Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The instruction to gather the weeds first is profoundly significant; it means the wicked will witness the judgment of others before facing their own, ensuring they see the ultimate consequence of their choices before their final separation. This order highlights God's justice and the sobering reality of divine reckoning before the redeemed are finally brought home.
Jesus is explaining the parable of the wheat and the weeds, which he just told to the crowds. He clarifies that the field represents the world, and both the weeds (representing evildoers) and the wheat (representing righteous people) will grow together until the final harvest, which is the end of the age. At that time, the angels will separate the wicked from the righteous, burning the former and gathering the latter into God's kingdom.
Imagine a gardener trying to pull out every weed as soon as it sprouts. It sounds good, right? But Jesus warns against this impulse in His church.
Jesus' instruction to 'let both grow together' isn't about condoning sin or hypocrisy within the community. Instead, it highlights the immense difficulty, and potential danger, of humans trying to perfectly separate the 'wheat' (true believers) from the 'weeds' (those who only appear to be believers).
The end of the age isn't just a time of judgment; it's a meticulously planned and executed harvest where God's justice is perfectly displayed.
The parable culminates in a powerful image of divine justice at the 'harvest,' which Jesus identifies as the 'end of the age.' This isn't a chaotic free-for-all, but a divinely orchestrated separation.
Understand the original words
therismos · Greek Noun
The final judgment of God at the end of the age, where the state of all humanity is revealed and eternally settled.
theristēs · Greek Noun
Those commissioned by God—often identified as angels in the parable's explanation—to execute the separation of the righteous from the wicked at the end of the age.
apothēkē · Greek Noun
A metaphor for the eternal gathering of the saints into God's presence, heaven, or the kingdom of glory.
This verse is often seen as the first prophecy of the conflict between the seed of the woman (humanity, ultimately Christ) and the seed of the serpent (evil, Satan), paralleling the 'wheat' and 'weeds' that grow together in the parable.
Psalm 1:1-6This psalm clearly contrasts the righteous 'wheat' who are blessed and stand firm, with the wicked 'weeds' who will not stand in the judgment and perish.
Jeremiah 23:5-6This passage speaks of a future 'righteous Branch' who will reign as King and bring justice and righteousness, signifying the ultimate triumph of the 'wheat' and the judgment of the wicked.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15This passage discusses the judgment of believers' works, where some 'building' (like wheat) will endure and be rewarded, while others' 'building' (like weeds) will be burned up, showing a judgment within the professing community.
2 Thessalonians 2:7-10This passage describes the 'mystery of lawlessness' already at work, paralleling the hidden presence of the 'weeds' among the 'wheat' in the church, with a future revelation and destruction of the wicked.
barnesMatthew 13:30: "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."
Let both grow together - They would not spoil the true wheat, and in time of harvest it would be easy to separate them. Our Saviour teaches us here: 1. That hypocrites and deceived persons must be expected in the church. 2. That this is the work of the enemy of man. They are…
clarkeMatthew 13:30: "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."
Let both grow together - Though every minister of God should separate from the Church of Christ every incorrigible sinner, yet he should proceed no farther: the man is not to be persecuted in his body or goods, because he is not sound in the faith - God tolerates him; so shou…
The instruction to gather the weeds first is profoundly significant; it means the wicked will witness the judgment of others before facing their own, ensuring they see the ultimate consequence of their choices before their final separation. This order highlights God's justice and the sobering reality of divine reckoning before the redeemed are finally brought home.
Jesus is explaining the parable of the wheat and the weeds, which he just told to the crowds. He clarifies that the field represents the world, and both the weeds (representing evildoers) and the wheat (representing righteous people) will grow together until the final harvest, which is the end of the age. At that time, the angels will separate the wicked from the righteous, burning the former and gathering the latter into God's kingdom.
Jesus is explaining the parable of the wheat and the weeds, which he just told to the crowds. He clarifies that the field represents the world, and both the weeds (representing evildoers) and the wheat (representing righteous people) will grow together until the final harvest, which is the end of the age. At that time, the angels will separate the wicked from the righteous, burning the former and gathering the latter into God's kingdom.
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"Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”" — The instruction to gather the weeds first is profoundly significant; it means the wicked will witness the judgment of others before facing their own, ensuring they see the ultimate consequence of t…
