Curiously, unlike the
interpretation of the parable of the Sower, this pericope does not
follow directly after the parable it interprets: the
Wheat & the Weeds. Instead, Matthew places the parables of the
Mustard & the Leaven between this harvest parable & its
interpretation. This odd sequence is hard to explain, if Matthew is
the earliest gospel.
There is no direct parallel to
this passage in either Mark or Luke. In Mark's narrative sequence there is at
this point (Mark 4:34) only the
generalization that Jesus explained all his parables to his disciples privately.
Instead of that vague summary, Matthew provides this detailed allegorization.