Jesus explains the problem of evil using the Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13:24-30. Jesus explains that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seeds, but whose crop was corrupted by an enemy planting weeds among the wheat. The weeds will always be with us here on earth, and will never be eradicated until the “fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Romans 11:25)—that’s us! At that time, the “weeds” will be burned and all of the good seeds, Jews and Gentiles together, will be harvested. Evil is growing—but so is God’s kingdom! When Christ left earth, it held about 250 million inhabitants and only a tiny percentage were Christians yet, while now it holds nearly 8 billion, and about 2.3 billion practice some form of Christianity! God is building a kingdom containing billions of believers, and one day he will burn the weeds and harvest the grain. But until then, we live in a weedy garden!
