Whereas in another illustration, Jesus tells us that the seed that is sown is “the word of the kingdom,” in this illustration, he tells us that the fine seed represents something different​—“the sons of the kingdom.” (Matt. 13:19, 38) These are not subjects of the Kingdom but, rather, “sons,” or heirs, of the Kingdom.​—Rom. 8:14-17; read Galatians 4:6, 7.

5. Who is the enemy in the illustration, and who are pictured by the weeds?

⁵ Who is the enemy, and who are the weeds? Jesus tells us that the enemy “is the Devil.” The weeds are described as “the sons of the wicked one.” (Matt. 13:25, 38, 39) In a literal sense, the weeds that Jesus referred to were probably the bearded darnel. This poisonous plant closely resembles wheat in its early stages before it reaches maturity. What a fitting picture of imitation Christians, those who claim to be sons of the Kingdom but do not produce genuine fruitage! These hypocritical Christians who claim to be followers of Christ are really part of the “seed” of Satan the Devil.​—Gen. 3:15.

7. Did some of the wheat turn into weeds? Explain.

⁷ Jesus did not say that the wheat would become weeds but that weeds were sown among the wheat. So this illustration does not portray genuine Christians who fall away from the truth. Rather, it points to a deliberate effort on the part of Satan to corrupt the Christian congregation by introducing wicked people into it. By the time that the last apostle, John, was old, this apostasy was clearly evident.​—2 Pet. 2:1-3; 1 John 2:18.

Then from Pentecost 33 C.E. onward, he started to sow the fine seed​—“the sons of the kingdom.” This sowing evidently took place when Jesus, as Jehovah’s representative, began to pour out holy spirit upon the disciples, thereby anointing them as God’s sons.b (Acts 2:33) The fine seed developed into mature wheat. So the objective in sowing the fine seed was eventually to gather the full number of those who would become joint heirs and rulers with Jesus in his Kingdom.