Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/556

 cockle (Fig.  75) among  the  wheat  and  went  his  way. And when  the blade was  sprung  up,  and  brought  forth  fruit,  then  appeared  also the cockle. And the  servants  of  the  master  of  the  house  came, and said  to  him: ‘Master,  didst  thou  not  sow  good  seed  in  thy  field? From whence,  then,  hath  it  cockle?’  He  said  to  them:  ‘An  enemy hath done  this.’  The  servants  said  to  him:  ‘Wilt  thou  that  we go  and  gather  it  up?’  And  he  said:  ‘No,  lest,  while  you  gather up the  cockle,  you  root  up  the  wheat  also  together  with  it. Let both grow  until  the  harvest,  and  in  time  of  harvest  I will  say  to the  reapers:  Gather  up  first  the  cockle,  and  bind  it  in  bundles to burn,  but  the  wheat  gather  ye  into  my  barn.’”



Jesus likewise  explained  this  parable,  saying  that  He  who sows the  good  seed  is  Himself — the  Son  of  Man. The field  is the  world. The good  seed  represents  the  children of God,  and  the  cockle  those  of  the  devil. The enemy who  sowed  the  cockle  is  the  devil. The harvest-time is  the  end  of  the  world, and  the reapers are  the  angels. As the  cockle  is  plucked up and  cast  into  the  fire,  so  it  will  happen  to  the wicked at  the  end  of  the  world. The Son  of  Man will send  His  angels,  and  take  away  from  His kingdom all  scandals;  and  those  who  are  guilty thereof shall  be  cast  into  the  everlasting  flames  of hell. But the  just,  the  faithful  servants  of  God, shall be  gathered  into  the  eternal  granaries  of  heaven,  and  they shall shine  like  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  the  Father.

Evil in  the  Church  of  God.  In  order  that  the  apostles  and  other preachers of  the  Gospel  might  not  lose  heart,  when,  in  spite  of  all their efforts,  men  would  not  be  converted,  our  Lord  teaches  in  this parable that  it  must  needs  be  that  evil  shall  grow  up  in  the  Church alongside of  the  good,  and  that  the  complete  separation  of  the  evil from the  good  will  only  take  place  at  the  end  of  the  world.

God suffers  evil  in  His  Church,  1. because He  gave  man  a free will; 2. in order  that  the  sinner  may  have  time  for  conversion; 3. that the just  may  be  proved  and  gain  more  merit;  that  even  the  wicked