Parable of corruption in the world 

and among the [kingdom community/church].

Another parable He [Jesus] put forth to them, saying: 

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So, the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

This parable describes the work of an enemy who tried to destroy the work of the man who sowed good seed in his field. The enemy’s purpose in sowing tares among the wheat was to destroy the wheat. But the wise farmer would not allow the enemy to succeed. Instead, the farmer decided to sort it out at harvest time.

This parable describes corruption in the world and also among the people of God. The wheat represents the people of God and the weeds or tares are those individuals that may look like genuine believers that may resemble real wheat. The weeds are virtually indistinguishable from real wheat.

In the interest of preserving and protecting the wheat, the wise farmer did not separate the tares from the wheat until the time of harvest, at the end of the age.

In the context of increasing opposition to His work, Jesus announced through his teachings that His kingdom community would be threatened by both corruption and impurity.

His [Jesus] teaching in parables was a fulfillment of prophecy.

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world.”

Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore, as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

In His explanation, Jesus made it clear what the different figures in the parable represent.

· The field represents the world.

· The good seeds represent God’s true people, the sons of the kingdom.

· The weeds or tares represent false believers in the world, the sons of the wicked one, who (like tares among wheat) may superficially look like God’s true people.

The parable of the weeds or tares changes the figures slightly from the parable of the soils (Matthew 13:3-9; 13:18-23). In the parable of the soils, the seed represented the Word of God; here it represents true believers.

Whereas the parable of the soils shows how people receive and respond to the Word of God, the parable of the weeds or tares of the field shows how God will divide His true people from false believers at the end of the age.

Jesus announced God’s kingdom, and this would lead many of his hearers to expect a disastrous disruption of society, an immediate and absolute division between the ‘sons of light’ and the ‘sons of darkness’…It was to this that the parable was primarily directed.

Both in the world and in the kingdom community [which is the church]. Ultimately it is not the job of the church to ‘weed’ out those who appear to be true believers but actually are not; that is God’s job at the end of this age.

Clearly, the enemy plants counterfeits in the world and in the kingdom community [the church].

We often don’t consider that the angels of God [his messengers] have a special role in the judgment of the world. Yet they do, and are worthy of respect because of that role.

The parable casts special scorn upon the great evil angel. He sows the weeds or tares, and tries to destroy the harvest, but the good angels will be brought in to celebrate his defeat, and to rejoice together with their Lord in the success of the harvest.

Jesus used this parable to clearly illustrate the truth that there are two different paths and eternal destinies. The fate of these ungodly ones will be fire, which is the most terrible of punishments; but this will not annihilate them; for they shall exhibit the surest tokens of a living woe – “wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

The wheat comes into God’s barn from all over the world, from all ranks of society, from all ages of God’s church. The one thing they have in common is that they were sown of the Lord, and from the good seed of His Word. Amen.