Jesus tells the parable of the tares.
This article continues a look at the Kingdom parables found in Matthew chapter thirteen. Previously, we looked at why Jesus spoke in parables and his telling of the parable of the sower. Now we’ll take a look at the parable of the tares. And in it, we find an important truth that most of us already know. No church is perfect, and there’s a very good reason for that. That reason is found in the parable we’ll look at here.
I recently had a ministry friend ask me which church was best. She was responding to a comment I made. We were talking about challenges in ministry and I told her I had served in and attended many churches. I hesitated when she asked me which one I thought was best. Of course, I knew there wasn’t a “best church” to be found anywhere. I hem-hawed a little bit and then gave her an answer I thought would suffice. It turns out she had attended the church I mentioned and agreed it was a good church. But then she countered with the answer I was already thinking about.
My Church is better than yours!
“There’s no best church, there are problems in all of them,” she said. I could have shouted “Amen! to that,” but I didn’t. She is a veteran of the wars as I like to say. She’s seen the good and bad in all of the churches she has served in. She went on to say that only Jesus is perfect, and the Church is filled with imperfections. “An amen belongs there!” We talked a little bit more about some things and then each of us went on to our ministry obligations that morning.
Anyway, that conversation fits nicely with the topic of this parable.
Matthew 13: 24 Parable of the tares: good seed.
“Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.”
The Kingdom of Christ will replace the kingdoms of men. When Jesus says, “The Kingdom of heaven may be compared to…,” he’s referring to the end of the age and the time of judgment. When Christ’s kingdom replaces the failed kingdoms of humanity, you’ll see these things happen. These parables in Matthew 13 all refer to the end of the age.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus taught how the Good News is received or rejected by individuals. And now in this parable, he paints a word picture of the entire body of Christ as opposed to individuals. And we’ll see there are many problems in the church that won’t be solved until Jesus returns to fix them.
As in the parable of the sower, the Word of God is sowed in a field. The seed that is sowed in healthy soil grows and produces abundant crops. This story/parable takes place in that field of rich soil. The “good seed,” which is the Word of God, is sown.
Then the Church is born and all the trouble that comes with it. 🙂 🙁
I’m only partly kidding with that last line.
Matthew 13: 25 An enemy
“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.”
The word-picture continues. We call this a parable but Jesus is essentially telling us what to expect during the course of Church history up until the time of the end.
“His enemy” did something to harm his crops. Apparently, this was a common practice over the centuries in agricultural communities. At harvest time, the crops were sold in the local markets. Competing farmers weren’t content to grow their best crops. They would find ways to harm the crops of neighboring farms if given the opportunity. As Jesus told the story, there’s no doubt that certain farmers in the crowd would have recognized this tactic.
The tares were weeds
The tares were possibly the bearded darnel which is a kind of ryegrass. It’s a species of the grass family, looks very similar to wheat as it grows, and the seeds are poisonous. It was a nasty trick to use against a neighbor. The result of eating this grass was terrible diarrhea and sometimes death. That wouldn’t be a good look for prospective customers. The enemy sowed the bad seed and let the results play out over the course of the growing season.
https://thewritelife.tech/2019/01/07/parable-of-ten-virgins-long-delay-before-jesus-returns/
Matthew 13: 26 Parable of the tares: the weeds revealed
“But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.”
So harvest time was drawing near and the wheat was producing a strong crop. At that time, and probably before that, it became obvious someone had done something. The tares or wild grass was becoming noticeable. Another translation reads like this, “But when the blade was sprung up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.” It wasn’t until it was too late that the tares were seen. And that’s just as the enemy had planned.
Matthew 13: 27 What happened in the parable of the tares?
“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 servants or field workers brought bad news to the owner of the farm. They would have been in those fields many times and were likely discouraged that their hard work could possibly go to waste. They had a lot to lose also.
In many Bible commentaries, you’ll find the writers making an attempt to define who these field workers represent. But that’s not important in the least. It’s best to understand parables as teaching one or two important truths. Learn those lessons and let the speculators have fun with the unimportant details.
“How did this happen?” We often hear people asking God why he lets evil take place in the world. If he’s all-knowing and powerful, why not make it stop before it begins? It’s an easy question to ask but not to answer. God does it for his purposes. His children go through the hard process of sanctification by way of difficult trials. His own Son endured the shame and agony of the cross in order that humanity would have access to eternal life. The tares and the trials are part of the plan.
Matthew 13: 28 Parable of the tares: What should we do?
“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?’”
As readers, we already knew an enemy had done the dirty deed. But as the story unfolds, the landowner finally learns what has happened.
Bible commentators will struggle to make sense of this if they try to figure out how God, the landowner didn’t know that the enemy put the bad seed in his field. This makes the point that I brought up earlier concerning parables. Don’t dig too deep into the details of each parable. God knew that his enemy, Satan, was going to put the bad seeds in his field. He knew that before the beginning of time. There’s no “Plan B” in God’s plan. He knew it all before He ever got started.
After telling the owner about the tares, the workers asked him about pulling up the bad plants. It seemed like a good idea. Many of us are familiar with the tedious task of pulling weeds in our gardens, lawns, or walkways. It’s a never-ending process. And the weeds usually grow better, faster, and hardier than the plants we are trying to grow. But the owner was wise, and he did what God has done with the Church. We see that in the next verse.
Matthew 13: 29 Let them grow.
“But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.”
The owner said no to their idea. He knew that once they started pulling up the weeds it could lead to the loss of some of his crops. Depending on how bad the infestation was, it could have been a devastating loss of crops. The best thing to do was to leave it alone and let both of them grow to maturity.
Matthew 13: 30 Parable of the tares: The final harvest
“‘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.”‘”
The harvest time represents the end of the age. Before Christ’s kingdom fully begins, he will judge the wicked. The children of God and the children of Satan grow up together in the field of the earth. Then, when the time of the final harvest comes, the reapers come in. The word “reapers” has an ominous tone. We are familiar with the picture of the reaper of death with his sickle in his hand. But these reapers aren’t demons, they’re angels.
When the final harvest comes, the tares will be gathered and bound first. After that, they are set off to the side in an open field and burned. We know what that represents. Does anyone want to sign up for that? I didn’t think so. The wheat, or good crop, is then gathered up and put into the farmer’s barn.
As I like to say at the end of teaching students, ‘And they all lived happily ever after.” I say that in jest after many sermons but there will come a time when it will be for real.
In a later article, I’ll get into Jesus’ interpretation of this parable.
White Stone Watcher
Hello readers,
I have served as a children and youth pastor for over three decades. It was a great honor and pleasure to serve the Lord in that way. It has been my prayer, that many of them will learn of Jesus’ love and decide to commit their lives to follow Him.
I wrote the fiction story, ‘White Stone Watcher’ for them and their parents. In the story, we see a young man, and his best friend, Amanda. They face the normal challenges that today’s kids face at school. But with one huge difference.
Their challenge is twelve feet tall to be exact with an enormous set of six wings. Just like the prophet Isaiah saw in the throne room of God. He is a Watcher, an angelic being who is still invisible to Amanda. The messenger from God is about to lead both on a spiritual journey. They find they cannot escape the unseen war that rages all around them. They will become key players that God will use in the battle between the Sons of Darkness and the Children of Light.
I invite you to pray about a youth that might enjoy and benefit from this story. As the world grows darker, our youth must become aware that the Lord is calling them to join the Children of Light in the fight for what is righteous. We are all involved, whether we realize it or not. If they will not go to church, maybe they will read a book about someone just like them facing challenges at school.
God is calling them.
Praying for the youth, and a great awakening.
Pastor Doug
Let me know what you think.