Matthew 13:24-30 · Bible study
Matthew 13:24-30 Commentary: Parable of the Tares
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore why Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of Heaven contains both good seed and tares, and what this means for the church until the final judgment.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Good and evil coexist in the visible church and world until the final harvest, because God's patience protects genuine believers from harm.
- Key words: zizania (darnel/weeds, resembles wheat until it fruits), epespeiren (oversowed, the preposition indicates sowing over the good seed), parethēken (set before, like serving a meal, Vincent).
- Main debate: Whether the field is the world (Jesus says it is, v.38) or the visible church; and whether the sleeping men imply negligence in church leaders.
- Theological theme: Divine patience, final judgment, the reality of evil within God's kingdom project, and the mystery of iniquity.
- Best use: Teaching on theodicy, church purity vs. grace in membership, preparing believers for the tension of life between the advents.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
24Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
25But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away.
26When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.
27The 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. So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them.
30Let 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 into my barn.’”
WEB World English Bible 2000
24He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,
25but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds also among the wheat, and went away.
26But when the blade sprang up and produced grain, then the darnel weeds appeared also.
27The servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did these darnel weeds come from?’
28“He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them up?’
29“But he said, ‘No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
KJV King James Version 1769
24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30Let 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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
24Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field:
25but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away.
26But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares?
28And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them.
30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
24Another simile he set before them, saying: `The reign of the heavens was likened to a man sowing good seed in his field,
25and, while men are sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel in the midst of the wheat, and went away,
26and when the herb sprang up, and yielded fruit, then appeared also the darnel.
27`And the servants of the householder, having come near, said to him, Sir, good seed didst thou not sow in thy field? whence then hath it the darnel?
28And he saith to them, A man, an enemy, did this; and the servants said to him, Wilt thou, then, that having gone away we may gather it up?
29`And he said, No, lest--gathering up the darnel--ye root up with it the wheat,
30suffer both to grow together till the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the darnel, and bind it in bundles, to burn it, and the wheat gather up into my storehouse.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
24Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens has become like a man sowing good seed in his field;
25but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel amongst the wheat, and went away.
26But when the blade shot up and produced fruit, then appeared the darnel also.
27And the bondmen of the householder came up and said to him, Sir, hast thou not sown good seed in thy field? whence then has it darnel?
28And he said to them, A man [that is] an enemy has done this. And the bondmen said to him, Wilt thou then that we should go and gather it [up]?
29But he said, No; lest [in] gathering the darnel ye should root up the wheat with it.
30Suffer both to grow together unto the harvest, and in time of the harvest I will say to the harvestmen, Gather first the darnel, and bind it into bundles to burn it; but the wheat bring together into my granary.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
24Another parable he proposed to them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seed in his field.
25But while men were asleep, his enemy came and oversowed cockle among the wheat and went his way.
26And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle.
27And the servants of the good man of the house coming said to him. Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Whence then hath it cockle?
28And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up?
29And he said: No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it.
30Suffer both to grow until the harvest, and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up first the cockle, and bind it into bundles to burn, but the wheat gather ye into my barn.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Matthew 13:24
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the parable addresses a pressing problem: why genuine and counterfeit believers exist together in the visible church. Calvin argues that Christ's aim is to keep the godly from despair when they see a "confused mixture" of good and bad within the assembly he has cleansed. JFB states that the owner's refusal to let the servants pull the weeds teaches "the difficulty of distinguishing the two classes" and the likelihood that premature separation will uproot true wheat. The Cambridge Bible notes that throughout history, groups have tried to separate the two prematurely and have failed. Clarke adds that God tolerates the wicked for the sake of their conversion and for the sanctification of the righteous. Wesley points to the householder's answer, "An enemy has done this", as a clear response to the problem of evil: God sowed only good; the enemy introduced the bad. The uniform conclusion is that God's patience protects the church until the final harvest, when the reapers (angels) will make the separation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Church-focused view: The servants come from the householder; the wheat is gathered into a barn (the church); the parable is set among other church parables (sower, mustard seed).
- World-focused view: Jesus explicitly says the field is the world (v.38); the children of the kingdom are not the only group, and the separation happens at the end of the world.
- Mixed eschatological view: The kingdom of heaven grows in the world and includes both genuine and professed subjects; the visible church mirrors this reality but does not exhaust it.
