Let's Grow Together: Matthew 13:24-43
- Oct 5, 2025
- 3 min read
Wheat among weeds (Matthew 13:24–30)
Jesus tells a parable: a man sows good seed in his field, but while people sleep, an enemy sows weeds among the wheat. When both grow up, the servants ask if they should pull the weeds, but the master says no, because uprooting the weeds could uproot the wheat too—and he commands them to let both grow together until the harvest.At harvest time, the weeds will be gathered first and burned, and the wheat will be gathered into the barn.
This is a story about living in the in-between: real growth, real good seed, and real evil present at the same time.
The ache of waiting
Everybody knows small waits—DMV waits, restaurant waits, trip-countdown waits.But there are deeper waits: grief that won’t lift, health that won’t turn, a breakthrough that hasn’t come, or a promise that feels like it’s running out of time.
This is why this parable lands: the kingdom doesn’t arrive into a clean world—it grows in a mixed field. And for many people, the hardest spiritual question isn’t “Is God real?” but “Why does God allow the weeds to stay for so long?”
Small beginnings, real growth (Matthew 13:31–33)
Right after the weeds parable, Jesus gives two more images of the kingdom: a mustard seed that starts small but grows into a large plant, and leaven that gets hidden in flour until it works through the whole dough. Both parables say the same thing: God’s kingdom often begins in a way that looks unimpressive, almost unrecognizable, but it does not stay that way. Small does not mean meaningless—small can be the start of something that eventually becomes shelter, fruit, and life for others.
So if the promise feels tiny right now, or if the progress feels invisible, that doesn’t mean God isn’t working.
Jesus explains the weeds (Matthew 13:36–43)
Later, Jesus explains the parable privately to His disciples: the sower of the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed represents the people of the kingdom, and the weeds represent the people of the evil one. Jesus says the enemy who sowed the weeds is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels—not humans. At the end, the Son of Man sends His angels to gather “all that causes sin” and “all who do evil,” and then “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
That last part matters: Jesus doesn’t just promise judgment on evil; He promises a future where the righteous finally shine, unobstructed, in the Father’s kingdom.
What to do in winter
If this is the “grow together” season, the question becomes: how do you live faithfully when it’s cold—when it’s winter—and the weeds are still present?
Practice lament (not denial)
Biblical faith isn’t pretending it’s warm when it’s freezing.Lament is bringing raw honesty to God instead of hiding it—“God, this hurts; God, I’m angry; God, I don’t understand”—and still directing it toward Him in relationship. Healthy lament differs from endless complaint because lament “circles back to faith,” even if the situation hasn’t changed yet.
Confess and link arms
James says, “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” If nobody admits they’re burdened, the church never gets the chance to bear burdens—so isolation quietly wins.God often keeps people steady in the winter through honest community, not private perfection.
Remember: God is present in the fire
Daniel 3 shows Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego thrown into the furnace, and the king sees a fourth figure with them in the fire. God doesn’t always remove the flames immediately, but He is present with His people in the middle of them.That becomes a picture of faithful endurance: the season can be brutal, but it won’t be final.
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