"These [in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." - Acts 17:11

(24) Jesus told them another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man sowed good seed in his field. (25) One night, when everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. (26) When the plants grew and the heads of grain began to form, then the weeds showed up. (27) The man's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, it was good seed you sowed in your field; where did the weeds come from?' (28) 'It was some enemy who did this,' he answered. 'Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?' they asked him. (29) 'No,' he answered, 'because as you gather the weeds you might pull up some of the wheat along with them. (30) Let the wheat and the weeds both grow together until harvest. Then I will tell the harvest workers to pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them, and then to gather in the wheat and put it in my barn.' "

Good News Bible copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society.

This parable exposes the problem of evil intermingled with good within congregations, just as the same mix confronts nations, communities, and homes. No matter how society tries to legislate or separate out lawbreakers from the rest of society, the seeds of sin and crime find a place to grow. God's church is similarly affected by Satan's constant attacks. The genuine and the counterfeit wheat are always together in the church.

The servants' perplexity about the sowing of the tares shows that the presence of sin is often a mystery to people (II Thessalonians 2:7-10). God cannot be blamed for them because He does not sow evil—Satan does (James 1:13). By this parable, Jesus prophesies that the church of God on earth would be imperfect. The spiritual church has members with the Holy Spirit who are dedicated and loyal, yet have personal defects. It also has within it unconverted people who may recognize the truth but are there only to enjoy association with God's people. Jesus' intent is to enlighten and warn the saints of this fact, not to expose the tares at this time (Acts 20:29-32). God will root out the bad seed when the good seed has matured.

"The good seed," "the wheat," and "the sons of the kingdom" refer to baptized members of God's church in whom the Holy Spirit dwells—the saints, the elect, the righteous (Matthew 13:43). In the previous parable, the seed represents "the word of the kingdom" (verse 19), but here, the good seed is the product of that word received, understood, and obeyed. The Son of Man, as the Sower or Owner, sows only good seed, those who are righteous due to walking worthy of God—living His way of life, and becoming the "children of the kingdom" (I John 2:6; II John 6; I Thessalonians 2:10-15).

It is God's will that Jesus Christ the Redeemer sow His redeemed ones in this world of sin and misery for the purpose of training and testing them to become true witnesses for Him in preparation for the Kingdom. Therefore, He has placed Christians where He wants them. Jesus tells Peter in Luke 22:31 that he was wheat, and as such, he was to be sifted by Satan. All of God's saints should heed this warning to watch and pray that the field of our heart not be sown with tares by the enemy. God has bought us with a price and given us His Spirit, making us new creations in Him and heirs of His Family and eternal life. He expects us to bear fruit in our corner of the field of this world in which He has sowed us.

— Martin G. Collins

To learn more, see:
Parables of Matthew 13 (Part Three): The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares



 

Topics:

Bearing Fruit

Counterfeit and Genuine Christians

Fruit of Righteousness

Fruit, Bad

Fruit, Bearing

Fruits of God's Holy Spirit

Fruits of Righteousness

Fruits of the Spirit

Fruits, Appraisal of

Fruits, Judging by

Genuine and Counterfeit Christians

Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Tares and Wheat

Wheat and Chaff imagery

Wheat and Tares




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