Albert Barnes Commentary Matthew 13:25

"but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away." — Matthew 13:25 (ASV)

While men slept, his enemy came. That is, in the night, when it could be done without being seen, an enemy came and scattered bad seed on the newly plowed field, perhaps before the good seed had been harrowed in. Satan thus sows false doctrine in darkness. In the very place where the truth is preached, and while the hearts of people are open to receive it, by false but plausible teachers, he takes care to inculcate false sentiments.

Often it is one of his tactics, in a revival of religion, to secretly spread dangerous notions of piety. Multitudes are persuaded that they are Christians, who are deceived. They are awakened, convicted, and alarmed. They take this for conversion. Or they find their burden gone; they imagine that they hear a voice; or a text of Scripture is brought to them, saying that their sins are forgiven; or they see Christ hanging on the cross in a vision; or they dream that their sins are pardoned, and they suppose they are Christians.

But they are deceived. None of these things are any conclusive evidence of piety. All these may exist, and still there may be no true love of God or Christ, and no real hatred of sin and change of heart. An enemy may do it to deceive them and to bring dishonor on religion.

Sowed tares. By tares is probably meant a degenerate kind of wheat, or the darnel grass growing in Palestine. In its growth and form it has a strong resemblance to genuine wheat. But it either produces no grain, or that of a very inferior and hurtful kind. Probably it comes near to what we mean by chess. It was extremely difficult to separate it from the genuine wheat, on account of its similarity while growing. Thus it aptly represented hypocrites in the church. Strongly resembling Christians in their experience, and, in some respects, their lives, it is impossible to distinguish them from genuine Christians, nor can they be separated until it is done by the great Searcher of hearts at the day of judgment.

An enemy—the devil—has done it. And nowhere has he shown more profound cunning or done more to adulterate the purity of the gospel.

And went his way. There is something very expressive in this. He knew the soil; he knew how the seed would take root and grow. He had only to sow the seed and let it alone. So Satan knows the soil in which he sows his doctrine. He knows that in the human heart it will take deep and rapid root. It needs but little culture. Grace needs constant attendance and care. Error, sin, and hypocrisy are the native products of the human heart; and, when left alone, start up with deadly luxuriance.