Matthew 13:25

So that you need not be afraid to ascribe to him the mastery and dominion over that second, later, and deteriorated nature (of which we have been speaking), when you read of him as "the sewer of tares, and the nocturnal spoiler of the crop of corn.

But while people are asleep they do not act according to the command of Jesus, "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation." At that point the devil on the watch sows what are called tares—that is, evil opinions—over and among the good seeds that are from the Word. According to this the whole world might be called a field, and not the church of God only. For the Son of Man sowed the good seed throughout the entire world, but the wicked one sowed tares—that is, evil words—which, springing from wickedness, are children of the evil one.

What is the difference between this, and the parable before it? There He speaks of them that have not at all holden with Him, but have started aside, and have thrown away the seed; but here He means the societies of the heretics. For in order that not even this might disturb His disciples, He foretells it also, after having taught them why He speaks in parables. The former parable then means their not receiving Him; this, their receiving corrupters. For indeed this also is a part of the devil's craft, by the side of the truth always to bring in error, painting thereon many resemblances, so as easily to cheat the deceivable. Therefore He calls it not any other seed, but tares; which in appearance are somewhat like wheat.

Then He mentions also the manner of his device. For "while men slept," saith He. It is no small danger, which He hereby suspends over our rulers, to whom especially is entrusted the keeping of the field; and not the rulers only, but the subjects too.

And He signifies also that the error comes after the truth, which the actual event testifies. For so after the prophets, were the false prophets; and after the apostles, the false apostles; and after Christ, Antichrist. For unless the devil see what to imitate, or against whom to plot, he neither attempts, nor knows how. Now then also, having seen that "one brought forth a hundred, another sixty, another thirty," he proceeds after that another way. That is, not having been able to carry away what had taken root, nor to choke, nor to scorch it up, he conspires against it by another craft, privily casting in his own inventions.

And what difference is there, one may say, between them that sleep, and them that resemble the wayside? That in the latter case he immediately caught it away; yea, he suffered it not even to take root; but here more of his craft was needed.

And these things Christ saith, instructing us to be always wakeful. For, saith He, though thou quite escape those harms, there is yet another harm. For as in those instances "the wayside," and "the rock," and "the thorns," so here again sleep occasions our ruin; so that there is need of continual watchfulness.

Something like this took place even at the beginning. Many of the prelates, I mean, bringing into the churches wicked men, disguised heresiarchs, gave great facility to the laying that kind of snare. For the devil needs not even to take any trouble, when he hath once planted them among us.

And how is it possible not to sleep? one may say. Indeed, as to natural sleep, it is not possible; but as to that of our moral faculty, it is possible.

After this He points out the thing to be superfluous too, not hurtful only; in that, after the land hath been tilled, and there is no need of anything, then this enemy sows again; as the heretics also do, who for no other cause than vainglory inject their proper venom.

The Devil is called a man that is an enemy because he has ceased to be God; and in the ninth Psalm it is written of him, Up, Lord, and let not man have the upper hand. (ver. 19) Wherefore let not him sleep that is set over the Church, lest through his carelessness the enemy should sow therein tares, that is, the dogmas of the heretics.

Understand that the men who are asleep are the leaders of the Churches. Do not welcome servants of the household of the father except for the angels, who daily see the Father's face (Matt. XVIII). But the devil is called the enemy of man because he stopped being God. And it is written of him in the ninth psalm: Arise, O Lord, let not man prevail (Psalm IX, 20). Therefore, let the one who is placed over the Church not sleep, lest through his negligence the enemy sows weeds, that is, the dogmas of heretics.

(Quaest. in Matt. q. 11.) He says, While men slept, for while the heads of the Church were abiding in supineness, and after the Apostles had received the sleep of death, then came the Devil and sowed upon the rest those whom the Lord in His interpretation calls evil children. But we do well to enquire whether by such are meant heretics, or Catholics who lead evil lives. That He says, that they were sown among the wheat, seems to point out that they were all of one communion. But forasmuch as He interprets the field to mean not the Church, but the world, we may well understand it of the heretics, who in this world are mingled with the good; for they who live amiss in the same faith may better be taken of the chaff than of the tares, for the chaff has a stem and a root in common with the grain. While schismatics again may more fitly be likened to ears that have rotted, or to straws that are broken, crushed down, and cast forth of the field. Indeed it is not necessary that every heretic or schismatic should be corporally severed from the Church; for the Church bears many who do not so publicly defend their false opinions as to attract the attention of the multitude, which when they do, then are they expelled. When then the Devil had sowed upon the true Church divers evil errors and false opinions; that is to say, where Christ's name had gone before, there he scattered errors, himself was the rather hidden and unknown; for He says, And went his way. Though indeed in this parable, as we learn from His own interpretation, the Lord may be understood to have signified under the name of tares all stumbling-blocks and such as work iniquity.

