The Parable of the wheat and the weeds might seem like an admonition to get rid of the “bad seed” or unsavory characters…however, the real message behind the metaphor is one that reminds us to let God be the judge of men’s hearts. These simple crafts seek to remind students of the story itself, as well as the moral it relates.
Bible Verses or Craft Captions to Consider…
But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” -Matthew 13:29-30
God judges hearts!
All have sinned…let the Lord determine who’s who.
Weeds among the wheat
The farmer will separate…we are not to judge!
All mixed together…all made with purpose!
More teaching ideas for this parable
- See all our ministry ideas based on the Parable of the Wheat and the tares
- Watch our craft example video or view our Wheat and Tares playlist
- Don’t miss the full Wheat and Tares Sunday School Lesson
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Craft one: “Sewing Weeds Plate”
You will need:
- Paper plates
- Markers, stickers, or other decorating materials
- Scissors
- Glue, tape or staples
- Hole punch
- Yarn/string
Toothpicks
Procedure:
- Use markers to decorate the paper plate, adding a written or glued on verse/caption.
- Use a hole punch to punch holes around the plate, roughly an inch or two apart.
- Use glue and/or tape to attach the toothpick “weeds” to the plate.
- String the yarn in and out of the holes, creating “wheat” to compete with the “weeds” already on the plate. Leave a bit of string to hang up, if desired.
Craft Two: Inside the Heart Memory Game
You will need:
- Construction paper
- Scissors
- Tape and/or glue
- Extra decorations (stickers, etc.)
Caption or verse
- Markers or crayons
Procedure:
1. Cut small hearts out of one piece of construction paper.
2. On a larger paper or cardstock, add decorations, captions, and verses.
3. Glue or tape the hearts onto the larger paper in rows.
4. Place a sticker or drawn image underneath each paper heart. There should be two matches for each image.
5. To play the game, find a partner and take turns looking underneath the hearts to find matching elements. Have fun!
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Craft Three: “Mixed-up Jar”
You will need:
- Small jar or container
- Flour, oats, glitter, and other similar but unique ingredients; if desired, create a “recipe” to make these usable, or make a trail mix of sorts with naturally edible elements.
- Extra decorations (stickers, etc.)
- Caption or verse
Markers (Sharpies recommended)
- String, pipe cleaner, or ribbon.
Procedure:
1. Select the vessel for your mix, as well as the type of mix you’d like to make.
2. Using permanent markers, write and/or draw on the jar, and/or add stickers and a caption.
3. Layer the ingredients in the jar, whether a trail mix, recipe, or random elements.
4. Add a ribbon or string to the outside of the jar.
5. If needed, attach a recipe or ingredient list.
Matthew 13:24-30 New International Version (NIV) The Parable of the Weeds
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”