Then
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.”
He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. The 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, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 13:36-43
Matthew 13 [34.] Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”
Matthew 13 [36.] Then 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.”
Matthew 13 [37.] He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. The 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, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Matthew 13 [44.] “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.
Meaning:
Jesus had told the crowds the parable of the wheat and the darnel weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). Now, away from the crowds, his disciples ask him to explain it. Jesus gives a point-by-point interpretation that reveals how the story of the field reaches all the way to the end of the age.
- “His disciples came to him”
The disciples did what Jesus had commended: they came to him for understanding. Leaving the multitudes, Jesus went “into the house”, and there he taught those who wanted to learn. This is the pattern of the whole chapter: “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 13:11).
- “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world”
Jesus himself is the sower. He calls himself the Son of Man, the title of the heavenly figure in Daniel who receives an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14). The field is not just Israel but “the world”. The Kingdom’s reach is global.
- “The good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom”
In the first parable the seed was the word; here the seed is people. Those who receive the word become “children of the Kingdom”, planted by Jesus in the world to bear fruit. The darnel weeds are “the children of the evil one”. Jesus spoke the same way to opponents who rejected him: “You are of your father, the devil” (John 8:44). Every person belongs to one family or the other.
- “The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels”
The story moves forward to the final judgment. The angels will act as reapers, and they will remove “all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity.” Their fate is described as a “furnace of fire”, where “There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” These are some of the strongest warnings in the Bible. Jesus does not soften them, because he wants people to escape that end. The devil himself, the enemy who sowed the weeds, will finally be judged (Revelation 20:10).
- “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father”
The parable ends with glory. Those who belong to God will shine. This echoes Daniel: “Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse; and those who turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:3). The Kingdom that began like a hidden seed will one day be revealed in full splendor.
- “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”
Jesus repeats the call he gave after the first parable (Matthew 13:9). This explanation is not merely information about the future. It demands a response now.
The Significance of Matthew 13:36-43
- Two families, two destinies
Every life is either good seed or darnel, child of the Kingdom or child of the evil one. The difference may not be visible now, but it will be revealed at the harvest.
- Judgment belongs to the Son of Man
It is the Son of Man and his angels, not us, who will separate the wicked from the righteous. Our task is to belong to him and bear fruit.
- A shining hope
For those who belong to Jesus, the end of the age is not a threat but a promise. They will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom.
Cross-References:
Daniel 12:3: "Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse;" The righteous shining in glory.
John 8:44: "You are of your father, the devil," The children of the evil one.
Revelation 20:10: "The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur," The final defeat of the enemy.
Conclusion: Jesus explained the parable of the darnel weeds to his disciples. He is the sower; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the Kingdom and the weeds the children of the evil one, sown by the devil. At the end of the age his angels will gather out all who do iniquity and cast them into the furnace of fire, and the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible