Tares among wheat

Aesop’s Fables

The ant and the grasshopper

The boy who cried wolf

The fox and the grapes

While Aesop’s fables provide a moral imperative.

In contrast , while some of Jesus’ parables do give moral direction (think of the Good Samaritan), they also inspire us, give us a better understanding of who God is, what is to come, and how we are to understand His Word.

Tares among wheat.

Matthew 13:24–25 NASB95

24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.

Tares - Weeds.

Matthew 13:26 NASB95

26 “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.

Probably Darnel Grass.

Matthew 13:27–30 NASB95

27 “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

The Leaven

Matthew 13:33–35 NASB95

33 He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.” 34 All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

Psalms 78.

Leaven (Piece of dough from the previous batch)

Leaven usually associated with sin, but not always and not in this case.

Purpose:

To fulfil scripture.

To show his disciples, and us, that from just a few disciples, the whole world will hear about Christ. That from your small part in the Kingdom of God, great things can come from it.

Back to the tares and wheat.

Matthew 13:36–39 NASB95

36 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.

Son of Man - sewer

World - field

Sons of the kingdom - good seed.

(Who are the sons of the kingdom?)

Matthew 8 we see Jesus’ encounter with the Centurion with a servant that is paralyzed and tormented.

Jesus said he will come heal him, and the Centurion said he was not worth to have Jesus in his home.

Matthew 8:10–12 NASB95

10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11 “I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

4. Sons of the evil one - Tares.

John 8 - Unbelieving Jews.

Acts 13 Paul calls Elymas (Bar-Jesus) Jewish false prophet.

1 John 3:10 NASB95

10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.

5. The enemy is the Devil.

6. The end of the age - Harvest

the end of human history as we currently understand it.

End Times:

Matthew 13:41–43 NASB95

41 “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.