Fields of Cockle and Wheat - meaning?

[Joysong]

Dear Scripture Scholars,

May I ask your help in learning Jesus’s meaning of this parable? I read a very good article by a holy theologian, and will hold back his answer for the moment. But I am puzzled.

[Mt. 13:26] And when the blade was sprung up, and had brought forth fruit, then appeared also the cockle. 27

And the servants of the goodman of the house coming said to him: Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it cockle? 28 And he said to them: An enemy hath done this. And the servants said to him: Wilt thou that we go and gather it up? 29 And he said: No, lest perhaps gathering up the cockle, you root up the wheat also together with it.

Both links below illustrate that they are almost indistinguishable to the naked eye, especially in a field sown with both.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockle_%28weed%29

It usually it grows in the same production zones as wheat and is considered a weed. The similarity between these two plants is so extensive that in some regions cockle is referred to as “false wheat.”

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat

The author was writing about Truth, error, and deception.

 

[Mystophilus]

May I ask your help in learning Jesus’s meaning of this parable? I read a very good article by a holy theologian, and will hold back his answer for the moment. But I am puzzled.

Jesus’ meaning in this parable, according to Jesus:

37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2013:37-43&version=50

 

[Todd_Easton]

From A Commentary on the New Testament, published by the Catholic Biblical Association in 1942, on pages 97-98, with reference to Matthew 13:24-30, says in part:
The story itself is clear and simple. However, it is important to note that the weeds of the parable are not just any kind of undesirable growth among the wheat but a definite species of weed is named, the zizanium, a kind of wild wheat, known variously as cockle, tare, or darnel, which can hardly be distinguished from true wheat until its ears of grain ripen. Therefore, even though these weeds undoubtedly hinder the proper growth of the wheat, to try to root them out would do more harm than good, not so much because they roots of the weeds might be entwined with those of the wheat but because the servants of the householder might not know how to distinguish the weeds from the wheat and wrongly root up the latter. It is necessary to wait until the harvest time; only then will both the weeds and the wheat receive their due treatment. . . .Although our Lord says in His explanation of this parable that the field is the world, the parable is not directly concerned with the general problem of evil in the world but rather with the special problem of evil in his kingdom (verse 41).
The parable is prophetic, viewing all future ages of the kingdom until the end of the world (verse 40). The Son of Man is the householder, the Lord of the kingdom, who commands not only his servants who labor in His kingdom but also His angels, the reapers. In His kingdom are not only good men, the sons of the kingdom, but also wicked men, who work iniquity and cause scandals, i.e., cause the good to stumble. The kingdom is therefore the Church, a visible society of good and evil men. Elsewhere He foretold that not every branch on His vine would be good (cf. John 15:1-6). But it is not His fault that the members of His kingdom do not always live up to His high ideals. For while men were asleep, Satan, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. These evil men therefore have only the appearance of belonging to His kingdom; they are really the sons of the wicked one. But the servants of Christ cannot know the dispositions of men’s hearts; hence they cannot always distinguish the weeds from the wheat. It is right for them to root out the thorns and thistles, to excommunicate the obviously unworthy, but the weeds must continue to grow with the wheat until the harvest. Only then will justice be done to both the good and the wicked. …

 

[Joysong]

In His kingdom are not only good men, the sons of the kingdom, but also wicked men, who work iniquity and cause scandals, i.e., cause the good to stumble. The kingdom is therefore the Church, a visible society of good and evil men. Elsewhere He foretold that not every branch on His vine would be good (cf. John 15:1-6).

But it is not His fault that the members of His kingdom do not always live up to His high ideals. For while men were asleep, Satan,* his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat.* These evil men therefore have only the appearance of belonging to His kingdom; they are really the sons of the wicked one. But the servants of Christ cannot know the dispositions of men’s hearts; hence they cannot always distinguish the weeds from the wheat.

Dear Todd,

You have blessed me exceedingly with this commentary, for it is exactly what I needed to hear! Praise God!

Being a gardener, the problem for me was knowing how rampant crabgrass is and how it can take over completely and smother any good grasses. I couldn’t figure out why weeds would be allowed to stay, for they have the capacity to destroy. So I did a little research and saw the similarity between the false wheat and the true.

