Parable of Wheat and Weeds - Why the world remains broken at Christmas

It’s December 2025. Here at the end of the year, half the world is convinced the world is spiraling out of control—there are wars in many places, anxieties over AI, concern, especially in Western Civilization over out-of-control immigiration, there is political polarity and violence, cultural collapse, health problems, and now, a sense of loneliness for many at Christmas. The other half of the world seems to be pretending none of these problems are happening—they are busy with shopping, busy keeping up with social media, busy decorating for the holiday, and all while the world around burns.  In the middle of this are Christians who love Jesus but quietly wonder: ‘If the kingdom of God, announced by angels in Bethlehem really happened, why does everything still feel so broken 2,100 years later?’ Well, Jesus actually answered this exact frustration using a parable in Matthew 13…”

Matthew 13:24–30 (ESV)

24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

Jesus explains the meaning of the parable in the verses that follow:

Matthew 13:34–43 (ESV)

34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” 36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

The Field

· The field is the world, the world we work in, scroll through every day.  We are bombarded with all that is in the world through social media, the news, Netflix, Amazon, our places of work, and in friends and family.  The world is the totality of humanity and all the influences that come through it.

· John 3:16 – tells us God’s heart toward those who are in the world.  He loves the world and has reached out to all with a gift, the gift of a Savior.

· The sad story about this world is that it exits in opposition to God’s realm.  The world is alienated from God and hostile toward Him.

· Within the world, the field Jesus refers to in the parable, we find both good and evil.  Both exist side by side in the heart of humanity.

The One Who Sows Good Seed

· But in this field, there is one who sows good seed.  He is the Son of Man, the Word of God who became flesh, the Messiah, the Savior and King.  Jesus is working in individual hearts and lives, in which He is building a kingdom for Himself.

The Good Seed And The Bad

· The good seed = every person who has quietly bowed the knee to King Jesus this year.  The good seed is found in the new believer in Iran who watches a Gospel video on a smuggled phone, it’s the young person in America, moved by the assassination of Charlie Kirk who repented last week and gave his heart to Christ, and it’s a neighbor who received the gift of a Bible from a friend and quietly started reading the Word of God with an open heart (story of Lloyd).

· The good seed grows and becomes wheat, wheat that God will put into His barn.  These wheat are the ones to whom the kingdom of God belongs.

· The weeds that grow up alongside the wheat are the sons of the evil one.  They also are multiplying.  These include the celebrity who appeared on the latenight television last week mocking Christ and His followers.  It includes the social media influencer with 15 million followers who preaches a cultural message contrary to the gospel of Christ.  It is the one who teaches the nihilistic narcissism of the world that says life has no meaning so do whatever feels good.  “You Do You”.  The bad seed are those who sin and break God’s laws.  They become weeds and grow up along side the good seed, often trying to choke out the good that around them.

· The good seed were once weeds.  They are the ones who heard and believed the message of salvation through faith in Christ.  The good seed remains in the world.  But, they are not of the world.  They are learning not to love the things of the world.  For to love the world is to be void of love for the Father because the ways of this world are characterized by lust, evil desire, and pride.

· The bad seed are the ones who don’t believe God’s Word or the truth that surrounds them.  Instead, they break God’s laws and sin without regret or repentance (verse 41).

The Enemy Who Sows Bad Seed

· There is an enemy who sows bad seed.  He uses social media algorithms to corrupt truth.  He pushes ideological indoctrination in schools and universities.  He drives the news cycle to discourage and persuade others to pursue what is false, and he makes evil, like porn, drugs, and sensuality easily accessible and attractive to those who live in the world. 

· The enemy empowers the sons of this world to do evil and rebel against God.  He causes world to believe the lie that “You do You” leads to freedom.  He blinds the eyes of the unbelieving and keeps them from the truth.

The paradox around us is that the good and the evil both grow together in the field of the world.  But what makes the good seed different is that even though they are in the world, they don’t live as part of the world.  Colossians 1:13 – “He (God) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”  This is not something that will happen in the future.  It happens immediately when someone to faith in Jesus.  They are a new creation and the kingdom of God now resides within them. 

The servants in the parable have a solution for the weed problem.  They want to pull up the weeds and not let them grow any further.  But this is dangerous business and would most likely lead to some of the wheat being uprooted with the weeds and destroyed.  But all the wheat belongs to the Lord and each stalk of grain is important.  The Master’s solution is to let the two grow together, side by side until the harvest is ready.

God has a plan.  And His plan reveals that He is patient, loving, merciful.  He does not want any to perish.  And so He waits and sends forth the message of the gospel through his servants.  And as many as hear and believe the message of salvation through faith in Christ, they receive the gift of eternal life and grow to become wheat in His field the new world being created one life at a time.  They are the ones who grow in Christ and one day we be collected into his barn. 

So what are we to do as wheat growing side by side with the weeds? 

1. Expect tension.  Don’t be shocked by it.  When your unbelieving relatives mock your faith at Christmas Dinner, remember:  Jesus said this would happen.  It is normal, not exceptional.

2. Keep sowing good seed.  Invite others to celebrate the birth of the savior with you.  By the stranger standing in line with you at the coffee shop a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, tell them why the baby in the manger matters.  Ask them, “What can I pray for you about?”  Our King, the Lord Jesus, is still building his kingdom one life at a time.  Christmas is prime sowing season for us to spread the gospel seed of God.

3. Refuse to become a weed yourself while living among them.  Don’t let the spirit of the age turn you bitter, cynical, doubting, fearful, or lustful.  “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”  The harvest is coming – live like someone who will one day shine as bright as the sun, not like someone who will be bundled for the fire.

During this season of advent, of expectation and joy in the wonder of Christ’s birth, let your heart rejoice and with your voice make known the glad tidings of His love for the world.  Rejoice in the message of Christ’s birth.  Share your joy and faith with others.  The Lord of the harvest will use you and will bring forth from the field of this world a harvest that will fill His barns and make wonderful the kingdom of God.

In God’s timing, the day will come when the weeds will be gathered and bundled and thrown into the fire for judgment.  Until then, we are to grow in Christ, learning each day to love the Lord our God more and more with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Isaiah 9:6–7 (NASB 95)

6For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

7There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

With regard to good seed growing and sprouting into wheat, James 1:12 says,

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

We have His promises to carry us through until the day the harvest comes or until the day when we are gathered to Him.  2 Peter 1:3–4 says,

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

This Christmas, lift up your heads. The King has come.  He came as a baby in weakness. He is coming again as a Lion in power.  Until that day, let the wheat keep growing. Stay faithful. Stay patient. Stay loving. The Lord of the harvest is not late—He is merciful. And when the sky finally splits open, every weed will wish it had been wheat, and every stalk of wheat will shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father.

Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.”