The Weeds and the Wheat

Homily for Saturday of the 16th Week in Ordinary Time

The parable of the wheat and the weeds follows hard on the parable of the sower in St. Matthew’s Gospel. However, it should be noted that while the parable of the sower is present in all the synoptic Gospels, the parable of the wheat and the weeds is found only in St. Matthew’s Gospel.

The parable seems to be easily understood. Good and evil will grow in the same soil; at the time of the harvest, they will be separated. Then the wheat will be gathered into the barns while the weeds are burned.

If we look at the original Greek text, we find that there is a little more too this parable than first meets the eye. The weeds are identified as darnel or “Zizania,” a common weed in first century Palestine. This weed looks much like wheat; however, it contains a poisonous toxin. If during the harvest, some of the poison finds its way into the wheat, the results would be disastrous. So the decision of the householder seems to be a poor one. One should not be too cavalier about the effect that the weeds can have on the wheat.

At the same time, the householder might be trying to teach the workers a lesson. If his plan succeeds, then the parable might be one of encouragement that the power of the evil one will not overcome the forces of good represented by the community at large. It may also be an attempt to counter the slaves with the argument that it is not theirs to judge.

Finally, when the parable is applied to the world of human beings, both good and evil, the householder’s plan can also be seen as a reminder that sinners can turn away from sin and toward God. Like the sower in the parable immediately before it, God is seen as the one who holds out hope that the Word of God can succeed in turning the hearts of the sinner to God’s mercy. This theme runs throughout St. Matthew’s Gospel who himself was someone who had been a tax collector and had been invited by Jesus to leave his position and follow him, an invitation that he wholeheartedly accepted.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator