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Matthew Chapter 13 Wheat and Tares

by Paul George  
8/11/2008 / Bible Studies

Matthew 13:24-30

The Sower that went out to sow seed (Matthew 13:3) and the man who sowed good seed in his field (Matthew 13:24) is our Lord Jesus Christ. The seed in the parable of the Sower is the Word of God. The good seed sowed by the owner of the field in the parable of the sowing of tares are the sons of God (Matthew 13:38) represented by the good soil in the parable of the Sower. The tares sowed in the field by the enemy represent the sons of Satan. The field represents the world.

The object of the parable of the sowing of tares is to explain the various conditions that will exist in the world from the sowing of the seed until the restoring of all things when Jesus returns to this earth.

In the parable the emphasis is not on the field in which the tares are sowed, it is not on the seed sowed by the enemy, it is on the man who sowed the good seed. The truth hidden in the parable is, the world will never be free of the evil and wickedness that entered the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, until the restoring of the world created by God.

Note when the tares were sowed; while the men of the owner of the field were sleeping. Were these men being neglectful? They were doing what was the proper thing to do. They were preparing themselves to go back into the field.

Satan always waits for the proper time to plant the seeds of evil, wickedness, and doubt. In the parable the sowing of the tares the enemy of the owner of the field waited until the men who worked in the field were sleeping. The enemy knows you do not sow seed during the night hours. No one was expecting the enemy to come and sow tares in the wheat field. This is why we must be alert and on guard. Satan will attack us when we least expect it and in ways we do not believe he will attack us. Satan will use every advantage we will give him to sow tares in our heart. He will do it even when we are doing what is the normal thing to do.

The good seed has been sowed and while the servants of the sower of the good seed sleep the enemy sows tares in the field the sower has sowed good seed. In the parable of the sowing of the tares Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a field a man sowed good seed and his enemy sowed tares. The field represents the world. In the world there are two sowing of seed, one by Jesus and His servants, the second by Satan and his servants.

The time of the sowing of the tares was when the servants of the owner of the field were sleeping.

We need to be aware of the seed that Satan plants. When the enemy over sowed the man's field he did not sow the seeds of thorns and thistles. If he would have sowed the seeds of thorns and thistles the workers in the field would have had no problem in identifying the thorns and thistles when they began to grow in the field and remove them before they could do any harm to the wheat. In the over sowing of the field the enemy sowed what is referred to as tares; what he sowed was darnel. It is impossible to distinguish the darnel from the wheat until the wheat begins to bear fruit.

When the servants of the owner of the field recognized the presence of darnel in the field they asked the owner of the field if they should root out the darnel (v. 28). The owner of the field told them not to root out the darnel. Why did he tell his servants not to root out the darnel? Darnell wraps itself around the roots of the wheat. It is only when the wheat is harvested can you safely separate wheat and darnel. As these imitation blades, green and flourishing, growing side by side with the real wheat, it appears there will be a good harvest. However, appearances are deceptive, and the harvest will be a disappointment to those who have spent so much time and labor in the wheat field.

In this parable Jesus reveals the condition of the world until the time the restoring of all things to their original beginnings. He exposes Satan's method of operation. He is an imitator. He produces counterfeits of the works of God. It is important for Christians to know this, so that they may be on their guard. If we study Scripture we shall not be ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:11). He seeks to destroy what God has created by introducing a clever imitation of the real thing. This parable reveals that he works from within and under the cover of darkness. He has an imitation Gospel. This is clearly implied in the solemn warning given in Galatians 1:7-9 and more plainly in 2 Corinthians 11, where we are told false apostles and deceitful workers disguise themselves as apostles of Christ, even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (vv. 13-15). The servants of Satan are not working in the sinful activity of men and women. They are working overtime in our seminaries, colleges, schools, and pulpits. He does not use men and women who are advocating lawlessness. He uses men and women who do not understand the righteousness of God and are teaching and preaching their own form of righteousness (Romans 10:3), a mingling of Law and Gospel, and deceiving multitudes.

Satan has an imitation Church. There is a cross over the door, paintings, and statues of Jesus in its sanctuary. The pastors and leaders profess the name of Christ, and hold to some of the great fundamentals of His teaching and add to them the deadly errors of paganism. This imitation is so subtle it seems as if there is Scriptures support for the deleted gospel message. In the book of Proverbs it is written, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12 NASB).

When the time is right, Satan will bring forth an imitation Christ. This will be his masterpiece. He is the Antichrist. He will have the power to work miracles; he will at first claim to be the true Christ come back to earth. He will deceive multitudes so that the entire world will follow him (Revelation 13:4).

In these last days we need to be aware, Satan does not sow thorns and thistles he sows imitation wheat.

Note in this parable, there is no mention of opposition or hindrances to the growth of the tares, as in the first parable concerning the Sower going out to sow seed. No mention is made of wayside ground, too hard for the seed to penetrate. There is no rocky ground or thorns, no mention made of the birds eating the seed. All external conditions and circumstances are favorable to the growth of the tares. No cultivation needed; they will grow of themselves.

The enemy's success is implied by the attention given to the tares. The mention of bundles in verse 30 bears this out.

Why did the owner of the field permit the enemy to sow tares in his wheat field? Why has He permitted them to occupy the principal part of the field? In other words, why has God allowed Satan this freedom? These questions are not as difficult to answer as many suppose. In seeking answers to these questions, the fact overlooked is the Jewish leaders rejected their Messiah, they preferred Barabbas. Having chosen a murderer in preference to the Lord of Life, both Jews and Gentiles have reaped what they sowed. Rejecting the Savior, Satan has ruled over them ever since. He will rule over them to the end of the age (v. 39).

"The end of the age" is not a difficult expression as many have made it. There is a world of time, as well as a world of matter. However, if we accept the interpretation "the end of the age" refers to the end of the earth or world-system we are not in harmony with what Jesus said. What Jesus is referring to is the harvest that will occur at the end of the age. What age, the age that will follow the age Jesus is referring to, the Millennium. Jesus said He would send out His reapers, who are angels. The tares gathered up, bundled, and burned but the wheat put into His barn (v. 30). The angels will gather the tares before the wheat. In spite of their promising and attractive appearance, everything that has not sprung from the Seed sown by the Son of man and His servants will be cast into "the furnace of fire" (v. 42). There is no actual casting of them into the fire at the first stage of the harvest. In the first stage, the servants remove the wheat from the tares, bundle the tares and place the wheat in the barn. The gathering of the wheat corresponds with 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17.

Jesus said He will send "forth His angels and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness (v. 41). In today's world corporations, organizations, clubs, guilds, fraternities, and social barriers that existed for centuries are rapidly being broken down; movements are seeking to gather all into one great state. The unification of religions is the goal of the religious leaders of this world. Those who understand prophecy know this goal will become a reality in the near future. The leading powers of this age are working together to form a one world government and religion. The bundling of the tares has begun soon; the wheat will be removed from the field.

Jesus said the tares were planted while the servants were sleeping. This is a warning to the church today. We are to watch and pray. We need to heed the warning of Romans 13:11, 12. We must never lose sight of the fact Jesus loves His own. Forbidding the uprooting of the tares is evidence of that love. He will let the tares grow so that a single blade of wheat will not be injured.

The "Furnace of Fire" is no mere superstition of the "dark ages," but a dread reality, as multitudes now living will discover. It is the certain portion of all who continue to reject the Lord Jesus. We have been warned to flee from the wrath to come before it is too late and flee to Christ for refuge.

Retired pastor,Church of the Nazarene

Author of web site Exploring God's Word

www.thewordofgodonline.net

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