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Explanation for:
Matthew
13
:
41
The Son of man shall send his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all scandals, and them that work iniquity.
11
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"Jerome of Stridon","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88dcd3432c6dd41375498_Jerome%20of%20Stridon.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Jesus indicated that the field represents the world, the sower is the Son of Man, the good seed symbolizes the children of the kingdom, while the weeds represent the children of the evil one; the sower of the weeds is the devil, the harvest signifies the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. All temptations pertain to the weeds, and the righteous are acknowledged as the children of the kingdom. Therefore, as previously stated, we must place complete trust in the teachings provided by the Lord. What He has left to our discretion, we should summarize accordingly. Those described as asleep refer to the teachers of the Churches; the servants of the master of the house should be interpreted as angels, who behold the Father's face continuously. The devil is labeled as the adversary of humanity, having forsaken his divine status, as expressed in the Ninth Psalm, which states, “Arise, O Lord, lest man be strengthened.” Consequently, the leader of the Church must remain vigilant, so that through negligence the human adversary does not sow weeds, which represent heretical beliefs. The phrase, “Lest, when you gather the weeds, you somehow pluck up the wheat along with them,” allows the sinner time for repentance and advises us not to hastily sever ties with a brother, as one who is currently misled by false doctrine may regain clarity and begin to uphold the truth. However, the subsequent directive to allow both to grow until the harvest appears to conflict with the command to “Remove evil from your midst,” and the instruction to refrain from associating with those who are labeled as brothers, yet behave as fornicators or adulterers. If removal is forbidden and tolerance is permitted until the harvest, how can those among us be expelled? Between the wheat and the weed that resembles it, often referred to as ‘cucolus,’ there exists a significant likeness, and either no distinguishing characteristics are apparent, or the signs are extremely subtle. Thus, the Lord cautions us against rushing to judgement in uncertain matters and entrusts the final judgement to Him, so that at the time of judgement, He will expel not merely one who is suspected of wrongdoing, but the clear offender. His declaration that the sheaves of weeds will be cast into the fire, whereas the wheat will be gathered into the barn, unmistakably indicates that heretics and those hypocritical in their faith will face the fires of Gehenna, while the saints, likened to wheat, will be welcomed into their heavenly dwellings."},{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"If He is indeed the Sower, planting in His own field and reaping from His kingdom, it is evident that the current world is under His dominion. Reflect upon the profound nature of His humanity, His readiness to extend grace, and His distance from inflicting punishment. He sows through Himself, yet when it comes to punishment, He employs others, specifically angels. The righteous shall radiate like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. This does not imply that they will embody the sun's brightness; rather, since there is no other source of light that surpasses the sun, the Lord resorts to familiar imagery. In other instances, Christ notes that the harvest is already present; for instance, He points out to the Samaritans, “Lift up your eyes and see the fields, for the harvest is at hand” (John 4:35). Additionally, He states, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” (Luke 10:2). Why, then, does He assert that the harvest has already arrived in one place while indicating it has yet to come in another? The term harvest can signify different things. Moreover, when He mentions that “in is he that soweth, and in is he that reapeth” (John 4:37), why does He declare that the sower is Himself here? Because in that context, while speaking to the Jews and Samaritans, He distinguishes the apostles not from Himself but from the prophets, through whom He also sowed. Similarly, at times He may refer to sowing and reaping interchangeably, depending on the intended meaning. When He refers to the receptiveness and obedience of His listeners, He describes it as reaping, indicating the completion of His work. Conversely, when He anticipates merely the outcome of their hearing, He calls it sowing, leading to reaping at its conclusion. Furthermore, how does it state elsewhere that the righteous will be the first to be caught up (1 Thess. 4:16)? Indeed, they will be the first to be taken up at Christ’s return. However, the sinful will face judgment first, followed by the righteous entering the heavenly realm. The righteous are destined for paradise, while the Lord will descend to earth to judge all mankind, delivering His verdict. Then, like a king rising with his companions, He will guide them into their blessed inheritance. Do you perceive the gravity of the punishment? They will face severe consequences—burning and experiencing a separation from glory. But why, at the last, when the multitude has departed and Christ speaks to the apostles in parables? It is so they may comprehend the parables, having been instructed by prior teachings. Thus, when He questioned them after the parables, “Do you understand all these things?” they replied, “Yes, Lord” (Matthew 13:51). In this manner, the parable served to enhance the discernment of the apostles, among other effects."},{"author-name":"Ephraem the Syrian","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88b589fc3e99eb7bb1839_Ephraem%20the%20Syrian.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"Thus, as He reigns over the kingdom, it delighted Him to sanctify both the celestial realms and, concurrently, the depths below. The phrase, ‘He shall cleanse the house of His kingdom from all temptation,’ refers to the earth and its inhabitants, which He will restore, where He will assemble His faithful ones."},{"author-name":"Augustine of Hippo","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88950a5c988a4fc06c7ae_Augustine%20of%20Hippo.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"The kingdom will radiate in its fullness when it is fully realized, a reality for which we currently petition as we pray, Thy kingdom come (Matt. 6:10). It is referred to as a kingdom even now, but this designation is still unfolding. If it did not hold the identity of a kingdom, it would not be stated: they shall gather out of His kingdom all the enticements. However, this Kingdom is not yet in its reign. It exists as a kingdom, and only when all the enticements are removed will it achieve its sovereign reign, transcending mere nomenclature to possess the power to govern. To this kingdom, standing at the right hand, it will ultimately be proclaimed, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom (Matt. 25:34)—that is, ‘you who constituted a kingdom yet did not reign, come and reign, that which you were in your calling might be realized.’ Therefore, this house of God, this temple of God, this Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of Heaven is still in the process of being constructed, continuously being built, prepared, and assembled. There will be dwelling places within, as the Lord is still creating them, and there are already established places, as the Lord has eternally foreseen them."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The earlier points have been articulated. It has been noted that we are addressing heresies that are permitted to persist until the culmination of the age. If we were to eliminate and eradicate heretics, it would lead to conflict and warfare, resulting in the loss of many faithful individuals. However, both Paul and the thief were weeds prior to their faith, yet they were not destroyed at that moment due to the potential for the righteous to emerge from them. Eventually, they produced good fruit for God, while the weeds were consumed by the blaze of the Holy Spirit and the ardor of their spirits."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"He refers to the world as His dominion, for He inherently rules over it through His divine nature and has been granted all power in heaven and on earth. However, He also addresses those who succumb to temptation and commit wrongdoing in the same way. Naturally, those who have been resurrected will be assembled. It is important to understand that the righteous will be resurrected alongside them, but they will be the first to be gathered and taken into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, as the Apostle Paul outlines. Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 that those who remain on earth, deemed unworthy, will be gathered after His return. Initially, the justified will be raised, followed by those who are condemned. After such judgments, the sinners will be cast into everlasting punishment, while the righteous will enter into eternal life, as articulated in the twenty-fifth chapter."},{"author-name":"Tichon of Zadonsk","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989ff6b5b4c943e70095_Tichon%20of%20Zadonsk.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":18,"exegesis-text":"At times, one might observe that weeds grow among the grain. Wheat represents the righteous, while the tares symbolize the unrighteous. Just as the tares intermingle with the wheat, so too do the wicked coexist among the godly. Initially, the tares are indistinguishable from the wheat; however, as the wheat matures and yields its fruit, it becomes clear that these are not wheat but tares. Similarly, the wicked may not be readily apparent at first, but their wrongdoing gradually comes to light: \\"By their fruits you will know them,\\" the Lord states (Matthew 7:20). There exists a significant distinction between tares and wheat, just as there is between the unrighteous and the righteous. The tares, as we can observe, serve no beneficial purpose; on the other hand, the wheat is valuable for all things. Likewise, the wicked contribute nothing of value, while the godly are beneficial in every way. The tares, deemed unfit, are gathered into bundles and burned at the time of harvest, while the wheat is stored in the barn. In the same manner, the wicked shall be gathered at the end of the age, bound in bundles, and destined for eternal fire. Those guilty of fornication, adultery, impurity, and intoxication will constitute their bundle. Thieves, predators, and robbers, who take what belongs to others, will form another. The deceitful, cunning, and shrewd will make up yet another. Slanderers, gossips, and those who curse will also add to their collective. The hypocrites, appearing righteous outwardly while harboring wickedness within, will likewise be included. These lawless individuals, unfruitful to their Lord, will be cast into eternal fire to be consumed. In contrast, the godly—the righteous, holy, and good—who produce the fruit of God's word patiently, yielding thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold, will be gathered into the heavenly kingdom, as wheat is harvested into the barn. \\"He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Therefore, just as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age: 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, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear\\" (Matthew 13:37-43). O sinners, let us turn in repentance! May we avoid being consumed by the eternal fire like the tares, striving instead to produce worthy fruits of repentance. By God's grace, may we become the wheat gathered into heaven’s barn. \\"O God of Power! Restore us, and shine your face upon us, and we shall be saved\\" (Psalm 79:4)."},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"He will dispatch His angels, representing a vivid illustration of the division between the weeds and the wheat, the just and the unjust, as well as the deceivers and practitioners of wickedness from the truth and those who obey the law. He refers to temptations and those who commit wrongdoing in the same manner."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"Just as the weeds are collected and consumed by fire, it will be the same at the culmination of this age: THE SON OF MAN WILL SEND HIS ANGELS TO HARVEST FROM HIS KINGDOM, following the final resurrection, ALL THE WICKED AND THOSE WHO PRACTICE UNRIGHTEOUSNESS; they will gather together the wrongdoers with the wrongdoers, the unfaithful with the unfaithful, the killers with the killers, and the blasphemers with the blasphemers. St. Chrysostom observes how profound His humanity is: when He sows, He embodies the seed; yet when He brings judgment, He employs others - namely, the angels."},{"author-name":"Lopuchin A.P.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c891400ee1341634d2276d_Lopuchin%20A.P..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The significance of this parable is clarified by the Savior Himself at the request of His disciples. In the Church established by Him, there will coexist both wheat and tares, planted by the original adversary. However, only the divine Judge can deliver His unflattering judgment on their destinies at the final judgment, for during this current age, everyone is afforded the opportunity to repent and transform from tares into righteous wheat. Blessed Augustine asserts, “For those who today are tares, tomorrow may become wheat.”"},{"author-name":"Alexander Gorsky","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8884037c1e1c51e1332e2_Alexander%20Gorsky.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"These are the profound truths of the kingdom, shared with the people through parables and without detailed explanation; they are entrusted solely to the inner circle of disciples and a select few. When the disciples sought clarity from the Lord regarding the parable of the seed, He elucidated its meaning for them and provided explicit guidance for their apostolic mission through familiar parables as well (Mk. 4:21-25; Lk. 8:16-18). The fruit of the Word must be manifested in their proclamation, and the extent of each one's fervor will reflect the depth of the message they convey."}]}
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