Matthew 13:24–30
24Jesus presented another parable to 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 tares among the wheat, and went away. 26“But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27“The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28“And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29“But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
Focused Thinking:
The parables in this section answer the question, “What is the kingdom of heaven like”?
These parables show the reality of the kingdom of heaven versus people’s expectations/perceptions of the kingdom of heaven.
The Jews thought that the coming of the Messiah signaled the fulfillment of God’s kingdom on earth, meaning God’s reign and rule on earth. Jesus’ first coming initiated God’s kingdom on earth, but it won’t be fulfilled until His second coming.
Jesus gives the meaning of this parable in Matthew 13:36–43.
37And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
What is the work of the enemy?
What is one of the primary strategies of the enemy?
25“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.”
The enemy is a brilliant strategist.
The enemy knows his best strategy is to go uncover and try to weaken the church from the inside.
The enemy doesn’t doubt himself; he was bold enough to try to tempt Jesus three times personally.
- This was a known practice in ancient warfare and feuds—destroy a nation’s (or person’s) agricultural base and his military might would also be destroyed.
- The presence of Satan’s children among God’s people would also serve to weaken them.
- The “weed” Jesus referred to may have been darnel, a poisonous plant that looks very much like wheat in the early stages of growth, but becomes distinguishable when the heads of the wheat appear.
- Jesus’ hearers would have understood how no one would have noticed the weeds until the plants came up and bore grain. Only then would the weeds appear.
- A heavy infestation of darnel (indicated by it being “sowed” among the grain) would cause the roots of both plants to become entangled.
Always expect the unexpected.
26“But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.
In many respects, it doesn’t matter how wise you are or how discerning you are, the enemy is going to surprise you from time to time.
- It is difficult to tell the difference in the early stages of one’s life cycle; but the test of fruit will prove itself with time.
- The MORE the wheat grows; the MORE evident the difference is between the wheat and the tares.
- The LESS the wheat grows; the LESS evident the difference is between the wheat and the tares.
People will always question the farmer.
27“The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
The landowner sowed good seed.
- The enemy attacked in the dark of the night.
- The enemy does what the enemy does.
The landowner can be proactive and try to protect himself and his crops from the enemy, but he won’t be 100% successful.
- The landowner can’t beat himself up for the presence of tares.
- That is a reflection of the world we live in, not the landowner fault.
What should the landowner do?
28“And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’
The tares are the work of the enemy, not the landowner.
The landowner needs to focus on the wheat, not the tares.
29“But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
If you do anything to the tares you could damage the wheat.
The harvest will reveal who is who.
The harvest will reveal the difference between the wheat and the tares.
30“First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up.”
“But gather the wheat into my barn.”
The wheat and the tares represent two churches.
- One is selfish, power-hungry and sinful.
- The other is unselfish, humble and holy.
- One is a false church whose head is Satan.
- The other is the true church whose head is Jesus.
Why are we continually surprised when we are confronted by the false church within the body of the true church?
The wheat and tares grow up together, and are completely indistinguishable from each other—for a while.
Every attempt to separate the true church from the false church fails because the attempts are almost always made on the basis of external factors.
- Doctrinal Purity
- Moral Conduct
- Ritualistic Practices
Personal Application:
Quit worrying about the tares (weeds).
Don’t define success by the absence of tares (weeds); define your success by the abundance of wheat.
We are in the wheat business.
- We need to do everything possible to produce the best wheat possible.
- We need to do everything possible to produce as much wheat as possible.
Interactive Prayer: prayed offline today.
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