In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, Jesus delivered a stunning illustration to his followers of how the members of his kingdom would be different than the rest of the world.
The Kingdom of Heaven may be compared
to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while people were sleeping, his
enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. When the plants sprouted and
produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. The landowners servants came to
him and said,
‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in
your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
‘An enemy did this,’ he told them.
‘So, do you want us to go and pull
them up?’ the servants asked him.
‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the
weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until
the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and
tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.’
These
weren’t just any garden variety weeds (tares), they were zizanion, bearded darnel, an invasive species of poisonous rye
grass that is toxic to humans and animals. Its appearance is so similar to
wheat that it is sometimes referred to as “false wheat.” But its deceptive debut
disguises an ugly reality. The grain of this plant contains a soporific poison
which reduces awareness and dulls the senses while inducing sleep and causing death.
It would have been more accurate to call this the parable of the wheat and the
poisonous darnel.
Wheat
was a major source of life-giving food in the ancient near East. It provided
grains that could be roasted and eaten, used to feed livestock or ground into
flour for bread. The Jewish people celebrated the festival of Pentecost which
is also called the festival of In-Gathering because it came at the end of the
Wheat Harvest, similar to the way we observe Thanksgiving.
Eating
wheat or bread laced with poison darnel seeds could have been similar to overdosing
on opiates or narcotics. A person might have unknowingly ingested the poison
with their evening meal and then become incoherent, falling into a coma before dying
in their sleep.
While
we call this the parable of the wheat and the tares, the disciples called it
the parable of the weeds (poison darnel) in the field. After the crowd
dispersed, they asked Jesus to explain the symbolism in the story. He replied:
The one who sows the good seed is the
Son of Man. The field is the world and the good seed—these are the children of
the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one and the enemy who sowed
them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age and the harvesters are
angels. Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it
will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels and they
will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin and those guilty of lawlessness.
They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Father’s
kingdom. Let anyone who has ears listen.
1. The Son of Man
Jesus
is the Son of Man. This title reminds us that while he is fully God, he is also
fully human. He is the rightful King of heaven and earth. During his time on earth, he taught that his kingdom was not of this world. Until he returns, Christ's kingdom is a spiritual kingdom consisting of his followers. One day he will come back to exercise authority over all things.
2. The Enemy
The
devil is the enemy of God and the enemy of our souls. Ephesians 2:2 refers to
Satan as the spirit at work in the sons
of disobedience. 1 Peter 5:8 warns:
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
3. The Good Wheat
The
good wheat represents the children of God. As it grows, wheatgrass has a
wonderful chlorophyll content and is full of life. This liquid sunshine has
regenerative properties. This reminds me of the way that Christians have the
light of Christ on the inside and even as we are maturing, we should be a life-giving
force in our world.
Unfortunately,
poisonous rye grass looks almost identical to wheat until it sprouts seed.
Wheat is heavier than Darnel which causes the heads of the wheat to bow down,
whereas darnel remains standing upright. This paints a marvelous picture of the
way that God’s people are those who have humbled themselves and bow down to
him. In the same way that the wheat yields to the weight of the grain and bows
down, we yield to God’s will and worship him. We are the members of the kingdom
of heaven.
The
beginning of the grain harvest in Israel was marked by the festival of first fruits.
It is difficult to tell the difference between the wheat and the poisonous rye
grass until they develop grain. In the same way, Jesus taught that we could
tell who is good and evil by the fruit produced in their lives. God’s children
will produce good fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness,
gentleness and self control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
4. The Poison Darnel
The
poisonous darnel represents the children of the devil. They are part of his
dominion. In the same way that the darnel does not bow, the children of the
devil are those who refuse to bow down and worship God. They have not accepted
Jesus as their Savior. All adults who are not in Christ are, by default, children
of Satan. Jesus described those who refuse to accept his message in this way:
You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out
your father’s desires. (John 8:44)
The
childhood song lyrics Greater is he that
is in me than he that is in the world based on the words of 1 John 4:4
correctly describe the difference between God’s children and the enemies’
children. They produce poisoned fruit such as jealousy, fits of anger, selfish
ambitions, sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, heresies,
envy, murder, drunkenness and revelries. (Galatians 5:19-21)
In
order to rescue people from the devil, 1 Timothy 2:24 provides these gracious instructions:
The Lord’s servant must not quarrel,
but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient, instructing his
opponents with gentleness. Perhaps God will grant them repentance leading them
to the knowledge of the truth. Then they may come to their senses and escape
the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.
It
is important not to take the metaphor of the poisoned tares too far. Unlike a
weed which can only ever be a weed, no person is a lost cause or beyond the
saving, changing power of Christ. The point of the parable is that we cannot
simply look at a person and know their future or if they will bow down to Jesus
and be saved.
4. The Harvest
The
harvest is about the end of the world as we know it. Angels will be sent out to
reap the harvest and destroy the poisonous weeds. While the wheat harvest was
cause for celebration in Israel, it also signaled the destruction of the toxic
rye grass. Wheat and Tares were both either pulled up or harvested with a
sickle in the Ancient Near East. The 14th chapter of Revelation
describes God’s angels as the reapers, wielding their sickles and harvesting
the earth. It describes God giving an angel power over fire.
In
the same way that bundles of poisonous darnel were gathered up and thrown into
the fire to be consumed, the devil’s children will be gathered up and thrown
into the Lake of Fire. The Israelites couldn’t allow any harmful seeds from the
toxiferous tares to remain because these lightweight grains could be blown away
by the wind and sprout up all over the wheat fields the next year. The dangerous
soporific seeds had to be totally destroyed. In the same way, God cannot allow
evildoers to exist, they will perish in the flames of judgement at the end of
the age. All who cause sin and practice lawlessness, all who harm others and do
evil will meet an ugly and definitive end along with the devil. There is coming
a day when all sin and evil along with the pain and suffering they cause will
end.
In
the same way that amber waves of golden brown wheat were harvested and brought
into the storehouse, God will send angels to collect his people and bring them
into his house. Those who have bowed their heads and placed their faith, hope
and trust in Jesus will enjoy eternal life as part of God’s family.
Conclusion
The
last line of explanation provided for this parable is the stinger. Jesus
declared:
Let anyone who has ears listen.
Other
translations ready Let anyone who has
ears to hear, hear. People who have rejected God grow spiritually deaf.
Jesus had to offer explanation of his parables because people did not readily
understand. This potent declaration is meant to empower people through the
working of the Holy Spirit to understand and respond to the message. I pray
that if you are not a follower of Christ this teaching will not fall upon
spiritually deaf ears, but that you will listen, understand the teaching and
take it to heart.
Study Materials
Enhanced Strong's Lexicon
Illustrated Dictionary of Bible Life and Times
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Harmony of the Gospels, HCSB, Cox & Easley
Various online botanical resources
Christian Standard Bible
ESV Bible
KJV Bible
Logos Bible Software
John F. Walvoord's Commentary on Matthew
Biblehub.com
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