"Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn." — Matthew 13:30
The Sentence Jesus Did Not Finish
This message continues our study of the parables — the teaching Jesus Himself gave about the kingdom. And before we reach the parable itself, there is a moment in the Gospel of Luke that most of us read straight past. Once you see it, you cannot unsee it.
Centuries before Christ, Isaiah prophesied about the coming Messiah: "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God" (Isaiah 61:1–2).
Now watch what happens when Jesus stands up in His hometown synagogue.
"He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor'" (Luke 4:16–18a).
It was simply His turn to do the Scripture reading — parang tayo, the way one of us stands up every Sunday to read. He keeps reading: "He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
And then: "Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing'" (Luke 4:18b–21).
The room did not take it well. Anak ka lang ng karpintero — you are only the carpenter's son, and now you tell us you are the Messiah? They ended up trying to throw Him off a cliff. But that is not the point we are after this morning.
He stopped mid-sentence.
Isaiah wrote "the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God." Jesus read the first half — and closed the scroll. He did not read the vengeance.
Why? Because that day had not come. The mission of His first coming was to save people, not to judge them. The day of vengeance, when God pours out His wrath on the world, belongs to another visit, still ahead of us. And Bro. Marc reminded us of the hope the church holds about that day: the bride of Christ is the one He comes to take home.
And we are living inside the sentence He did not finish. We are living in the year of the Lord's favor — the long open season of mercy between the two halves of that verse. Which is exactly what this parable is about.
The Parable
"Jesus told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared'" (Matthew 13:24–26).
Notice the timing — while everyone was sleeping. The enemy does not announce himself. He works quietly, at night, in a field that already belongs to someone else. And for a while nothing looks wrong. The problem only becomes visible when things start to grow.
"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' 'An enemy did this,' he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'" (Matthew 13:27–28).
That is the honest question every believer eventually asks. Lord, didn't you plant good seed? Then where did all this come from? And the answer is direct: an enemy did this.
Then comes the surprising part — the servants want to start pulling, and the owner tells them not to.
"'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn'" (Matthew 13:29–30).
Let both grow together. That is the instruction that governs the age we are living in.
The Parable Explained
Naintindihan ba natin? If not, we do what the disciples did — we ask Jesus. Because His own disciples did not understand it either.
"Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.' He answered, 'The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one'" (Matthew 13:36–38).
"'And the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil'" (Matthew 13:39–41).
"'They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear'" (Matthew 13:42–43).
There are eight elements in this story. Let us walk through them.
1. The Owner
"The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man... the field is the world" (Matthew 13:37–38).
Notice the shift from the parable we studied last week. In the parable of the sower, the field is the human heart. Here the field is the whole world — and it belongs to Jesus. All things were created by Him, through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).
So this world is not neutral territory and it is not the devil's property. It belongs to the Owner. The enemy is trespassing in a field he does not own.
2. The Enemy
"And the enemy who sows them is the devil" (Matthew 13:39).
The Owner has an enemy, and that enemy is the devil. He is not God's equal — he is God's enemy, which is a very different thing. He cannot create a field of his own, so he sneaks into this one at night and sows what he can.
3. The Seed
"The good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one" (Matthew 13:38).
Anyone who has planted a vegetable patch knows the picture. You plant petchay, and weeds come up between the rows. You pull them, because they steal the nutrients from the soil — and if you leave them, they multiply until they choke what you planted.
There are two seeds because there are two kinds of people — those who belong to God, and those who belong to the evil one. The parable is not primarily about good and bad things. It is about people. Two plantings, growing in the same soil, under the same sun.
4. The Field
"The field is the world" (Matthew 13:38).
The parable reminds us of a fact we would rather not accept: the righteous and sinners coexist in this world. The kingdom does not yet eliminate all evil and all opposition. That must await the harvest — God's own time of separation and judgment.
For now, God lets people choose. Kung gusto mong magpakasama, sige, magpakasama ka. Kung gusto mong magpakabuti, magpakabuti ka. But a day of reckoning is coming, when every one of us will be held accountable for what we have done, good or bad.
5. The Question
"Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?" (Matthew 13:27).
The servants' question exposes the enemy's strategy: to choke out the good seed of God in us through the evil that is prevalent around us.
Ask yourself who is behind the things that destroy people. Who produces the pornography? Who makes the shabu? Who keeps inventing new vices? Somebody is at work. Look how it creeps — drugs that started "mild" and grew stronger and stronger until people were injecting them. There is an evil force sowing those weeds, and he uses people as his instruments, because he wants to destroy the faith of the righteous.
Remember who we are dealing with: a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, a thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. So we keep watch.
6. The Growth
"Let both grow together until the harvest" (Matthew 13:30).
Evil will grow alongside the good until the return of Jesus — that is the nature of the world we live in. And it is a challenge for us to deal with sin in our own hearts, in our families, and in our own church.
But here is the reason for the delay, and it is beautiful. God is merciful, giving a chance for all people to be saved. He loves even the people the enemy is using. His heart is for all to be saved.
Every one of us was once a weed. If God had answered the servants' request when we were young in our sin, none of us would be here. The delay is the mercy. And as long as a person is alive, there is hope — which is why we keep sharing the Word. Whoever turns a sinner from their error covers a multitude of sins (James 5:20).
