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36 Then he dismissed the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to use the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered them and said, “The one who sows good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world. The good seed are the children of the Kingdom. The weeds are the children of evil, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned in fire, so will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather everything that causes sin and does evil, 42 and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the just will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Those who have ears ought to listen.

44 The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a man finds and buries again, and goes with joy to sell all that he has to buy that field.

45 Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant looking for beautiful pearls. 46 When he finds a pearl of great value he goes and sells all he has to buy it.

47 Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net cast into the sea that catches every kind of fish. 48 When it is full they pull it onto the beach and father the good fish into baskets, but the rotten fish they throw out. 49 Thus will it be at the end of the age. The angels will go forth and separate the wicked from the just 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Comments

In private, Jesus explains to his disciples the parable of the weeds and wheat: Just as the farmer allows the weeds and wheat to grow up together until harvest, so God allows just and wicked people to live side by side until the end of the age, when they will be separated at the Judgment. Images of fiery punish waiting for sinners relate back to the first century use of Gehenna, the intermittently burning garbage dump outside of Jerusalem, as a metaphor for hell (cf. 5.22). He follows this explanation with two short parables likening the Kingdom of Heaven to a treasure and a pearl, illustrating its incomparable value. He finally compares it to a great catch of fish. The meaning of this parable is similar to the Weeds and the Wheat.