allow the weeds to grow (evil people) because some wheat (good people) may be pulled in the process of stripping out the weeds.

Once the final harvest is made (judgment in God’s Kingdom), evil can no longer hide in the spiritual world. It is only then that a clean separation can be made between the wheat and the weeds (God’s people and the enemy’s people). 

Parable of the Weeds Explained:

The Parable of the Weeds helps explain God’s Kingdom. God creates everything good, including people.

God’s enemy tempts God’s people and some of those people choose evil over God. They turn to the devil.

These two groups of people live side by side on Earth but will be separated at the time of final judgment when our hearts are laid bare.   

The Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat Lessons

Every parable Jesus told was for a specific purpose to His original audience, but they each still have important life lessons for us today

1. The devil is very tempting and convincing

Everything God creates is good, but humans are imperfect and the devil preys on our flaws.

He tempts us into sin before we even realize what’s happening. He plants seeds of jealousy, greed, selfishness, anger, unforgiveness, and every evil vice.

When we let him into our minds and hearts, he quickly displaces God. We can turn away from God before we even realize it’s happening.  

Recognizing the presence of anyone and anything that starts to pull us away from God is the first step to saying ‘NO’ to evil and preventing us from becoming weeds.

Drawing near to God helps us stay firmly rooted in His love, especially when the devil pours out his tempting lies.

When we’re with God, we shut the door in evil’s face. When we’re with God, we strive to please Him and not just please ourselves.

It’s when we allow ourselves to drift away from God that we open the door to evil.

2. We must intentionally nurture a relationship with God

In Matthew 12:30, God said whoever is not for Him is against Him. It can only be one way or the other. If we’re not actively seeking a relationship with God, we’re drifting away. If we’re not in a relationship with God, we’re in a relationship with the devil. 

We must be intentional in our relationship with God by nurturing it as we would grow a seed into a large plant. We must give it the time, attention, and nourishment it needs to grow.

Growing close to God doesn’t happen by accident. It’s intentional. It happens when we make Him a top priority in our lives. It flourishes when we seek to live according to His will and not to our own desires.

When we say ‘No’ to human vices, we automatically draw closer to God.

3. Everything from God is good

We can be sure that no evil comes from God, yet evil (weeds) exists in every part of society, even in churches.

As humans, we can’t adequately see or discern evil. Firstly, we all contain some measure of it, in our humanness. Secondly, evil exists in the heart, so it’s not always detectable by other humans.

Sometimes an evil person’s actions reveal their true heart, but sometimes evil is hidden well under pretty clothing and proper language and in powerful positions.

However, in the afterlife, there is no hiding evil. Our thoughts and hearts are clearly visible to God and He will separate the good from evil there. While on earth, we can fulfill God’s will by gently instructing those who are clearly separated from God to bring as many to salvation as possible.  

4. Our inner being will be revealed at the time of judgment

At the time of our eternal judgment, our inner being will become known and the goodness of believers will shine forth as bright light.

May we use our time on Earth to pursue God’s will and pray that we find ourselves welcome into His Holy Kingdom when that time comes.

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The Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat, Matthew 13 24-30

The Parable of the Weeds shown here is the NIV translation and is taken from Biblegateway.com.

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.’”

The Parable of the Weeds And The Wheat Commentary

The Parable of the Weeds Commentary can be found at Bible Study Tools.com. This link will lead you to the free Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, but you can find other Biblical commentaries HERE. They include free and paid versions. I have referred to Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary for this post.

More Parables!

Do you love the parables as much as I do? You may enjoy reading life lessons on these others (listed below), these activities for adults and children, or this list of Parables and Meanings. More parable lessons are underway. See them all HERE!

Do you love journaling? Does writing down your personal reflections help you process your thoughts more fully? Perhaps these Christian writing journals will be helpful as you reflect on the life lessons of the parables.

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