Context No. 3566 of 4322 · Matthew
Context · Reflection
Matthew 13:24-28: in context
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?’
Jesus tells of a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while everyone slept, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the servants later discover the weeds and ask, did you not sow good seed? where then did these weeds come from?, the master answers, an enemy has done this.
Two things stand out at the start of this parable. First, the good field has an enemy who works secretly, sowing weeds while people sleep. Evil is not always our own doing; it is often actively sown by an enemy who works in the dark, hidden from view. And second, the master's calm certainty, an enemy has done this. He is not baffled or thrown into panic; he knows the source of the trouble. There is realism here about the mixture of good and evil in the world and even in the church, and about the reality of an enemy at work. But there is also the master's steady confidence: he knows exactly what has happened, and, as the parable goes on to show, he has a plan for the harvest.
Do I recognize that an enemy sows evil, often secretly while we sleep, and can I trust the Master, who is neither baffled nor panicked but knows the trouble's source and has a plan for the harvest?
Sources
- Matthew 13:25: "But while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds also among the wheat, and went away."
- Matthew 13:28: "He said to them, An enemy has done this."
- 1 Peter 5:8: "Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."