What is clear: There is a real enemy at work, God will bring a final separation at the end of the age, and premature human attempts to separate the righteous from the wicked risk damaging those whom God is saving.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the tares | The tares are children of the evil one, sown by the devil, and will be judged at the end. | Some interpret the tares as false believers within the visible church; others, following Jesus' explanation that the field is the world (v.38), see them as unbelievers in the broader world, not necessarily within the congregation. |
| The role of the servants | The servants represent some kind of agents (human or angelic) who are distressed by the presence of evil. | Historic interpreters differ: some see them as ministers of the church seeking to purge sin (Clarke, Gill); others as angels who are restrained from executing judgment before the time (Poole, JFB). |
| Meaning of 'while men slept' | The activity happened at night, under cover of darkness, indicating normal human rest. | Wesley and Clarke see an admonition against spiritual drowsiness; others (Calvin, JFB) treat the detail as incidental, not carrying independent theological weight. |
| Timing and means of separation | The final separation will be executed by angels at the end of the age (v.39-43). | Some traditions (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, some Protestant) believe the parable allows for regulated excommunication as a partial separation, while others argue it forbids any human sifting before the harvest. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The setting of this parable would have been immediately familiar to Jesus' hearers. The weed described, zizania (darnel), was a known threat to wheat fields across the ancient Near East. Thayer's Lexicon defines it as "a kind of darnel, resembling wheat except the grains are black." In its early growth stages, darnel is nearly indistinguishable from wheat; only when the heads form does the difference become apparent. Eating darnel mixed with flour caused dizziness and illness, so farmers had good reason to want it removed.
But the act of oversowing a neighbor's field with harmful weeds was not just agricultural incompetence. It was a recognized form of sabotage, severe enough to be addressed in the Twelve Tables of Roman law. Barnes and other commentators cite travelers' reports of such malicious acts persisting in the East even in modern times. The enemy came at night, "while men slept", not necessarily implying negligence, but simply the normal state of rest when such covert acts were possible.
The servants' offer to gather the weeds immediately reflects standard practice: a responsible farmhand would want to protect the harvest. But the master's refusal surprises the audience. His concern about uprooting the wheat with the tares was well-founded; the root systems of wheat and darnel become intertwined. Any attempt to pull the weeds by hand would disturb the wheat's roots and diminish the yield. This agricultural reality gives force to the parable's lesson: premature judgment risks genuine damage to the true people of God.
The harvest imagery draws on deep Old Testament roots. Prophets like Joel (3:13) and Hosea pictured God's judgment as a harvest. Here the harvest is explicitly "the end of the world," as Jesus later tells his disciples (Matthew 13:39). The reapers are angels, not human agents. So the parable points forward to a divine, eschatological separation, not a human one.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Matthew 13:24-30. The Greek text is well-attested across the manuscript tradition. The primary variation occurs in translations of the plant ζιζάνια, rendered as 'tares' (KJV, ASV), 'darnel' (YLT), 'weeds' (BSB, WEB), or 'cockle' (Douay).
Reception History
From the earliest centuries, this parable shaped Christian thinking about church membership. Augustine of Hippo used it repeatedly to argue against the Donatists, who insisted on a pure church consisting only of the righteous. Augustine insisted that the parable shows the wheat and tares grow together until harvest, meaning the church must not break communion over imperfect members. During the Reformation, opponents of the Lollards (followers of Wycliffe) identified them as the tares of this parable, a dramatic irony, since those opponents were themselves persecuting what the parable warns against harming. In the Counter-Reformation, Catholic interpreters comforted those troubled by the corruption of church officials by pointing to the master's patience. Across traditions, the parable has remained the central biblical text for discussions of church discipline, toleration within congregations, and the relationship between the visible and invisible church. Modern application has extended to cultural and political mixture in society.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The enemy is real and active. The evil in the church and world is not a mistake or an accident; it is the deliberate work of an enemy (v.28). This frees believers from the burden of thinking they caused the problem or that God has failed.
- The mixture is painful but purposeful. The householder chooses to let both grow together (v.30). God's patience has a purpose: to protect the wheat. Hasty judgment and church divisions often damage those who are genuinely seeking faith.
- The separation is certain and final. The harvest is coming. The reapers will gather the weeds for burning and the wheat into the barn. God's justice will be complete, and the righteous will be safe. That hope allows the church to live with unresolved tension in the present.
Five-point outline
- The Sower (Christ) sows good seed in the field of the world (v.24). The kingdom begins through his word and work.
- The Enemy (the devil) comes while humanity goes about its normal business, while men sleep, and oversows dense weeds (v.25). Evil appears alongside good, disguised until fruit appears.
- The Servants (believers and ministers) see the problem and want immediate action (v.27-28). Their zeal is understandable but dangerous.
- The Master (God) forbids premature weeding because the roots are entangled (v.29). He disciplines the church with patience, not violence.
- The Harvest (the end of the age) brings final justice: the weeds are burned, the wheat gathered into God's barn (v.30). This is the gospel's promise of both judgment and salvation.
Illustration hooks
- A farmer who discovers that invasive cheatgrass has mixed with his wheat; pulling it early would ruin the good crop, so he waits for the combine's fan to separate the lighter seeds at harvest.
