In its first stages of growth, lolium temulentum (poison darnel) looks amazingly similar to wheat. However, if eaten, darnel produces intense nausea and can be fatal. Hence, it is no small thing for the householder in today’s gospel to learn that “an enemy” has sown this poisonous weed among the “good seed in [his] field” (Matt. 13:27-28). The householder’s slaves have a solution—rather than run the risk of letting the weeds be mistaken for wheat, why not neutralize the threat by simply pulling them up now? No, says their master; “if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them” (v.29).

The slaves’ anxiety is understandable. They are afraid of the poison darnel, to the point that they will not be bothered if they accidentally uproot a few stalks of wheat as well. And they are confident in their ability to identify which is which. Yet their master responds differently. Despite knowing that an enemy is working against him, he does not show either fear or anger; rather, he is patient, letting the weeds and wheat grow together in his field. His patience arises from a deep confidence that one will not be mistaken for the other at the final harvest. 
This confidence speaks to us of God’s perfect justice. When the end of the age comes, the harvesters will not be fallible humans, but angels, who will not be deceived by appearances. No matter how cleverly disguised, the weeds, those who do evil in the world, will be “collected and burned [up] with fire” (v.40-41), while the wheat, “the children of the kingdom…will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (v.37;43). Like the householders’ servants, we are often full of fear when we see good and evil co-existing in this world. We want to pluck out the weeds now—surely we can tell which is which. But our Master’s patience teaches us patience, and trust in a divine wisdom beyond our own. “Be patient,” he tells us. “The harvest is coming, and the justice of God will put all to rights.”