Matthew 13:28Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

When the master discovered that it was the adversary who had orchestrated this deceit, seeking to conceal his schemes under the same holy Name—realizing that he was powerless against the might of such a Name—he might wish to eliminate such individuals from human interactions, given the opportunity. However, what can he do? He turns to the righteousness of God. Does God command or allow him to act thus? Is this meant to be a responsibility for humanity? Consequently, the servants inquire, “Do you wish for us to go and gather them?”

As previously mentioned, we must align our beliefs with what the Lord has revealed, and lightly address what He has chosen to leave for our discernment. The term "sleeping men" refers to the teachers within the Church, while the "servants of the householder" signifies none other than angels, who continually behold the Father's presence. Furthermore, the devil is referred to as an adversary to humanity because he is no longer their deity.

He spoke to them, saying, “This is the work of humanity's adversary... He referred to the devil as a man, for he shares in human desires and pride, cherishing the flesh as a man does, and is attached to all worldly concerns. The attendants then asked him, ‘Do you wish to come and ridicule me? We will reject them, meaning we will gather them and drive them out forcefully, destroying them with swords.”

The Lord reveals that the adversary, the devil, has once more scattered the harmful weeds of malice and enmity to stifle God's word within us. He states, “But when the people were asleep, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and departed.” This illustrates that the devil plants these weeds among those who are spiritually drowsy, specifically those who are carelessly steeped in disbelief, akin to being lost in a dream of passivity, and who drift away from God’s revelations. The Apostle instructs us: “Let us therefore not sleep as others do, but let us be awake and sober. For they that sleep sleep by night, and they that are drunken revel by night” (1 Thess. 5:6-7).

The servants observed, “Surely they did not emerge by themselves; it was the adversary who did this.” They then asked Him, “Will You go and select them?” But He replied, “No, it is not necessary, nor should it be done, as there is a risk in uprooting them. The roots of both the wheat and the weeds are so closely entangled that in attempting to remove the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat. What is to be done? It is best to allow both to flourish together until the harvest. When the wheat and the weeds are fully grown, it will be easier to distinguish between them, ensuring no damage comes to the wheat. At the time of harvest, I will instruct the harvesters, ‘First gather the weeds and bind them in bundles to be burned, but bring the wheat into my barn.’

The Lord made it clear that another sower exists, along with a different kind of seed. Through a new parable, He illustrated that amidst the good seed, the adversary sows weeds that resemble wheat but lack its true essence. The owner of the field allows both to grow together until the harvest, so as not to inadvertently uproot the wheat if he were to remove the weeds too early (Matthew 12:22-30 and 36-46). The Lord implied that in His kingdom, the distinction between good and evil—judgment—will not occur promptly.

The Saviour conveyed that the kingdom of heaven would prevail through the essence of truth and, by the formidable forces of faith and love, would transform the world. However, its flourishing would face the cunning of the ancient adversary, who would diligently employ all his malice to hinder or obstruct the advancement of that kingdom. In this regard, ‘the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field,’ yet during the night, his foe introduced tares among the wheat to suffocate the good plants. When the servants recognized this, they suggested to their master that they should remove the tares that had emerged. But the master replied, ‘No; if you pull out the tares, you may uproot the wheat along with them.

In the parable of the sower, the Lord indicated that only a quarter of the seed landed on fertile soil, while in the parable of the tares, it is noted that the adversary, taking advantage of human carelessness, does not allow the good seed to remain untouched (Bl. Theophylact). The Kingdom of Heaven is illustrated by a man who planted good seed in his field; however, while the man slumbered, his foe came and sowed tares among the wheat before departing. When the blades grew and yielded fruit, the tares also made their appearance. The servants approached their master, asking him, “Did you not sow good seed in your field?