Introduction
As we examined the first of the parables in this chapter last week we examined the parable of the Sower and the 4 types of soil that the seed (the word of God) falls upon. The emphasis of that parable was upon the hearts of the hearer of the Word of God.
Today we shall examine the second parable found in Matthew 13. It is known as the parable of the Wheat & the Tares. First we shall read the parable from verses 24-30, then we shall read from verse 36-43 where Jesus will give the explanation of the parable. As you may recall from our introduction 2 weeks ago Jesus only interprets two of the parables, the first being last weeks on The Sower; and the second one this week’s “The Wheat & the Tares. Let us read together then…
Scripture:
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.”
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Now let us continue from verse 36…
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
• Jesus sent the multitude away…
o Remember what Jesus had said in vs 13 that, “…I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.”
o They heard the words, but that was all
o Most likely many of the went away no wiser the they came
o It is sad to think how many go away from Sermons, Sunday School lessons and Bible Studies without receiving the word of Grace in their hearts
• And went into the house…
o Not to take a rest but to be better able to instruct his disciples (they are the true focus of most of his teaching)
• His disciples came to him saying explain to us the parable of the tares of the field
o They desired to learn of Jesus
First characteristic of a true disciple
• Admits he or she doesn’t know everything (humility)
• Has a teachable spirit
Jesus Explains the Parable
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
• As we pointed out last week, Jesus is the sower. He is the Son of Man.
38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
• We do not need to guess about the interpretation
o The Field is the World
Remember this is a Kingdom Parable
The field is “not” the church as some are tempted to interpret it
Jesus is the true and rightful king and this world and everyone and everything in it pertains to his kingdom
Many there may be who do not choose to submit to him now, but one day the bible declares in both Rom 14:11 and Phil 2:10 that every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess him “Lord”
o In the parable of the Sower the seed represented the Gospel, but Jesus tells us in this parable the “Good Seeds” are the Sons of the Kingdom
These are the true saints
They represent the fruit that is produced in previous parable, it is understood that the Gospel fell upon good ground
They are not just “saints by profession” but “saints by possession”
They have incorporated both “Faith (believing) & Works (obedience) to Christ as their King and Lord
o and the “Tares” are the Sons of the wicked one.
Here we have a description of all those who are unrepentant sinners, liars and hypocrits – they are “Sons of the wicked one”
• As such they bear his image
• They do his lusts
• They are taught and instructed of him
• He rules over them works in them and through them.
• Eph 2:2-3 says, “you once walked according to the 1course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
• Joh 8:44 says “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.”
Tares come from gk wrd “zizanion”
• It was a a variety of darnel weed
• It closely resembles the wheat and is almost impossible to distinguish it from the wheat until the heads begin to appear.
• The fruit of it is poisonous to humans
The sowing of tares “was sometimes done in ancient times out of spite or revenge by an enemy who wanted to destroy or at least greatly reduce the value of someone’s crop. It was a common enough crime for the Romans to have had a specific law against it.”
It would take several weeks of the wheat and the tares growing together before it would be evident that the tares were present
It would not have been uncommon to find some tares in among the wheat, but the abundance of the tares present was clear that an enemy was working against them.
o The world is the field and Jesus Christ is sowing/planting his true disciples all around the world. The invisible church of Jesus Christ.
o But the enemy of the Kingdom of God is also at work. He Opposes the work of God
o He can’t pull out the “Good Seed” those who are the “Sons of the Kingdom” for as the scripture says in Rom 8:38 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil,
o Satan is hard at work, where ever Christ is at work sowing true disciples, the enemy is at work and sowing counterfeit
o We need to be aware of Satan’s counterfeits
Counterfeit Christians - 2 Cor. 11:23
Who believe a counterfeit gospel - Gal 1:6-9
Satan encourages a counterfeit righteousness - Rom 10:1-3
He even has a counterfeit church – Rev. 2:9 (synagogue of satan)
An at the end of the age he produces a counterfeit Christ – 2Thes 2:1-12
o Some things to keep in mind
If you see a counterfeit remember that means that there is also the real thing other wise the counterfeit has no value
Counterfeits are used to “deceive”
• God’s true saints
o To confuse and seduce them
• The world
o To try to discredit if possible the true disciple and message of the Gospel he portrays
• Now the servants of the Master ask him ‘do you want us to go and gather them’
o They feared that the Tares would damage the crop and weaken or possibly ruin the wheat harvest
• But the master knows that wouldn’t be wise
o The Wheat and the Tares have grown together long enough that their roots have become intertwined.
o If you pull up the Tares you will up root some of the wheat.
Unfortunately, the counterfeit believers are often able to work their way into relationships with true disciples, win their trust so that the true disciple who is close in relationship is often blind to their true nature. So if another comes along and starts trying to “up root” the false - counterfeit believer because he has seen the bogus fruit they produce, sometimes the true believer get’s offended and uprooted too in the process. They have grown “attached relationally” intertwined in their “hearts”.
That’s why Jesus say, leave them alone
• It’s not our job to be detectives
• It’s not our job to go around and try to root out all the “counterfeit” disciples in this world
• Why?
• Because a Jesus says,
…the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43lThen the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
There Is a Harvet time coming
The farmers would wait until the Wheat harvest and then as they reaped the wheat they would separate the tares from the wheat and destroy the tares by fire. This way the seed of the tares would not poison the harvest and it couldn’t infect the next season of harvest, and then they would bring the wheat into the barns.
- Remember the Mystery of the Church age
- It is being revealed, it comes to an end, there is harvest time, there will be separation
Jesus says, the reapers are the Angels
• God will use his angels to do the sorting at the end – they are more qualified than you and I for this task
• The emphasis here is that the tares are bundled and destroyed by fire.
There are those that would say salvation is universal and that all men shall one day be saved. But that is not what the scriptures teach. Quite clearly there are those who will be reaped/harvested and brought into the barns/store house of the Kingdom of Heaven and others will be separated to be consumed by fire.
As Matt 25:41 teaches us that on that day Jesus shall say “unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
Note the nature of those who are cast into the Fire…
“…gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness..”
Share: Lawlessness
AV-iniquity 12, unrighteousness 1, transgress the law + 4160 1, transgression of the law 1; 15
1) the condition of without law
1a) because ignorant of it
1b) because of violating it
2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness
It implies being “contrary to the law” see notes on Undercover by J. Bevere
