2. The Parable of the Weeds (The Parable of the Weeds Explained) 24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man (the Son of Man) who sowed good seed (sons of the kingdom) in his field (world), 25but while his men were sleeping, his enemy (the devil) came and sowed weeds (sons of the evil one) among the wheat (sons of kingdom)and went away. 26So when the plants (sons of kingdom) came up and bore grain, then the weeds (sons of the evil one) appeared also.

3. 27And the servants (Angels) of the master(Son of Man) of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed (sons of the kingdom) in your field (world)? How then does it have weeds (sons of the evil one)?’ 28He said to them, ‘An enemy (the devil) has done this.’ So the servants (angels) said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds (sons of the devil) you root up the wheat (sons of the kingdom) along with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest (close of the age), and at harvest time I (son of man) will tell the reapers (angels), Gather the weeds (all causes of sin and all law-breakers) first and bind them in bundles to be burned (fiery furnace, place with weeping and gnashing of teeth), but gather the wheat into my barn (kingdom of their Father).’”

4. The Mustard Seed and the Leaven 31He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” 33He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”

5. Prophecy and Parables 34All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35This 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.”

6. So long as the church is on a pilgrimage in the world, the good and the sincere will be mixed in with the bad and hypocrites. The answer to our great questions lay in the small and simple (yet full of pervasive power) nature of the good news of Jesus!