Wheat & Weeds 3

But while everyone was sleeping

Since Jesus doesn't give commentary on this detail of the parable, we must be careful not to read into the circumstance. But one can hardly keep from going to Gethsemane when considering these words. Three times, as Jesus agonized in that garden, His disciples slept. It was in their weakness that Jesus' will, once and for all, vowed to carry His cross. Men will inevitably sleep. Jesus, however, would accomplish His kingdom work in spite of this or, more accurately, because of this.

his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away

In the agricultural context of this parable, there were few acts more violent than sowing weeds in another man's finely sown wheat field. And yet this is what the devil has done. Just as he corrupted the original creation in Eden, he came to corrupt the new creation in the 1st century. He was crafty enough to come at the prime time (while everyone was sleeping), for he does his work in darkness. He was skilled enough to provoke mutation. The 'weed' in the parable was probably the 'bearded darnel'. It was a degenerate of the wheat family. The bearded darnel was indistinguishable from the wheat in its early stages. Wheat and weed would now grow together. Once mixed, there was no instant fix. Side by side good and evil men would live their lives. His primary work being done, the devil departed.