- A church board that debates whether to remove a member whose life shows long-term inconsistency; the pastor recalls the parable and asks whether the person's faith is real or just immature, only time and fruit will show.
- Parenting parallel: a mother sees a child making questionable friends but knows that isolating the child could cause deeper rebellion; she prays and trusts that the child's character will ripen over time.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I be sure I am wheat and not a tare? What kind of fruit should mark my life?
- Why does God allow hypocrites to stay in the church and cause so much harm?
- If we are not supposed to judge, how do we exercise church discipline or protect the vulnerable?
Leading a Discussion
This parable is one of the few Jesus explains directly (Matthew 13:36-43). It confronts a struggle many believers feel: why does the church contain so many people who seem insincere or even harmful? The owner's patience is not weakness; it is a strategy rooted in wisdom and love for the wheat. As you discuss, keep asking what this story teaches about God's character and about the church's life in the present.
Discussion questions
- What details in the story (v.24-30) would have surprised Jesus' first hearers? Why would the master's refusal to pull the weeds have seemed counterintuitive?
- According to Jesus' explanation in v.37-39, what does each element represent: the field, good seed, tares, enemy, harvest, reapers? How does that change how you read the parable?
- What does the owner's answer in v.29 teach us about God's priorities? Why does he care more about protecting the wheat than about removing the weeds immediately?
- How should this parable shape our attitude toward other Christians whose faith or lifestyle seems questionable? What dangers come with trying to sort people into categories too early?
- This parable is often used to argue against church discipline. But the same Jesus gives instructions about confronting sin in Matthew 18:15-20. How do you hold these two teachings together?
- What comfort does this passage offer to someone who is weary of seeing hypocrisy in the church? What hope does it offer about final justice?
- How might the parable challenge a church that prides itself on being pure or exclusive? How does it challenge a church that is too lax about sin?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Judges 14:12 | Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle now. If you can tell me the answer within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing; |
| Judges 14:13 | but if you can’t tell me the answer, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing.” They said to him, “Tell us your riddle, that we may hear it.” |
| Isaiah 28:10 | For it is precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little. |
| Isaiah 28:13 | Therefore Yahweh’s word will be to them precept on precept, precept on precept; line on line, line on line; here a little, there a little; that they may go, fall backward, be broken, be snared, and be taken. |
| Ezekiel 17:2 | “Son of man, tell a riddle, and speak a parable to the house of Israel; |
| Matthew 3:2 | “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” |
| Matthew 4:23 | Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. |
| Matthew 13:19 | When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke argues the Greek word translated as tares actually means degenerate or bastard wheat, wheat that has gone bad rather than a different plant. This leads him to stress that in the visible church, the good and corrupted are often nearly identical. He fiercely warns against using religious differences as grounds for persecution, insisting only God may judge false doctrine.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes focuses on how Satan sows false believers during revivals, producing hypocrites who closely resemble true Christians. These counterfeits cannot be safely removed by human effort, since the roots intertwine with genuine faith. Only Christ at judgment can separate them without damaging the wheat.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that the parable's main purpose is not to warn the careless but to comfort the faithful. He says Christ lets hypocrites and wicked people mingle in the church so that believers do not become discouraged or disturbed by this imperfect mixture. The point is to steady their hearts, not to alarm them.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentary highlights the historical irony that the Lollards, named from a play on the Latin word for tares, were persecuted by people who should have learned the parable's lesson: not to separate good from evil prematurely. The good and evil remain indistinguishable in the visible church until the final judgment.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that this parable describes the visible church on earth, not heaven, since only there can tares exist alongside wheat. He emphasizes that Christ forbids removing suspected false professors, because such action would inevitably harm genuine believers. Both must grow together until the final judgment and separation.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that Christ's own explanation of this parable is notably simple and clear. They highlight the master's gentle reply clearing his servants of blame, and the vital warning that trying to separate the righteous from the wicked now would endanger the genuine believers, so judgment belongs only to Christ at the harvest.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads the seven parables of Matthew 13 as a deliberate sequence tracing the full history of the kingdom of heaven from its founding to the final judgment. He maps each parable onto a specific era: the apostolic age, the early church amid heresies, the Constantinian state-church, the medieval transformation of Europe, the Reformation, modern secular culture, and the final separation at judgment.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent clarifies two Greek verbs often mistranslated in this verse. The word rendered "put he forth" actually means to serve up a meal, so "set before them" is more accurate. The second verb, "sowed," carries a prefix that indicates sowing over previous seed, making the Revised Version's "sowed also" the better reading.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley distinguishes between two types of evildoers in the church: darnel represents nominal Christians who have the form of godliness but not the power, while open sinners are like thistles and should be removed. He warns that fallible humans often uproot true believers when they try to weed out the false.