And it should be noted that, when He says, Sowed good seed, He intends that good will which is in the elect; when He adds, An enemy came, He intimates that watch should be kept against him; when as the tares grow up, He suffers it patiently, saying, An enemy hath done this, He recommends to us patience; when He says, Lest haply in gathering the tares, &c. He sets us an example of discretion; when He says, Suffer both to grow together till the harvest, He teaches us long-suffering; and, lastly, He inculcates justice, when He says, Bind them into bundles to burn.

In the previous parable He spoke of the fourth part of the seed which fell on the good soil, while in this parable He shows that the enemy does not allow even that part which fell on good soil to remain incorrupted, because we sleep and grow indolent. The field, then, is the world, or, each one's soul. The sower is Christ. The good seed is good people, or, good thoughts. The tares are heresies, or, evil thoughts. The one who sows them is the devil. The men who were sleeping are those who by their indolence give entry to heretics and evil thoughts. The servants are the angels, who are indignant that there are heresies or any wickedness in the soul, and wish to seize and cut off from this life the heretics and those who think evil thoughts. But God does not allow the heretics to be destroyed by wars, lest the righteous suffer and be destroyed along with them. Likewise, neither does God wish to cut down a man on account of his evil thoughts, lest the wheat be destroyed along with them. If, for example, Matthew had been cut down while he was a tare, the wheat of the word which was later to spring up from him would have been cut down with him. Similarly with Paul and the thief. While they were tares they were not cut down, but were permitted to live so that later their virtue might grow. Therefore He says to the angels, At the end of the world you will gather the tares, namely, the heretics. But how? Into bundles, that is, binding them hand and foot. For at that time a man will no longer be able to do anything, but all his power to act will be bound. The wheat, namely, the saints, will be gathered by the angelic reapers into heavenly granaries. So it is with the evil thoughts which Paul had when he persecuted: they were burnt in the fire which Christ came to light upon the earth, while the wheat, that is the good thoughts, was gathered into the granaries of the Church.

But while men were asleep etc. Having treated the origin of good, here he treats of the origin of evil. And first the occasion of the evil inflicted is set down; secondly, the manner. And first a twofold occasion is set down: one on the part of the guardians, the second on the part of the sower. On the part of the guardians he says, but while men were asleep etc., i.e., the overseers of the human race, who were appointed to guard, were sleeping, namely, by the sleep of death. The holy apostles, namely, who knew that heretics had mingled themselves with the wheat in the Church; hence Paul says: I know that after my departure ravening wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Then another occasion is set down; hence he says, his enemy came etc., i.e., the devil; Psalm 73:23: the pride of them that hate you ascends continually: of those who hate you, i.e., of the demons. Now this enmity is according to the perversity of the will. But there is a question. Is it true that any creature hates God? It should be said that love is only of a thing known. Now God can be known in two ways: in himself, or in his effects. In himself, it is impossible that he not be loved; for whatever is loved is loved under the aspect of good. Since therefore he is the first goodness, he cannot be hated. But in his effects, it is not impossible. For the demons, insofar as they exist, love him from whom they are; but certain effects displease them, namely, that they are punished against their will, that they do not punish men according to their will, and similar things. There follows the manner: and oversowed cockle. The individual words have great significance. Let us see therefore what is sown and what the manner is. What is sown is cockle, which is similar to wheat and is called darnel. What is signified by the cockle? The children of wickedness, and all who love iniquity, especially heretics. There are three kinds of evil persons: wicked Catholics, schismatics, and heretics. Wicked Catholics are signified by the chaff, concerning which it was said above in chapter 3:12: the chaff he will burn with fire. Schismatics by the husks. Heretics by the cockle. They are sown therefore in the field, i.e., in this world. Likewise, cockle has a resemblance to wheat; so these men put on an appearance of goodness, as is found in 1 Timothy 1:7: desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither the things they say, nor whereof they affirm. And note that above it says he sowed, and here it does not; because Catholics existed before heretics. For the devil, seeing the Church expand, envied it and sowed what was corruptive, and stirred the hearts of heretics so as to do greater harm; hence they went out from us, according to what is found in 1 John 2:19, but they were not of us, for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us. Likewise, he says in the midst of the wheat. The devil does not care that some are heretics among the Gentiles, because he possesses them all, but in the midst of the wheat and the faithful people. And this is what is said in Job 4:18: and in his angels he found wickedness. And Augustine says that no society is so good that there is not someone wicked in it; hence in the company of the apostles one was wicked, namely, Judas. Likewise, he says, and went his way: where the malice of the devil is signified. He went his way, i.e., he made himself hidden. For when he instigates, he does not always cooperate; for if everything were to succeed according to his wish, he could easily be discerned; therefore he sometimes yields to his own malice; Psalm 9:9: he lies in ambush in secret, like a lion in his den.