And His mercy toward us has not run out either. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9). Come to Him with a godly sorrow and He will not think twice. In fact, ask Him tomorrow about the sin you confessed today, and the answer will be, "Anong kasalanan?" We carry a grudge until the grave — hindi kita patatawarin. God's heart is softer than that, especially toward the one who comes asking for mercy.
That is why we refuse to blend into the world. The world says "Christian ka nga pala, bawal sa'yo yun", as if our faith were a list of restrictions. They do not understand that a Christian has been set apart. In the world, sin is ordinary — dalawang singko. Cursing, vices, two or three spouses — and you are still called a good person as long as you have not killed anybody. Mabait naman yan. It depends on your definition of good.
Last Friday we learned that the Bible calls the disciples of Jesus saints. And when we were asked to turn to the person beside us and say "You are a saint", most of us could not get the words out, as if we were telling a lie. But you are. Jesus has already washed you. Your job now is to stay clean.
And when you walk through this world and your feet pick up dust, you do not need to be baptized again. You simply shake it off — pagpagin mo na lang. Confess it. Even the small things: Lord, I was annoyed at a sister yesterday because she got to the rambutan before me. Small things matter, because a heart that never searches itself slowly hardens. It is like a callus on your foot: shave it while it is thin, because once it grows thick, it keeps coming back. Before you sleep, search your heart, and let the Holy Spirit remind you.
7. The Judgment
"At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn" (Matthew 13:30).
The weeds are tied and burned. The wheat is brought into the barn. We are living in God's grace. The day of judgment has not yet come — and until that day, we need to be alert and of sober mind.
Notice also who does the sorting: the harvesters are angels. It is not our job to pull weeds. We are not appointed to decide who belongs in the barn and who belongs in the fire. Our job in the meantime is to grow.
And being alert is practical. When you know the enemy is baiting you, cut it. An old offense comes back into your mind and you start replaying it — cut. You suddenly remember an old flame: "Kamusta na kaya siya? Tawagan ko kaya?" — cut. Do not entertain it. Do not let it play in your mind. Think about what is noble and good.
How We Overcome
"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:8–9).
Two commands: be alert, and resist him, standing firm in the faith. And notice the comfort attached — you are not uniquely targeted, and you are not fighting alone.
And we do not resist in our own strength: "And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen" (1 Peter 5:10–11).
So we draw our strength from Him. When a sin is pulling at you, ask for help: Lord, tulungan mo ako. Even for the small things. Lord, help me smile at the neighbor who keeps leaving his garbage in front of our house.
We are the light of the world. People are supposed to look at us and see Jesus. That is why we stand for righteousness in small ways: if the cashier gives you too much change, give it back. If you find a wallet, return it — money included. Bro. Marc once found a wallet, sent it back to the owner by courier with all her IDs inside, and admitted he was relieved there was only three hundred pesos in it. Do the small right things until doing right becomes a habit. That is what training in righteousness looks like.
Because we know our nature. Given the chance, we want to take advantage of people — gulangan — and we want to be the star — ako ang bida. And our weaknesses are not all the same. If yours is gossip, pray for control of your tongue. If yours is lying, pray for the courage to tell the truth, even in small things. Remember who the father of lies is — and do not take after him.
8. The Harvest
"Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear" (Matthew 13:43).
God will harvest the wheat. He will bring His people home, and the righteous will shine like the sun.
When we reach paradise, we will carry a glorified body like the body of the risen Jesus — no longer this one. Read how John saw Him in Revelation: hair white like wool, eyes like blazing fire, feet like bronze glowing in a furnace (Revelation 1:14–15). We will be like Him.
So when you read Scripture like this, use your imagination. Picture yourself shining like the sun. Let it become real to you, not just words on a page. The day of reward will come in God's time. Until then, keep laboring in the faith.
Right now the wheat and the weeds look similar from a distance. At the harvest, no one will confuse them.
Challenge
"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose" (Philippians 2:12–13).
Let us continue to fear God and obey His commands. As Bro. Kiev reminds us, the fear of God should always be there — the fear of sinning against the One whose Son our sin nailed to the cross. Scripture warns against deliberately going on sinning (Hebrews 10:26), and speaks of those who fall away as crucifying the Son of God all over again (Hebrews 6:6).
And remember that God has a purpose for each of us. We are His workmanship, created to do the good works He prepared in advance (Ephesians 2:10). He already has a plan to save the person you will invite — and He intends to use you to do it. You will not be asked in heaven how much money you earned, how many cars you bought, or how many houses you built. You will be asked how many souls you helped. Did you serve in the kingdom? Some will make it in like a photo finish, gasping at the line, with nothing to show for the race. Store up treasure in heaven instead (Matthew 6:19–20).
This does not mean giving up ambition. Build your career — and at the same time, serve your God. Enjoy what you earn, and put Him first.
This week, stop trying to pull weeds and start guarding your own growth.
Ask first: where is the good seed in me being choked? Not out in the world — in your own field. Which relationship, which habit, which environment is crowding out what God planted in you? Name it, and deal with it.
Then be alert. The enemy works while everyone is sleeping. When the bait comes, cut it. Search your heart before you sleep, and shake off the dust before it becomes a callus.
And be patient with the weeds. Do not appoint yourself a harvester. The person you have written off is someone God is still giving time to — the same mercy that once waited for you. Pray for them instead of pulling them.
We are living in the year of the Lord's favor — the half of the verse Jesus read aloud. The other half is coming. Until it does, grow.
Let both grow together until the harvest — and then the righteous will shine like the sun.
