The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares Matthew 13

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43

Intro: I am here today to encourage bible study!  The Word of God is where the POWER IS!  There is so much counterfeit Christianity out there.  I was talking to a freind this week about Lent.  They told me that they had given up sweets for lent and that their brother gave up alcohol for lent and how stupid they thought that was.  I said, well why do you give up things for Lent? And, they said it's just something we've always done... wow...  I have nothing against Lent if it is done out of Love for Jesus, who GAVE HIS ENTIRE LIFE UP FOR US BECAUSE HE LOVED US.  HE DIED ON THE CROSS! HE FASTED AND PRAYED IN THE DESERT FOR 40 DAYS!   Real lent is wonderful! Counterfeit Lent is poisonous, parasitic, and from the Devil.

Nice Intro right?

I need to calm down a bit here.  The Kingdom of God is like:  

I have said it before and I'll say it again, I am a studier, and I am unashamed about promoting Bible Study every time that I am asked to preach or teach.

How to Study Parables

Approaching a parable you have to remind yourself that Jesus is not trying to support his teaching with an analogy.  The parables are not merely word-pictures or analogies or illustrations to help us understand the message, though they clearly do these things.  

The parable itself is the message.  

The parable is meant to bring the hearer to a moment of decision, a moment where a response to the parable is absolutely necessary. A parable shows that God is reading your mail.  He knows what you need to hear and what you need to do about it.

A parable is like a great joke, 

in a sense, there is a timing and a specific moment and an intimacy with the audience and in the hearing of that joke it is crucial that the joke is taken in by a fully human, fully understanding, fully feeling person that comprehends what the joke means to them.  

We all know how a joke can best be ruined... By explaining the joke.

So, of course, I am setting out to explain the parable of the wheat and the tares, I am going, in a sense, to ruin the joke.  But, in another sense, my real goal here is the same as the goal of the parable and the goal of Jesus, to 

GOAL: Bring each and every one of us to a moment where we must deal with what this parable says to us and respond with our lives.

Now this parable comes right after the parable of the sower.

We saw that we are to be like fertile soil ready and desiring to take the seed that God plants in our hearts and to really understand that parable we have to actually DO the thing that has been planted in us.  I loved the example of having a seed planted in us to help the poor.  We have to chase after that thing and push and pull and be passionate for that seed to grow.  Otherwise, we are not really fertile land and there are weeds and a scorching sun and birds that will snatch that seed away. 

At men's breakfast we were discussing fasting and praying.  The men of the church have a seed planted in us about fasting and prayer BUT if we don't actually DO fasting and praying then that seed does not grow and becomes worthless. 

I hope and pray that the seeds that have been planted in us will be acted out, worked out with fear and trembling, that we will walk the walk and not just talk the talk, AMEN.

Now, Jesus presents another parable, also about seed.  This seed is sown on fertile land, received well, and it grows all the way to bring grain and to harvest HOWEVER he shows what the enemy will do in this field.

Remember, this parable IS the message, not just an illustration, but these are the inspired words of Jesus Himself, speaking a Word of Knowledge to the crowd, to the disciples, and to each and every one of us.

The Parable of the Tares and the Wheat Matthew 13:24-30

24 Jesus 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.”’” 

Now, I am not a betting man, but if I was then I would be willing to bet that we don't all immediately get this joke.  It is obviously not a joke, this is VERY serious, but what I mean is, do we "get it."  

picture of a man scratching his head with ...tare?

We are not yet in the historical context of the original hearers of this parable so unless you have studied this before or for some reason are an expert in Agricultural Botany of the Holy Land... Like me, you probably didn't really know what a tare was during that first reading.  So, I'm going to ruin the joke and explain a bit about tares and also this is a plug for STUDYING the Bible which is beyond just devotional reading.  We are told in God's Word to STUDY to SHOW yourself APPROVED.  Not to read and walk away not really getting it to show yourself approved, anyway, let's dive into the botany of tares for a moment.

Lolium temulentum, typically known as tares, darnel or poison darnel is an annual plant that forms part of the Poaceae family and part of the Lolium genus. The plant stem can grow up to one meter tall, with inflorescence in the ears and it has purple grain. It has a global distribution.   

Nothing sinister yet but you may notice that word poison.  Do we want poison in our wheat field?  We're going to EAT that as our DAILY BREAD.  If you are ever eating a sandwhich in the cafe and there is just a little bit of poison in the bread, I mean POISON in the field is a BIG DEAL.

Tares usually grows in the same production zones as wheat and are considered a weed. The similarity between these two plants [wheat and tares] is so great that in some regions, a tare is referred to as "false wheat".  It bears a close resemblance to wheat until the ear appears. The wheat will also appear brown when ripe, whereas the tare is black.

The darnel can be infected by an endophytic fungus. It is parasitic to wheat fields.  Tares are poisonous when eaten and can cause death.

