Nov, 2, Parable of the Tares, Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus again explains this parable to His disciples (see verses 36-43). To me the message is that in the Kingdom of God between the time of Jesus first and second coming there exists a mixture of good and evil. Jesus came and established the Kingdom. By Jesus incarnation, life, death, and resurrection, God has defeated sin, Satan, and established His Kingdom.
Tares or Weeds (Definition from Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible): Mentioned eight times in Matthew 13. Refers to a weed called darnel, which looks exactly like wheat in its young stages and, in fact, only the expert can distinguish some species of this darnel from true wheat. Later on, the differences are remarkable. The farmer, however, cannot pull up the week when it is almost fully grown without seriously damaging the true wheat plans which are growing alongside.
The darnel is an annual, Lolium temulentum, sometimes called bearded darnel grass. It has far smaller seeds than wheat, and it is claimed that these seeds, when ground to flour, are poisonous, due perhaps to a particular fungus which develops in the seed itself.
Good and evil coincide side by side until Jesus’ Second coming and a final judgment. This, however, does not give us the right to label everyone who disagrees with us or has a contrasting personality as evil weeds sown by the devil. We must still work to live in unity with all who call upon the name of the Lord.
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”—Matthew 13:24-30
Explanation found in Matthew 13:36-43
36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
Two additional thoughts: 1, since only an expert can judge between darnel and true wheat in the early stages of growth, we believers must not judge others prematurely. We should give young believers an oppourtunity to grow. 2, The verse comes to mind, by their fruit you will know them. Here I am thinking of the fruit of the Spirit. Those who are argumentative, devisive, controlling, threatening, and bullying do not exhibit fruit of true followers of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteWhen we talked about this as a family tonight what we believe is that we are called to stand next to the Evil (weeds) that are around us. It is up to Jesus to harvest the weeds from the wheat (Believers). We are not to be seperated from but in contact with all the world.
ReplyDeleteIn the world but not of the world. Jesus sends us out as sheep in the midst of wolves, yet the sheep win.
ReplyDeleteI kept thinking of the enemies of Israel that Joshua and the Jews could not drive out of Palestine. God used them to be a tool that kept Israel close to God.
Stephen, thanks for your post. Very good stuff.