The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

There is a weed named darnel that closely resembles wheat in the early stages of growth. There was no way to determine which was wheat and which was darnel until both had matured and it was time for the harvest. Then the poisonous darnel had to be laboriously separated from the wheat (Barclay, Commentary on Matthew 13:24-30).

Just as both wheat and weeds grow together in a field, there are both good people and evil people in the world. Some people do God's work in the world and some people do Satan's work.

Just as it is difficult to distinguish the darnel from the wheat, we cannot accurately determine who is truly good and who is truly evil. With our limited human understanding, an evil person may appear to be good, and a good person may appear to be evil.

Just as the owner of the field prohibited his servants from pulling up the weeds, it is not our privilege to judge other people. That is God's privilege alone.

Just as the harvesters separate the weeds from the wheat in the end, God will determine who is truly good and who is truly evil at the final judgment.

In this parable, Jesus warns us against substituting our judgment for God's judgment. Our inability to see into another person's heart as well as our fears, jealousies and prejudices prevent us from making accurate judgments about other people. Only God knows all the facts about a person. Even evil people have an opportunity to repent until the time of death. We must be tolerant of other people and leave the task of judgment to God.

Related Verses

 * Matthew 7:1-5, 13:47-50
 * Romans 14:10-14
 * 1 Corinthians 4:3-5
 * James 4:11-12