Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 13:28

"And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?" — Matthew 13:28 (ASV)

The owner blames an enemy, but forbids his servants from attempting to separate weed from wheat till the harvest. Then, as the workers reap the field, only the wheat will be gathered; the weeds, apparently so plentiful they must first be gathered up and burned, contaminate the wheat no longer. “Harvest” is a common metaphor for the final judgment .