“Pairs in the Parables of Christ (Part 3)“The Wheat and the Tares

[Mary Naeem]

H.H. Pope Tawadros II


Wednesday Meeting Series of
“Pairs in the Parables of Christ” (Part 3):
“The Wheat and the Tares”




H.H. Pope Tawadros II delivered his weekly sermon during the Wednesday meeting this evening at St. Anthony’s Church in the Papal Residence at the Abbassiya Cathedral. The sermon was broadcast on Christian satellite channels and the online C.O.C channel affiliated with the Church’s Media Center.

His Holiness continued his series, “Pairs in the Parables of Christ,” reading from Matthew 13:24-30 and explaining the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, along with its interpretation in the same chapter (Matthew 13:37-43). He linked the parable to the Sunday of Temptation, highlighting that the entire chapter speaks about the parables of the Kingdom.

His Holiness explained that the link between the parable and the Temptation on the Mount lies in the presence of the enemy in both passages, as well as the work of the angels.

Pope Tawadros pointed out the common elements between the two texts:

Life is not without trials, which may come like tares to corrupt the wheat. The tares symbolize evil, while the wheat represents the righteous.
The enemy of mankind (Satan himself)—”the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2)—seeks to corrupt the path of the righteous in the world.
The word of God is the key to victory, standing against evil—”But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). This is why daily reading of the word of God is essential to avoid falling into the trap of a suppressed Bible, which resembles the tares.
The angels, who ministered during the Temptation on the Mount, are the same ones who carry out the separation of wheat and tares on the Day of Judgment (the harvest) in the parable.

His Holiness emphasized that evil exists in the world, and on the Day of Judgment, each person will stand before God to give an account. The parable explains this as follows:

The field represents the world, and the Sower (the Lord Christ) plants souls filled with love despite the presence of evil—just as wheat produces grain, which serves as food for all humanity without exception. “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

The servants in the parable represent Christ’s servants, with many diverse forms of service.

The harvest represents the Day of Judgment, when the separation between wheat and tares occurs: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34)… “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

His Holiness pointed out the spiritual lessons from the parable during fasting:

Do not judge others, for there is a Judge on the Day of Harvest: “”Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand” (Romans 14:4).
Daily self-examination in prayer, asking: “Am I truly wheat, as intended by the Sower? Or am I a tare, occupying space and consuming nourishment without bearing fruit?”…”But gather the wheat into my barn” (Matthew 13:30).
Cultivating the wheat in one’s heart, meaning the development of righteousness and goodness within.
Not being surprised by the existence of evil in the world—God has given humanity the freedom to choose. One must remain steadfast amid trials, cling to the word of God, and avoid distractions that have no eternal value: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5).

His Holiness concluded by emphasizing that the parable provides opportunities to understand life, the presence of evil, and the freedom God has given us. He urged believers not to give space for tares to grow in their hearts but to purify the, as the Lord promised: “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).