The Tares Among Wheat Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

CrossWay Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

If you've ever traveled abroad, especially to a country ruled by Islam, you understand how different the atmosphere truly is. Even in moderate countries like Morocco, it is clear that Islam is the prevailing religion, and any dissonance will not be tolerated. Find yourself in more radicalized lands like Iran, and you are non-compliance could cost you your life. There have been periods of time in history when elements of Christianity carried the same unfortunate rule. There are events in history when terrible things have been done in the name of Christianity.

Truth and tolerance can go hand in hand. This can be a hard lesson for people to learn who are passionate about their faith. Yet this is an important lesson to learn. The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares is Christ's lesson on how we should exist in this world.

A couple of weeks ago, we talked about the Parable of the Soils. In that parable, we learned about four soils. Three of those soils were not fruitful for the Kingdom. Only one of those soils, the fertile soil, was good for growing a bountiful harvest, which Jesus describes as a harvest of 30, 60, or 100-fold. Today, we take a deeper look at that soil in which good seed is planted for a harvest of wheat.

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 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 13:24–30)

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:36–43)

Theologically speaking, we are living in a time that was mentioned in the book of Daniel between the 69th and the 70th week. As Jesus arrives on the scene, he defines this for us through several parables. This is a time of grace where God mediates his rule on earth through his Church.

We studied as we studied during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 7, there will come a time when Jesus will differentiate between the true believers of the Kingdom and those who are not.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

What Jesus is describing in Matthew Chapter 7 and here in Matthew Chapter 13 is a distinction between the true citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven and those who are just pretending. Sometimes, I think how convenient it would be to eliminate the disingenuous believers. This was the same question James and John asked Jesus.

And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54)

Let me assure you there is coming a time when the Lord Jesus Christ will judge between all people. In this time, everything will be revealed. The truth about us, the truth about our motives, the truth about who we are the truth about our faith. Everything will be brought into plain sight.