The Wheat and the Tares

The Wheat and the Tares

Matthew 13:24-30

24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 

25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 

26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 

27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 

28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 

29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 

30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

   The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, (or weeds,) is a story with a strong spiritual truth.  And in spite of the clear explanation of the parable that Jesus gave in Matthew 13, this parable is often misunderstood.  Many commentaries and sermons have attempted to use this story as an illustration of the condition of the church, noting that there are both true believers (the wheat) and those that say they believe but don’t, (the tares,) in both the church in general and also in the local churches.  While this is true, Jesus explains that the field is not the church but the world.

   Even if He hadn’t specifically told us the world is the setting for the story, we should know it can’t be the Church.  The landowner tells the servants not to pull up the weeds in the field, but to leave them until the end of the age.  If the field were the church, this command would directly contradict Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18 which tells us how to deal with unrepentant sinners in the church.  He instructed us to put them out of the fellowship and treat them as unbelievers.  Jesus never instructed us to let unrepentant sinners remain in the church until the end of the age.  So, Jesus is teaching here about the kingdom of heaven in the world. 

   In the agricultural society of Christ’s time, many farmers depended on the quality of their crops.  An enemy sowing weeds would have sabotaged a business.  The tares in the parable were likely a weed that is called darnel, (Lolium temulentum,) because that weed, until it grows to maturity, looks like wheat.  Without modern weed killers, what would a farmer do in such a dilemma?  If he tried to pull out the tares he would pull most of his wheat out, too.  He would end up with little or no crop.  Instead of tearing out the wheat, the landowner would have to let the two grow together until harvest time.  Then he would harvest the whole field and separate the good wheat from the bad tares and throw the weeds into the fire. 

   Jesus declares that He Himself is the sower.  He spreads His redeemed into the world like seed to grow into mature Christians and bring the Gospel to the world. 

   The enemy in the parable is the devil.  He opposes Jesus and he tries to destroy Christ’s work by placing false believers and teachers in the world among the true believers to try to lead many astray.  Chances are you know someone who looked and sounded like a Christian but later you find out they are not and only claimed to be.  They are usually revealed by the fruit they produce.  Sooner or later their actions will cause reproach on the name of Jesus. 

   So why do we let them grow alongside and not go and rip them out by the roots?  Often, immature and innocent believers get injured by these actions.  And, as a reminder from history, just look to the failure of the Spanish Inquisition and the Crusades to see the results of men taking upon themselves the responsibility of separating true believers from false.  This should be left to God alone Who will clean up His Kingdom in His own time.

   Another problem with trying to do God’s work is many times an immature Christian might have gotten into some bad teaching and in your zeal you might uproot a well-meaning but wrong person who could be brought back to Christ with a little wise counsel and love. 

   Jesus Christ will one day establish true righteousness in His Kingdom.  After He takes His Church out of this world, God will pour out His righteous wrath on the world.  During that tribulation, there are some who will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus and be saved out of this wrath. 

   Pray for those who you believe are bearing bad fruit.  Pray that God’s Spirit will speak to their hearts and, if possible, bring them to Jesus.  Those who do not believe will be cast into the lake of Fire and, like the tares of the parable, be burned up – a fate to be avoided if possible.  I would rather see them live and receive a chance of salvation than be cast into the fire.

Stephen Cram                                                                                July 21, 2013

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.  Colossians 2:8

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