Apparently, the false wheat hasn’t the rampant ability to utterly smother the good seed like a crabgrass would. I tend to get a little overanxious when I encounter mistruths being propagated by those who are within God’s “kingdom” [the Church] and I have spent far too much time trying to uproot it. So when the theologian I mentioned advised pretty much the same thing as your commentary, but without the clarity you provided, I could not entirely trust that we should just let error grow without attempting to confine and extinguish it.

Thanks very much. Wisdom and peace will bear their fruit.

 

[Voco_proTatiano]

Dear Scripture Scholars,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockle_%28weed%29

It usually it grows in the same production zones as wheat and is considered a weed. The similarity between these two plants is so extensive that in some regions cockle is referred to as “false wheat.”

Dear Joysong,
In the Vulgate, the weed is referred to as ‘zizania’, but my otherwise good dictionary does not define this.
KJV translates as ‘tares’, and in the Old High German of the Codex Sangallensis, the name is ‘beresboton’.
The latter name, sounding like ‘burr’s button’ is reminiscent of burdock, which also grows in wheat fields.
Unlike cockle though, it is easy to distinguish, but has strong roots, so while it would be easy to pick out the weed, to up-root it would destroy much crop. At harvest though, it is again easy to distinguish between the weed and the crop.
This seems to follow the context of the parable, so I am inclined to believe that the weed referred to is burdock, which, with the sharp hooks on its seed pod, tears the bare flesh of the unwary, so merits the name, ‘tares’.

 

[Eileen_T]

This parable is especially relevant today when some are asking why the Pope (& JP II too) doesn’t come down hard and purge the Church of the dissident liberals and radicals who rebel against authority and cause division.

The reason being that it may uproot those who are not yet strong whose roots have not gone deep enough. We will continue to grow together until the Harvest.

 

[Joysong]

Dear Eileen,

Thanks for your comments. I had posted these words from Father Corapi elsewhere, but they are so wise that I thought it might be good to repost them here.

Let me tell you something. The devil is smarter than you and me. He is a very high angel fallen from grace. Yet God has allow him to retain that very high angelic intelligence. You will not outwit the devil; he’s very clever.

I’ll tell you something, I used to contest with these people. I used to debate with them. I used to engage in apologetics with them. I don’t do it anymore and I’m going to tell you something. For the most part, I am more qualified to do it than you are, than most of you. I’ve got a doctorate, I’ve got five degrees in Theology and Philosophy. I know the material, but I don’t do it because it is an exercise in futility and I don’t want to drive myself ‘nuts,’ in plain English, and it doesn’t work. Now, if I have to defend the faith, I’ll do that, but I do not engage in debates with people, especially with people who have lost the faith. There’s an axiom in metaphysics, ‘Things are received in the mode of the receiver.’ I say this over and over again. You get what you’re ready to get, you receive what you’re ready to receive."

lesfemmes-thetruth.org/poisons.htm

What I am learning is that it may be a far greater and effective ministry to spend one’s time serving those whom Christ ministered to, the ones who are truly in need and are open to listening. Meanwhile, we trust Him to administer justice to the “cockle,” in His time, for He alone knows the heart.

 

[Eileen_T]

Thanks for your comments. I had posted these words from Father Corapi elsewhere, but they are so wise that I thought it might be good to repost them here.

Thanks Joysong, I just love Fr Corapi.

I sometimes fantasize about joining a contemplative order (I have 6 kids) but I know I would miss some of these great priests who really do teach with authority.

 

[Joysong]

Eileen:

I sometimes fantasize about joining a contemplative order (I have 6 kids) but I know I would miss some of these great priests who really do teach with authority.

Have you ever considered a contemplative “third order?”

Re Father Corapi, I have heard him say, [and I was *appalled!] that he has received numerous death threats! Just like the Master will be the persecution of those in His household.

 

[Eileen_T]

I was just kidding, after 6 kids, the thought of peace and quiet is very tempting, but God has other things in mind for me out here. We did the website for the Carmelites here in Auckland NZ…carmelites.org.nz/index.htm They gave us prayer cover when we were working on the www.life.org.nz site.