Parables About the Kingdom of Heaven

Last week we read the first parable in a long discourse of parables that Jesus tells in response to the hardened hearts of the Jewish leaders to His ministry. We will continue reading.

In Matthew 13 Jesus tells 8 parables including the parable of the sower. The other six parables are:

The Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

The Parable of the Leaven

The Parable of the Treasure Hidden in a Field

The Parable of the Pearl of Great Price

The Parable of the Dragnet

The Parable of the Householder

Tuday, let’s look at the parable of the weeds (tares) amongst the wheat.

Matthew 13:24–30 KJV 1900

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which 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 blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

The Events of the Parable

As we explored already, Jesus gives this collection of parables on the tail end of an incredibly busy Sabbath day. Throughout the day, Jesus’s every move is dogged by the criticism of the scribes and Pharisees. You can read about them in detail in Matthew 12. We are going to focus on one event in particular:

Matthew 12:22–23 KJV 1900

Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

A man is brought to Jesus to be cured of a devil. When Jesus does so, the people begin to connect the dots. They begin to believe that He is in fact the Messiah, the Son of David, who they had been waiting for. Of course, this simply could not stand as far as the Pharisees were concerned. If Jesus gained popularity and influence, then they would lose it, and far as they were concerned, this man was breaking all the rules therefore he had to be a false prophet. Right away they went into damage control mode.

Matthew 12:24 KJV 1900

But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

They attributed the authority that Jesus displayed not to the working of God, but by the power of Satan. Beelzebub (“Lord of the Flies”) was the name of a Caananite deity in the Old Testament. He is called the prince of devils. Rather than praising God for the work He is doing, they attribute the work to the power of Satan in order to discredit Jesus.

Of course Jesus does respond to this criticism.

Matthew 12:25–27 KJV 1900

And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

It would be a poor strategy to attack your own. Yet here is exactly what the Pharisees were doing to Jesus.

The Elements of the Parable

The Land owner sowed Wheat

In the parable Jesus simply says that a man sowed “good” seed, meaning he sowed desirable seed. He sowed grain that was suitable for consumption. It was valuable. It would sustain his family and his community. He did not set out to cultivate a field full of weeds, he set out to cultivate a field full of wheat.

The Enemy sowed Tares

As the man rests from his hard labors, his enemy comes under the cover of darkness to sabotage the wheat field. He plant in with the wheat what the Bible calls “tares.” Likely what Jesus is referring to is a plant with the modern name of darnel, or “false wheat”. Darnel is a “mimic” weed that has developed over centuries along side wheat. It is not as much a problem today, with modern harvesting and sorting methods, but in Jesus day it would have been a big issue. Darnel grows up along side wheat. When it is harvested its seeds are mingled in with the wheat grain to be stored and planted in the next season.

The darnel sowed among the wheat would devastate this mans crops. It was not only valueless as a food source, it was actually toxic. When people eat it, they get dizzy, and nauseous, and in large doses it can even be fatal. The official name is lolium temulentum, it originates from a Latin word for “drunk.”

“If it is so bad, why don’t thy just remove the darnel once it comes up?” you may wonder.

The Tares were not Immediately Recognizable

Darnel as a grass is almost indistinguishable from wheat. As Jesus points out in the parable, “But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.” Darnel is nearly indistinquishable from wheat until the ear appears. The wheat will grow brown with brown seeds at harvest while the darnel seeds are darker almost black.

What were they to do? Should they pull up the weed before the crops were mingled?

The Master would Sort it all out at Harvest Time

Matthew 13:28–30 KJV 1900

He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

The two plants would be left alone until harvest time came and they were truly distinguishable, then the reapers would go through and sort out the tares, destined for destruction, from the wheat.

The Explanation of the Parable

After Jesus is done teaching the crowds his disciples pull him aside. For an explanation of the parable.

Matthew 13:36–43 KJV 1900

Then Jesus 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. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The 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; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Now it comes back full circle. Earlier that day, the Pharisees had accused Jesus of casting out devils by the power of the prince of devils, but now in his parable Jesus sets the record straight.

