In this parable an enemy secretly sows weeds among a man's wheat. When the plants become recognizable, the servants ask whether they should pull up the weeds. The owner tells them to allow both to grow until harvest, when they can be separated safely.
Jesus in Context
Weeds Among the Wheat
Jesus describes an enemy sowing weeds among a farmer's wheat and the difficulty of separating the two before harvest.
Introduction
Historical and Cultural Context
The weed described by the Greek term often translated 'tares' or 'weeds' is commonly understood as darnel, a grass that can resemble wheat during its early growth. Once the plants mature, the distinction becomes easier to see. Attempting to remove weeds whose roots are intertwined with the grain could also damage the crop.
Jesus later explains the harvest imagery in terms of final judgment. Harvest was already a natural biblical metaphor for divine judgment, and burning unwanted vegetation was an ordinary agricultural practice.
Why It Matters
The agricultural setting explains why the owner delays separation. The delay is not indifference to the weeds but protection of the wheat until the proper time. Jesus uses that circumstance to teach that final separation and judgment belong to God and occur at the appointed harvest.