Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
by Joe Mack Cherry
I. Introduction
A. What a Book
1. Number 1 seller of all times
2. A gift that keeps on giving
3. No matter how many times you read it you can always find something new
4. II Tim. 3:16-17 – NIV – “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may thoroughly equipped for all good works.”
B. Study Requires more than the Bible
1. There are a plethora of study guides that are available online.
2. We do not even have to buy them in order to read them.
3. Study Light and Bible Hub are two great resources. They have lexicons, dictionaries, commentaries, concordances, and the list goes on.
4. Naturally, we must weigh the words against what we believe to be truth.
5. We should try to study with an open mind because we can be wrong ourselves on certain subjects or not be wrong but missing the real intent of the passage.
6. Scripture is just as true and prevalent today as it was when it was first written. Though we apply it to our lives today, it behooves us to look at it from a first century perspective in regard to language and history of that time.
C. Why did Jesus Speak in Parables?
1. Mat. 13:1 – Read.
2. Mat. 13:11 – “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.”
3. Allowed the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isa. in Isa. 6:9-10
a. Both spoke to those with callous of heart.
b. Hearers had ears but could not hear; seers had eyes but could not see.
4. These parables are for us as Children of God just as they were for the Apostles; therefore, it is imperative that we study these “stories” and glean their every intent.
5. We must study as opposed to simply reading.
a. Reading is important.
b. Reading and not understanding doesn’t do us a lot of good, does it?
II. Body
A. Text
1. Mat. 13:24-29 – Read
2. We can look to vs. Mat. 13:36-43
B. The Disciples Question Christ – vs. 36
1. We should never be afraid to ask questions about any subject when it comes to scripture.
2. The disciples could have gone their separate ways with their limited understanding and taught things that were not Christ’s intention.
3. Luckily, they had the Master to explain this to them. Psa. 25:9 – “He leads the humble in justice and He teaches the humble His way.”
4. As was mentioned earlier, we have to refer to scholars in order to get a better understanding.
C. Explanation
1. Sower – Jesus Christ
a. Usually, Jesus is sowing (teaching, preaching) the gospel.
b. What He is sowing here is a product of this gospel as we’ll see in a minute.
2. Good Seed – were good men called Sons of the Kingdom whom God planted throughout the world.
a. Is the world as we know it ever referred to as God’s “Kingdom of Heaven?” No
b. What is the Kingdom? Church Mat. 13:18ff
3. Field – the world
a. Scholars have debated through the years as to the true meaning of this analogy. Again, I think the discernment lies in the interpretation of the seed.
b. Some believe that the “world” is just that, the “world” in which we live.
i. Adam and Eve were perfect, made in God’s image.
ii. Satan crept in, tempted Eve, and sin was introduced to the world.
iii. Sin was blatantly obvious in the Garden and does not fit the narrative of this passage of scripture and at that time there were no “Sons of the Kingdom.”
c. Some believe that it is referring to the universal or world-wide church.
i. This application makes the most sense to me.
ii. Satan comes as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. False teachers, hypocrites, and divisive people must first “fit in” before they can do great damage. If they start out belligerent, they are more likely to be shut down quickly. They need to develop a following of people.
d. I believe either view is applicable and can be reconciled as truth.
i. At times we miss the forest because we are looking at only one tree.
ii. The full intent of this parable is to show who is qualified to judge.
iii. God will judge those who are in the church and those who are out.
4. Enemy – Satan
a. He is constantly sowing seeds of doubt and confusion in the church.
b. KJV- Gen. 3:1 He is very subtle; NKJV-uses the word cunning, which implies crafty or appearing unassuming. He usually doesn’t attack blatantly.
c. As I mentioned earlier, just like the false prophets in Mat. 7:15, Satan himself is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a liar, and accuser of the brethren.
i. Satan doesn’t show us the bad result of his temptations or the evil influences infiltrating our lives by others.
ii. We experience the initial pleasure and then chase that dragon never catching it.
d. Notice the scripture says in vs. 25, he crept in at night while they were sleeping.
e. The Prince of Darkness works at night. Eph. 6:12 – rulers of the darkness
5. Bad seed – interesting study
a. Tares – Closely resembled the wheat, it was a degenerate wheat. In America, we call it “cheat” or “chess”.
b. It was virtually impossible to discern the difference in the two until it had matured.
c. The tare caused violent sickness in those who consumed it.
d. The two could not be separated until harvest because their roots would intertwine.
6. Harvest – the end of the age, Heb. 10:27 – “It is appointed unto man once to die and after that to face the judgement.”
7. The weeds are pulled out and burned and the good wheat was harvested.
a. After the judgement there will be no evil present for the saved.
b. Mat. 13:43 - The righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of the Father.
c. The master sent out His angels to gather, separate, and burn the tares, not men.
D. Closing Thoughts
1. Vs 27 – “The owner’s servants (notice the plural) came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds (tares) come from?”
2. Vs 28 – The servants were able to discern the difference.
a. They were willing to weed them out.
b. The master said, “No.”
c. How often do we find ourselves ready to exact immediate judgement?
3. Herein lies the crux of the whole matter.
a. God doesn’t intend for man to exact the final judgement.
b. The Religious Crusades that occurred between 1096-1291 AD – so call Christians exacted judgement on multitudes of people who were killed in the name of religion. There were non-religious factors that were involved in these wars.
c. Only God knows the hearts of people.
4. God is able to assess the overall situation
a. He could see that uprooting the tares prior to harvest would cause damage to the good plants.
b. We see a bad seed and we want to chop it down immediately.
i. Others watch us and our actions (and reactions) to situations that arise in the church.
ii. Some could be offended with the approach and leave the church.
iii. God said, “Leave them!”
5. To call out a sin is not a sin.
a. It is the “krino” - the judging of men to death that is forbidden.
b. Church discipline is necessary at times. In I Cor. 5, Paul tells them to expel the brother who is sleeping with his father’s wife; but notice the intent.
Vs. 5 – “Hand him over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.”
6. We must be on guard against Satan at all times.
