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Chapter 34 - Wheat and Tares
Wheat and Tares
Matt. 13:24-30
24 Another [allos] parable [parabole] put he forth [paratithemi] unto them [autos] , saying [lego] , The kingdom [basileia] of heaven [ouranos] is likened [homoioo] unto a man [anthropos] which sowed [speiro] [speiro] good [kalos] seed [sperma] in [en] his [autos] field [agros] :
25 But [de] while [en] men [anthropos] slept [katheudo] , his [autos] enemy [echthros] came [erchomai] and [kai] sowed [speiro] tares [zizanion] among [ana] [mesos] the wheat [sitos] , and [kai] went his way [aperchomai] .
26 But [de] when [hote] the blade [chortos] was sprung up [blastano] , and [kai] brought forth [poieo] fruit [karpos] , then [tote] appeared [phaino] the tares [zizanion] also [kai] .
27 So [de] the servants [doulos] of the householder [oikodespotes] came [proserchomai] and said [epo] unto him [autos] , Sir [kurios] , didst [speiro] not [ouchi] thou sow [speiro] good [kalos] seed [sperma] in [en] thy [sos] field [agros] ? from whence [pothen] then [oun] hath it [echo] tares [zizanion] ?
28 [de] He said [phemi] unto them [autos] , An enemy [echthros] [anthropos] hath done [poieo] this [touto] . [de] The servants [doulos] said [epo] unto him [autos] , Wilt thou [thelo] then [oun] that we go [aperchomai] and gather [sullego] them [autos] up [sullego] ?
29 But [de] he said [phemi] , Nay [ou] ; lest [mepote] while ye gather up [sullego] the tares [zizanion] , ye root up [ekrizoo] also the wheat [sitos] with [hama] them [autos] .
30 Let [aphiemi] both [amphoteros] grow together [sunauxano] until [mechri] the harvest [therismos] : and [kai] in [en] the time [kairos] of harvest [therismos] I will say [ereo] to the reapers [theristes] , Gather ye together [sullego] first [proton] the tares [zizanion] , and [kai] bind [deo] them [autos] in [eis] bundles [desme] to [pros] burn [katakaio] them [autos] : but [de] gather [sunago] the wheat [sitos] into [eis] my [mou] barn [apotheke] . KJV-Interlinear
24 He 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 men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also among the wheat, and went away. 26 'But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 'And 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!' And the slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' 29 'But he said, 'No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you may root up 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.' NASB
The previous parable gives us some insight as to how people respond, in general, to Bible doctrine. People may be negative to the core and won't listen to anything that has to do with the spiritual life, unless it appeals to their physical desires. Or, people are too shallow and they have rushes of emotional highs. They are up one moment and when the emotion wears off, they are down and depressed with life. Big promoters one moment and big critics the next. Fickle is the word I think.
Or, they are more concerned (distracted) with their life in this world. Their current memberships, their current plans for life, their current (short) life style and so forth are more important to them than their 'eternal' life. When good advice comes along they might agree with the advice but they'll ignore it all the same, or they'll find some excuse why the advice doesn't apply to them. Often times worldly types will find very weak excuses for getting away from good advice. The person giving the advice doesn't know what they are talking about, they aren't properly educated and therefore not qualified, they talk funny, they write funny, they come from a bad family background, they are the wrong color, wrong culture, wrong something or other. Jesus came out of Nazareth. Who ever heard of anything good coming out of Nazareth? Where is His Ph.D.? The lame excuses have no end.
Even in the last illustration of those people who are positive and advancing in their spiritual life there will be differences. Why? Because many are less inclined to pursue their spiritual life as hotly as others. For some, fifteen minutes an evening is quite enough. That is all they will commit to their own spiritual life. For others, study is on their mind constantly. They will read and read and study and study in every quiet moment they can get to themselves. They make time for themselves. They don't seek excuses. They aren't inclined to have other people or organizations determine their lives for them. Only you can determine the best life for yourself. No one else will have your best interest in mind - except God of course.
Now we have a parable for unbelievers. Just as for negative or marginal believers there is loss of blessing within their spiritual life due to their negative or marginal or excuse filled attitude, so it is with unbelievers. The price they will pay for not taking all of maybe a second or two from their entire life on earth and not believing in Christ, will be tremendous. This seems to be the quintessence in stupidity and stubbornness. To think that a person may live a hundred years and all that is required to be saved is maybe two seconds of time within their life wherein they believe in Christ.
Just as various forms of stubbornness in believers ties them to whatever habits they maintain in life and keeps them from a very good Bible study and tremendous blessings, so the same principle of stubbornness will send unbelievers into a lake of fire at the end of history, and there they will remain forever. Not exactly a good trade. But then for you as a believer, what is it you are trading away, just to have your current habit or bitterness or whatever it is that keeps you from breaking away from life's traps?
Wheat is the good grain. Tares is a lessor type of grain that is not good for anything. The good grain is planted and when the workers have gone home for the night, an enemy could come into a field and plant bad grain in with the good. It is not until harvest time that the two, which look very similar during their growth, can be distinguished one from the other. Therefore, to destroy the tares during growth would risk even more destruction to even the good grain stalks. So the very wise owner instructs that all plants should complete their growth to maturity and then the bad will be removed from the crop, and the good will be taken into the store houses.
This is an interesting parable concerning unbelievers in history and indicates why they are allowed to continue throughout history. But more on that in the explanation, which by the way does not come until after the next two parables. Do you know why the explanation is delayed until after the next two parables?
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