The Parable of the Weeds Explained

³⁶ Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable^(A) of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.^{(B) 38} The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one,^{(C) 39} and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest^(D) is the end of the age,^(E) and the harvesters are angels.^(F)

⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man^(G) will send out his angels,^(H) and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.^{(I) 43} Then the righteous will shine like the sun^(J) in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(K)

²⁷ For the Son of Man^(A) is going to come^(B) in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.^(C)

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes^(A) in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.^{(B) 32} All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate^(C) the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.^(D)