Matthew 13:24

24 Another parable Jesus put forth to them, and said [saying], The kingdom of heavens is made like to a man, that sowed good seed in his field.

Matthew 13:24 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 13:24

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying
Somewhat like the former, but with a different view: for whereas the design of the former was to show the different sorts of hearers that attend upon the ministry of the word, three parts in four being bad; this is to show the difference of members in churches, some being comparable to good seed, and others to tares.

The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in
his field:
by "the kingdom of heaven", is not meant the ultimate glory of the saints in heaven, or the state of happiness in the other world; for there will be no tares there; nor the Gospel, and the ministration of it, but the Gospel dispensation, and times, and kingdom of the Messiah; or rather the Gospel visible church state, on earth, called a "kingdom", of which Christ is king, and in which the saints are subject to him; where proper laws are made for the orderly government of it, and proper officers appointed to explain, and put those laws in execution; and which consists of various persons, united under one head, and independent of any other government: and it is styled the kingdom of heaven, in distinction from the kingdoms of this world; the subjects of it are, or should be, heaven born souls; the word, laws, and ordinances of it are from heaven; and there is some resemblance between a Gospel church state and heaven, and it is very near unto it, and is even the suburbs of it: or else the king Messiah himself is intended, who is compared to a man, a sower; and so it is explained, ( Matthew 13:37 ) "he that soweth the good seed is the son of man": which is a name and title of the Messiah, by which he is called both in the Old and New Testament; who, though the seed of the woman, yet was the son of man, as of Abraham, and David; and which denotes the truth, and yet the infirmity of his human nature: he is the sower that went about preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, in the Jewish world, or throughout Judea and Galilee, in his own person: and who also, by the ministry of his apostles, sowed the seed of the word in the several parts of the world, which was made effectual for the beginning of a good work of grace on the souls of many; for by "his field" is meant "the world", as appears from ( Matthew 13:38 ) and means either the whole world, in which both good and bad men live and dwell; and is the field Christ is the proprietor of, both by creation, as God, and by gift, as mediator: or the church, the visible Gospel church state throughout the world; which is as a field well tilled and manured; and is Christ's by gift, purchase, and grace: and by the good seed sown in it, are meant "the children of the kingdom"; as is said, ( Matthew 13:38 ) such as have a good work begun in them, and bring forth good fruit in their lives and conversations.

Matthew 13:24 In-Context

22 But he that is sown in thorns, is this that heareth the word, and the busyness of this world, and the fallacy of riches strangleth the word [and the falseness of riches strangle the word], and it is made without fruit.

23 But he that is sown into good land, is this that heareth the word, and understandeth, and bringeth forth fruit. And some maketh an hundredfold, truly another sixtyfold and another thirtyfold.

24 Another parable Jesus put forth to them, and said [saying], The kingdom of heavens is made like to a man, that sowed good seed in his field.

25 And when men slept, his enemy came, and sowed above tares in the middle of [the] wheat, and went away. [+But, when men slept, his enemy came, and sowed above tares, or cockles, in the midst of the wheat, and went away.]

26 But when the herb was grown [Soothly when the herb had grown], and made fruit, then the tares appeared.