We Must Mature
Understanding this parable is vital for the walk of today’s believer today. As with all parables, God does not leave us wanting for the meaning.
Matthew 13:36-37
36Then Yeshua sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
The seed is sown by the Son of Man. Where did the seed come from in the Parable of the Sower? It was the word of God, the written word. The seed in the Parable of the Sower and the Parable of the Tares is the same seed.
Matthew 13:38
38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
If properly nurtured, the good seed will eventually grow up to be mature believers. The tares are from the wicked one. Yeshua tells us who the wicked one is in Matthew 13:39A.
39AThe enemy that sowed them is the devil;
This should make sense, Paul stated in Acts 20:28-31:
28Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 29For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Paul was declaring the beginning of the fulfillment of the Parable of the Tares. The people Paul is referring to creep in right under their noses, because they did paying attention. They were asleep, they were not vigilant to heed the warnings. It is no different today. Believers today are not aware of those that have been planted into the churches.
Matthew 13:39B
39Bthe harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
World comes from the Greek word aion {ahee-ohn’}. Although translated world, 38 of its 128 times. It actually refers to an unbroken age, indefinitely long duration of time or just a period of time. The harvest spoken of in the Parable of the Tares is at the end of the church age. As for the tares, their fate is in Matthew 13:40-42.
40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
This is not necessarily the Lake of Fire. This marks a separation of the two prior to the millennium. The wheat are described in Matthew 13:43.
43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
This parable has quite a few important lessons for those that heed the word. Initially, the tares and the wheat cannot be distinguished from each other. There is a real possibility that if the wheat never grows up, one may never be able to distinguish the wheat from the tares.
This is why there seems to be so many Christians that seem like the world. There are tares in every assembly. These tares, false believers, have swayed many to a lifestyle that not much different from the world. Just like the tares, the false believers are poisonous and can cause sleepiness, nausea, convulsions, even death. Allowing false believers in one’s life can cause the same symptoms. It robs the believer of all that God has for them. God has His people in all denominations; however, the enemy has succeeded in spreading his people in those assemblies too. If one does not grow in the word, than it is hard to distinguish the professing from the possessing believer. Too often tares are mistaken for believers and the tares do not have the Spirit of God. One must be careful who they listen to, because there are tares all around. Even worse than that 2 Corinthians 11:13-15:
13For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Messiah. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Some of the tares have succeeded in leading churches. There are actually tares in the pulpits and may even be leading an entire denomination. Or might be some other well-known Christian personality that sells books or does seminars across the globe. Do not kid yourself, they are out there and it is not always obvious unless one is mature in the word. It could even be the one sitting next to you at church.
The Parable of the Tares is a warning if we do not mature, we can be victims of the tares of the evil one.
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