Matthew 13:24-30 Meaning: Why the Wheat and Weeds Grow Together
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.”’”
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.
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.
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.'
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.
Meaning in one sentence
In the Parable of the Weeds, Jesus shows why the Kingdom of Heaven includes both believers and unbelievers, and why we trust God's timing for final judgment.
Context
Jesus is teaching by the Sea of Galilee, telling a series of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven. This one comes right after the Parable of the Sower. Here, He describes a farmer who sows good seed, but an enemy comes at night and sows weeds among the wheat. The servants want to pull the weeds, but the farmer says no, for fear of uprooting the wheat. They must let both grow together until harvest. Many interpreters agree this parable addresses the puzzle of evil existing alongside good in the visible church, and warns against hasty judgment.
Key Words
The word for weeds in Greek is zizania (darnel). This plant looks almost exactly like wheat in its early growth. Only when the grain forms can they be told apart. The verb for sowing the weeds, epespeiren, means to sow on top of what was already sown, a deliberate act of sabotage. And the command to let both grow together uses a single Greek verb, sunauxanesthai, which pictures two plants growing side by side with their roots tangled. You cannot pull one without damaging the other. That is why the farmer waits. The lesson is not that evil is harmless, but that our vision is limited. We do not know which plant will bear fruit. We do not know the state of any heart. Only the Master of the field sees clearly enough to separate.
How Christians Read This Verse
John Calvin saw this parable as comfort for the faithful: believers should not grow despondent when hypocrites appear in the church, because Christ knows there is a mixture, and He will make the separation at the harvest. John Wesley pointed to the enemy, not God, as the source of the weeds, addressing the age-old question of evil. The Cambridge Bible notes how closely the darnel resembles wheat, a detail that shows why human efforts to purge the church have often failed, as history demonstrates with movements like the Donatists. Across traditions, Christians agree on the central point: the final sorting belongs to God alone, and our task is patience.
A common misunderstanding
A common misreading is that this parable forbids any form of church discipline or judgment. In fact, the farmer’s command not to uproot the weeds is about the final judgment, not about how Christian communities should address sin. Other New Testament passages give instructions for dealing with unrepentant sin within the church. The parable teaches patience and trust in God’s ultimate separating work, not that we must tolerate everything without discernment.
Living This Out
This week, you will likely encounter someone whose faith feels questionable to you. You might be tempted to label them a weed. But the parable asks you to step back. You do not see the root. You do not know the harvest. Instead of trying to sort others, focus on your own growth. Let the patience of the householder shape how you speak about those who trouble you. Pray for a humble heart that trusts God’s timing.
Main takeaway: God lets the wheat and weeds grow together until the harvest, because He alone knows the difference and He alone will separate them.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
The farmer said no to pulling the weeds because he might hurt the good plants. We should be kind and trust God to make things right.
For ages 9, 12
In this story, Jesus shows that God’s kingdom includes people who follow Him and people who don’t yet. We can’t always tell them apart, and trying to separate them too early can cause damage. So we should love everyone and wait for God to sort it all out at the end.
Questions People Ask
What is darnel weed?
Darnel is a poisonous weed that looks almost identical to wheat in its early stages. Only when the grain forms can it be distinguished. In the parable, this resemblance explains why pulling out the weeds could damage the wheat.
Why didn't the farmer let the servants pull the weeds?
The farmer knew that the roots of the wheat and darnel were tangled together. Pulling the weeds would tear up the wheat as well. So he chose to let both grow until the harvest, when they could be separated safely.
Does this parable mean we should never judge anyone?
The parable teaches patience about final judgment, not that we should never use discernment. It warns against pretending to know a person’s heart or trying to remove people prematurely. Christians are called to both love and hold each other accountable in community.
Who is the enemy in the parable?
Jesus later explains that the enemy who sows the weeds is the devil (Matthew 13:39). The good seed is sown by the Son of Man, and the weeds are planted by the enemy to oppose God’s work.
What does the harvest represent?
In Jesus’ explanation, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. At that time, God will separate the righteous from the wicked once and for all. Until then, both exist together in the world.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study