The pharisees were like the tares that were sown. They were children of the wicked one. They were more intent on barring the kingdom of heaven from others, than they were actually securing it for themselves.

They were religious, they seemed to have all the answers. They seemed to be following God, yet they did not recognize Him standing right in front of them.

Later, Jesus spells it out to them directly.

John 8:44–47 KJV 1900

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not. Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me? He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Let me draw out a couple of conclusions.

It has been said that every person on earth is in one of two categories. They are either saved (a child of the kingdom) or lost (a child of the wicked one). How you apply the parable depends on which group you are in.

Applciation #1: An application of Judgement

The children of God will do what they see in their father, the children of the wicked one will do the same. Just as in Jesus days, there were tares among the wheat so also is it in our day. The church is full of religious people, but given the statistics I don’t believe that it is full of saved people. There are fakes, there are phonies, there are Christian pretenders. Which are you? How can you tell the difference? The difference is seen in the fruit.

1 John 3:7–10 KJV 1900

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

The Tares are made evident by their fruit

Those who are born of God no longer make a practice of sinning

Quick disclaimer, John is not teaching that anyone who comes to Christ practices sinless perfection. In fact earlier in the same epistle He says,

1 John 1:8–10 KJV 1900

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

What John is teaching us in chapter three is that those who belong to Jesus do not continue to habitually practice sin. We cannot keep on sinning the way that we used to. The same sinful pleasures that we enjoyed before we met Jesus no longer attract us after we have met Jesus. We are convicted, we are grieved with Godly sorrow.

Those who are born of God love their brother

You cannot have the love of Jesus in you and not love those who Jesus loves. I am often very hesitant to bring into question anyone’s salvation. I don’t want to be guilty of becoming a stumbling block to anyone’s faith, but in this one area I will do so. If you don’t love your brother, then God’s word in no uncertain terms tells us you are not one of His.

1 John 3:14–16 KJV 1900

We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

We may have disagreements. We may have conflicts from time to time, but if you can go for years and despise other Christian’s without the Holy Spirit convicting you, that is an indication that you are not truly one of His.

The Tares are determined for destruction

The fate of the tares on the final day has been determined, and will be at that time inescapable. Yet it is not too late.

John 3:16 KJV 1900

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Do you know who Jesus said those words to? It is probably the most famous verse in the entire Bible, and it was said to a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Though some Pharisees rejected Jesus, at least one was willing to hear Him out and give Him a fair try. Are you a tare amongst the wheat? Repent now, before it is too late! Jesus died to save you.

Application #2: An Application of Hope

Though the tares be destined for destruction, by contrast, the wheat is set to be redeemed. This parable that Jesus gives is hard to swallow in some ways. It reminds us that God will judge the world and find many guilty. Yet that is not the case for all. Some He will find, JUSTIFIED. Not by our worthiness, but by His. He died for us. He rose for us. He called us to himself. All we did was respond. This parable that condemns the world gives us hope beyond this world.

Hope in the end of Evil

The fact that Jesus will judge the wicked at the end of this world gives us a hopeful expectation that all the evil that we see today will not last forever. There is coming a day when God will put an end to murder, theft, human trafficking, abuse, hatred, corruption, etc. All of it will end. We just need to endure a little longer.

Hope in the present for others to be saved

When Jesus is done speaking to His disciples, He says.

Matthew 13:51 KJV 1900

Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord.

He then gives them one more parable.

Matthew 13:52 KJV 1900

Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

They were the scribes who were trained for the kingdom of heaven, they would have the task of taking the truth of the Old Testament law and holding them together with the fulfillment of the New Testament gospel. They would be like a man who brings you into his home and shows you all of his treasures. Some of them are priceless antiques, some are shiny and new, both are wonderful. We get to be that man. We get to be ambassadors for the kingdom. We get to share with the world the treasures that we have in God’s word. Some will reject, but some will be saved.

He laid down His life on the cross for you. He was buried for you. He rose again to give you new life. The only thing left for you to do is to turn to him in faith, and if you have done so, then we must be busy telling others. Take courage, evil will not last forever, but neither will this current opportunity, before the harvest is due.