So, tares are not only poisonous, but they look almost exactly like wheat until they bear their fruit and they are also a parasite to wheat fields, they can carry a fungus that will infect healthy wheat.

Now, with this new background about tares, let's read that parable again.

The Parable of the Tares and the Wheat Matthew 13:24-30

24 Jesus 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.”’” 

Do we have ears to hear?  Is this gaining meaning for us?  What did the people really hear in this parable back then and what do we really hear in this now?  THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS!

Who are you relating yourself to in the story?

Are you the men who are supposed to be guarding the field that fall asleep and let the enemy sneak in?

Are you the slaves of the Lord who accuse the Lord, "Didn't you plant good seed?"  and ask, "Want us to gather those tares up immediately and destroy them?"

Are you a tare a fake a poisonous parasitic fraud?  Are you a wheat with tares all around you?

Are you worried about who will win this field?  The tares or the wheat?  Well, there is good news!  The Lord of the field wins!  He's not worried, the enemy is already defeated, it is all that the enemy can do to sneak in and make a counterfeit wheat.  He is not able to do ANYTHING original, he is unable to create, and he and the tares WILL BE bundled up and BURNED in the FIRE!

I think that it is extremely important for us to take in this parable and apply it to ourselves as the crowd did.  Now, let's take this in as the disciples did.  Picture Judas who would betray Him, James and John and Andrew and all the disciples with Jesus after this day of parables.

Jesus, "Ruins" the Joke

36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 

37 And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 

38 and 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; 

39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 

40 So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 

41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 

42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. 

Wow...

I love the bible!  Let's read the parable again!  

Ok, keep in mind what Jesus just said.  And, let's really read it again.  Remember, tares are poisonous and look almost exactly like wheat until they bear fruit, then and only then can you tell the difference between the tares and the wheat [the sons of the evil one and the sons of the kingdom] .  Remember, the underlined keys that Jesus gave us right there.  I replaced the field with the world, the owner of the field with Jesus, the good seeds with the sons of the kingdom, the tare seed with the sons of the evil one, the enemy with the devil, the reapers with the angels, and the harvest with the end of the age.

The Parable of the Tares and the Wheat
Matthew 13:24-30

24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to [Jesus]who sowed [the sons of the kingdom] in his [world].  

25 But while his men were sleeping, [the devil] came and sowed [the sons of the evil one] among [the sons of the kingdom], and went away. 

26 But when the [sons of the kingdom] sprouted and bore
[THE FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT], then [the sons of the evil one] became evident also. 

27 The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘[Jesus], did you not sow [sons of the kingdom] in your [world]? How then does it have [sons of the evil one]?’ 

28 And he said to them,
‘[The devil] has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather [the sons of the evil one] up?’

29 But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the [the sons of the evil one], you may uproot [the sons of the kingdom] with them.

30 Allow both [the sons of the evil one and the sons of the kingdom] to grow together until the [end of the age]; and in the time of the [end of the age] I will say to the [angels], “First gather up the [sons of the evil one] and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the [sons of the kingdom] into [Jesus'] barn.”’” 

wow again...

Remember, the whole reason for this is to bring us to a moment where we "get it" where we understand and we actually DO something with it.  Now, I can't tell you how to relate to this parable.  I hope and pray that the Lord is speaking to each of us through this message in ways that only He can do... but I can tell you what He has shown me specifically and hope that it is relevant to you and where you are personally.

1. You are fertile soil, that's great, now YOU MUST KEEP WATCH OVER THE FIELD.
2. Don't play around with the tares, they are poisonous and they are weeds and they could still choke you out.
3. The work of the slaves of Jesus is not to root out and destroy the fakes. It is to tend to the field and let the day of destruction belong to the Lord. Don't spend all your time fighting against the sons of the evil one, we know that in the end, they lose, they get bundled up and thrown into the furnace.  Care for the field!  Grow the wheat!
4. Are you a tare?  Are you imitating a Christian but are filled with poison?

2 Timothy 3

1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 

2 For men will be lovers of self,lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 

3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 

4 treacherous, reckless,conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 

5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 

It is by the FRUIT that they will know the wheat from the tares.  

The fruits of the spirit are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.  Concentrate on these things.

You will know that you are a true Christian by your fruit!  I'm reminded of the chicken skit when I used to work at Beaver Camp.

Explain the chicken skit.

I've been studying the fruits of the spirit on and off for the last year and I would like to share what I've found with you.  Some of you have read my blog before called Bucket Full of Grace at http://bucketfullofgrace.blogspot.com 

The Challenge/ Conclusion

Are you a wheat or a tare today?  You will know by the fruits of the spirit.  S20: Challenge:
Let's study the fruits of the spirit this week. 
We have been putting out a devotional over the past few weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I got a fire in my heart for that.  I have been writing short studies of each of the fruits of the spirit and I would like to release those this week for these devotional times.  It's my desire that we truly connect with each truth that the Lord spoke to you here today and now it is up to you to go and DO, water those seeds and bear those fruits.