The Wheat & the Tares
As we’ve examined Jesus’ parables, we’ve dug deep to understand the earthly and spiritual meanings. Hopefully, you’ve also worked to live out what you’ve learned. Like our theme verse says—
Matthew 11:15 | Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
The truth is, some people don’t have “ears to hear.” They sat under Jesus’ teaching, long ago or sit under it in churches today, and they don’t listen or understand. Our next parable explains how this is possible.
Matthew 13:24-25 | Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.
Poor guy — how frustrating! The farmer has planted good seeds so that wheat will grow, but now it is mixed with weeds because of his enemy. The wheat and the weeds grow and there’s a pretty big problem: these weeds are tares, which look just like wheat.
The farmer’s workers ask if they should pull out the weeds, but check out the farmer’s answer—
Matthew 13:29-30 | “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”
The farmer knows that it will be challenging to tell the tares and the wheat apart until the harvest. Once the crop is revealed as wheat or weed, it can be sorted and the weeds will be burned up.
Later in chapter 13, Jesus’ disciples ask him to explain the parable of the wheat and the weeds or tares.
Jesus explains that He is the farmer who plants good seeds (vs. 37). The field is the world and the good seeds are his followers (vs. 38). The enemy who plants the weeds among the wheat is satan (vs. 39) and the weeds are imposters- people who do not belong to Jesus (vs. 38).
Still today, there are weeds among the wheat or imposters among God’s people. Sometimes, it is impossible to tell the two apart — the weeds come to church, know all the words to worship songs, can tell every Bible story, and are often good people. But Jesus is not their Lord. Often, they are deceived, thinking they are “good” in God’s sight, though they’ve never been justified through faith. The enemy plants them among wheat to cause divisions among God’s people, to lead others astray, and to provide a hypocritical example of a “Christian” so that non-believers will develop hard hearts that reject the Truth. But one day, the time of harvest will arrive and the weeds will be revealed.
Jesus explains-
Matthew 13:40-42 | Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
Jesus ends this parable with a familiar warning - to hear and understand. Friend, is He talking to you? Are you truly wheat? Wheat has Jesus as Lord of their life— He is King on the throne of their heart. Like we saw last week, they no longer live for themselves, but live for Him instead (2nd Corinthians 5:14-15).
Or are you a tare - a weed disguised as wheat? You go through the motions of “wheat” on the outside, but you’re not truly a surrendered follower on the inside. Be warned— one day, that will be revealed and the consequence of spiritual death - separation from God for eternity— will accompany it.
If you are the wheat, remember, God has chosen not remove the wheat from the weeds. Shine brightly as a follower of Jesus. Don’t blend in or be deceived by weeds. Reflect the righteousness of the Son as a light and a witness to the weeds (imposters) and the lost.
The weeds and the wheat in Jesus’ parable both look the same. How is this true of Jesus followers and pretenders?
What is the difference between a person who does the outward actions of a follower of Jesus and a person who has made Him Lord?
Which type of person describes you—Follower or Pretender?
Do you ever worry that when the “harvest” happens (through Jesus’ return or the end of your time on Earth), you won’t be in Heaven? Why or why not?