Matthew 13:37Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In different contexts, Christ proclaims that the harvest is already upon us; for instance, when addressing the Samaritans, He says, “Lift up your eyes and see the fields, for the harvest is at hand” (John 4:35). Furthermore, He notes, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” (Luke 10:2). So why does He state that the harvest has arrived in one instance while indicating a future harvest in another? The term ‘harvest’ must be understood in varied contexts. Additionally, when He comments elsewhere, “In is he that soweth, and in is he that reapeth” (John 4:37), why does He assert here that the Sower is Himself? It’s because in that passage, speaking in the presence of the Jews and Samaritans, He contrasts the apostles not to Himself but to the prophets through whom He also sowed. Similarly, He occasionally refers to reaping and sowing interchangeably, due to the different implications these terms carry. When referring to the obedience of His listeners, He frames it as reaping since His work is complete. If He merely awaits the fruit of their listening, then He considers that sowing, with the ultimate outcome being reaping. Moreover, it is stated that the righteous will be the first to be taken up (1 Thess. 4:16). Indeed, they will be the first to ascend during Christ’s coming. However, the unrighteous will face punishment first, followed by the righteous entering the heavenly kingdom. The righteous are destined for heaven, while the Lord descends to earth to judge all humanity, rendering His verdict upon them. Then, akin to a king alongside his companions, He will usher them into the blessed inheritance. Do you see how severe the punishment will be? They will endure fire and find themselves separated from glory. But why, when the crowd is dispersed, does Christ then share parables with the apostles? It is so they may comprehend the teachings, enlightened by what has previously been conveyed. This is why, after sharing the parables, He inquired, “Do you understand all these things?” and they responded, “Yes, Lord” (Matthew 13:51)! Thus, the parable served to cultivate discernment among the apostles as well.

The adversary is termed the enemy of humanity because he has fallen from God’s grace, as noted in the Ninth Psalm: ‘Arise, O Lord, lest man be strengthened.’ Thus, the leader of the Church must remain vigilant, so that through negligence, the human adversary does not plant weeds, which represent heretical teachings. The phrase: ‘Lest, when you gather the weeds, you somehow pluck up the wheat along with them,’ gives sinners a chance to repent and cautions against hastily cutting off a brother, so that one now led astray by false doctrine might regain his senses tomorrow and begin to advocate for the truth. However, the later statement, “Let both grow together until the harvest,” seems to conflict with the later instruction, “Remove evil from your midst;” and then there's the command, “Do not associate with those who are called brothers but truly are fornicators and adulterers.” If eradication is forbidden and if tolerance is permitted until harvest time, how can we remove those among us? There exists a close resemblance between the wheat and the weed known as ‘cucolus’ while it still resembles grass and has not produced fruit; there may be little to no discernible differences, or any distinguishing traits are quite subtle. The Lord thus cautions us against rushing to judgement when matters are unclear, advising us to leave final judgement to Him, so that on the day of reckoning, He may remove not just the suspected wrongdoer, but the clear violator. His words indicate that the bundles of weeds shall be consigned to the fire, while the wheat will be gathered into the barn, which illustrates that heretics and faithless individuals will face the flames of Gehenna, whereas the saints, referred to as wheat, will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

There exists a significant distinction between wheat and tares, just as there is between the righteous and the unrighteous. The weeds are ultimately worthless, whereas the wheat serves multiple purposes. Likewise, the wicked bear no value, while the righteous are of great utility. At harvest time, the tares, being unfit, are gathered into bundles and burned, whereas the wheat is collected and stored safely in the barn. In a similar manner, the wicked, as unfruitful, will be gathered at the end of the age, bound like bundles and cast into eternal flames. Their assembly will include fornicators, adulterers, and those who defile themselves, as well as thieves and robbers who exploit others. The deceitful, cunning, and slanderers will also form part of this group, along with hypocrites presenting a facade of holiness while harboring wickedness within. These lawless individuals will find themselves cast into the eternal fire, facing destruction.

On the contrary, the righteous, the holy, and the fruitful, who embody the Word of God with perseverance and yield returns of one hundred, sixty, and thirtyfold, will be received into the heavenly kingdom, akin to wheat gathered in the barn. "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons 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. Therefore, as the tares are collected and burned, so it will be at the end of this age: the Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all who cause sin and those who do iniquity, casting them into the furnace of fire where there will be weeping and 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 13:37-43).

Sinners, let us turn from our ways! May we not be consumed by the eternal fire like the tares, but rather produce fruits worthy of repentance. By the grace of God, may we be the wheat that is gathered into the heavenly barn. "O God of Power! Turn us, and enlighten Thy face, and we shall be saved" (Psalm 79:4).