Matthew 13:36-43 Meaning: Why Jesus Explained the Parable Privately
36Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”
37He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,
38the field is the world, the good seeds are the children of the Kingdom, and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one.
39The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age.
41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and those who do iniquity,
42and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
36Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
36Then he left the multitudes, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Explain unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
37And he answered and said, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one;
39and the enemy that sowed them is the devil: and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels.
40As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world.
41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity,
42and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear.
36Then having let away the multitudes, Jesus came to the house, and his disciples came near to him, saying, `Explain to us the simile of the darnel of the field.'
37And he answering said to them, `He who is sowing the good seed is the Son of Man,
38and the field is the world, and the good seed, these are the sons of the reign, and the darnel are the sons of the evil one,
39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is a full end of the age, and the reapers are messengers.
40`As, then, the darnel is gathered up, and is burned with fire, so shall it be in the full end of this age,
41the Son of Man shall send forth his messengers, and they shall gather up out of his kingdom all the stumbling-blocks, and those doing the unlawlessness,
42and shall cast them to the furnace of the fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.
43`Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the reign of their Father. He who is having ears to hear--let him hear.
36Then, having dismissed the crowds, he went into the house; and his disciples came to him, saying, Expound to us the parable of the darnel of the field.
37But he answering said, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man,
38and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, but the darnel are the sons of the evil [one];
39and the enemy who has sowed it is the devil; and the harvest is [the] completion of [the] age, and the harvestmen are angels.
40As then the darnel is gathered and is burned in the fire, thus it shall be in the completion of the age.
41The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all offences, and those that practise lawlessness;
42and they shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
43Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that has ears, let him hear.
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus explains the parable of the weeds to his disciples privately. What does it mean about judgment, patience, and the kingdom?
Context
Jesus had spent the day telling parables to a large crowd by the lake. When evening came, he sent the people away and went inside a house. His disciples followed him there and asked him to explain the parable of the weeds in the field. This moment shows a pattern found throughout Matthew's Gospel. The crowds heard stories full of everyday images. But in private, Jesus gave his followers the full meaning. Here he tells them that the world is like a field where good seed and weeds grow together until the harvest at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send angels to separate the righteous from those who practiced lawlessness. The righteous will then shine in the kingdom of their Father. Jesus ends with a call for anyone with ears to hear.
Key Words
The disciples ask Jesus to explain the parable. The Greek word diasapheō means to make something fully clear, to unfold its meaning step by step. They wanted more than a surface understanding. The word suggests a patient teacher opening up a mystery.
The weeds are called zizanion, a type of darnel that looks almost identical to wheat while the plants are young. Only at harvest time can you tell them apart. That is why separating them early would risk pulling up the wheat too. The word itself carries the idea of something deceptive, hard to distinguish from the real thing.
At the end Jesus says the righteous will shine forth as the sun. The Greek verb eklampsō includes the prefix ek, meaning out of. It pictures light bursting out from behind a cloud. The good people had been mixed in with the wicked all along, their true character hidden. At the harvest they will finally be seen in full glory.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have read this passage with similar hope but different emphases. Many Protestant commentators, including Barnes and Matthew Henry, stress that the field is the whole world, not the church. This means God allows good and evil to exist together in society, and believers must not try to force a final separation before the end.
In Catholic and Orthodox readings, the phrase everything that causes sin draws attention to how each person's actions can lead others astray. The final judgment is seen as both a warning and an invitation to repentance.
Reformed writers like Calvin emphasize God's patience until the harvest. Wesley points to the joy of the righteous shining in the kingdom. All traditions agree that the Son of Man alone has the authority to judge, and that the end will bring a clear separation that we cannot see now.
A common misunderstanding
Some think this parable teaches that Christians should never confront sin or remove someone from church membership, because the weeds and wheat must stay together until the end. In fact, Jesus himself clarifies that the field is the world, not the church. Church discipline is a separate matter addressed elsewhere in Scripture. The parable is about God's patience with evil in the broader world, not about forbidding judgment within the community of believers.
Living This Out
This week you will likely feel the ache of living in a mixed world. Someone cuts you off in traffic. A coworker takes credit for your idea. You hear news of injustice and wonder why God does not step in now. This passage asks you to trust the timeline that Jesus has set. You do not have to sort everything out yourself. Your job is to be good seed, to root yourself in Christ, and to let his explanation of reality settle into your bones. When frustration rises, remember the harvest is coming. You can let go of the need to fix everything today. The angels will do their work at the right time.
Main takeaway: God patiently allows good and evil to grow together until the harvest, when the righteous will shine like the sun in his kingdom.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
A farmer planted good seeds. At night someone planted bad seeds that looked just like them. The farmer said, “Wait until harvest. Then we can sort them out.” Jesus says we will wait until the end of the world, and then God will make everything right.
For ages 9, 12
In this passage, Jesus explains the parable he told earlier. The good seeds are people who follow God, and the weeds are people who do wrong things. They have to grow together because pulling the weeds too early would hurt the good plants. At the end of the world, God’s angels will separate them. The people who trusted God will shine as bright as the sun. This is a promise that even when things seem unfair now, God has a final plan.
Questions People Ask
What is the darnel weed in this parable?
Darnel is a weed that looks almost identical to wheat while it is growing. Only when the grain appears can you tell them apart. That is why the farmer in the story told his workers to wait until harvest to separate them.
Does this parable mean Christians should never judge other people in the church?
No. Jesus said the field is the world, not the church. Scripture teaches that churches should deal with serious sin among believers (see Matthew 18:15-17). This parable is about God's patience with evil in the world at large, not forbidding church discipline.
What does 'shine like the sun' mean?
It pictures the righteous being revealed in full glory at the end of the age. For now, their goodness may be hidden or overlooked. At the harvest, God will make their true character visible, like the sun breaking through clouds.
Who sowed the weeds in the field?
Jesus says the enemy who sowed the weeds is the devil (verse 39). The weeds are people who belong to the evil one. The parable shows that evil in the world is not God's doing but comes from an enemy who opposes God's work.
Why did Jesus send the crowds away before explaining the parable?
Throughout Matthew 13, Jesus speaks to the crowds in parables but gives private explanations to his disciples. This may be because deeper understanding of the kingdom requires a personal relationship with Him. The disciples chose to follow and ask, while the crowds received only the surface story.
For pastors & researchers
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