Matthew 13:24-30 KJV
"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."
Vs 36-43
"Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
The Breakdown
In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a farmer who planted good wheat seed in his field. During the night, an enemy secretly came and sowed tares (weeds) among the wheat. As the plants began to grow, the servants noticed the weeds and asked the farmer if they should pull them up.
The farmer told them not to remove the weeds yet, because they might accidentally uproot the wheat along with them. Instead, he instructed them to let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time, the reapers would separate the weeds from the wheat, burning the weeds and gathering the wheat into the barn.
This analogy sheds light on the dichotomy between the presence of good and evil on the earth. Although we are all God’s creation, He still allows for evil to be prevalent on the earth to give people a choice. The tares in this parable represent people who choose to allow demonic influence to prevail in their lives.
Analogical Titles:
The farmer = The Son of Man (Jesus)
The field = The world
The good seed (wheat) = Body of Christ
The tares (weeds) = Sinful people
The enemy = The devil
The Reapers = Angels
James 4:7 states, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you”.
The lack of resistance can lead to the development of negative ideals then eventually a complete paradigm shift consisting of fundamental changes in morality, ultimately leading to a reprobate mind.
“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” Romans 1:28-32 KJV
God gives everyone chances because He loves us unconditionally. Sin is not allowed in Heaven, run by a Holy God. He wants us to be holy and blameless when we stand before Him. The waiting season before the harvest is God’s mercy. Some people fall away but find their way back to Christ and others have yet to find Him but may yield to God when they do. This is why God does not want us to judge but to share the Good News of Christ with love and truth (not sugar coating to prevent offense).
No one is immune to backsliding. All it takes is the right amount of pressure and trials to bring, even the most faithful to a place of regress. Matthew 24:24 shares that during the last days that “If it were possible, even the elect shall be deceived”. It takes a daily effort to stay on course with Christ while living in an earthly body. I believe he wants to see if we will endure to make sure that we are trustworthy.
Remember 1 Corinthians 2:9:
“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares teaches that good and evil will grow together until God’s perfect time of judgment, when true faith will be revealed and righteousness fully restored. Keep the faith and stay on course as we win souls for the Harvest.
