Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

We are in the 3rd Major Teaching Discourse of Jesus…

Which is Devoted to the Parables of Jesus

Parables are for the Purpose of Revealing and Concealing…

The Secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven/the Messianic Age

Revealing to Faithful Disciples

Concealing From Those Who Reject Jesus as Messiah

The First Secret Revealed was Why So Many People Reject the Messiah

Some Don’t Want to Believe in or Submit to Him

Some Don’t Want to Suffer for Him

Some are More Concerned with Money, Possessions, and Pleasures

But Some are Good Hearted People Who Accept Him and Submit to Him

Now Jesus is Going to Tell a 2nd Parable

This Parable is Going to Reveal and Conceal a Very Important Secret About the Kingdom

A Secret that No One in Israelite History Saw Coming

The Secrets this Parable Reveals Will Answer 2 Important Questions:

1.) If the Messiah has Come, Why is There Still Evil in the World?

2.) Since Evil Still Exists in the Messianic Age, is There Any Hope of Justice?

The Jewish People had Read Prophecies Their Entire Lives Like:

Isaiah 9:6–7 (NAS)

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

This, Along with Many Other Prophecies…

Seemed to Suggest that the Messiah Would Come and Immediately Establish Justice and Peace

He Would Rid the World of Evil and Establish Eternal Bliss

But Now Jesus is Here and He Claims to Be the Messiah…

But There’s Still No Peace, No Justice, and No Righteousness

If Jesus Truly is the Messiah, Where is the Justice?

The Answer to Those Questions is the Secret this Parable Reveals

This Parable is Commonly Known as the Parable of the Tares

Some Have Called it “A Tare-ible Parable”

But Others Say it’s “Tare-ific”

Matthew 13:24 (NASB95)

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

“The Kingdom of Heaven May Be Compared to…” Could Be Paraphrased Like:

“This is What it is Like When God Reigns.”

What is it Like When God Reigns?

This Story is the Answer

It Begins with a Man Sowing Good Seed in His Field

Matthew 13:25 (NASB95)

“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.

The Land-Owner Sowed Good Wheat Seed in His Field

But His Enemy Sowed Tares/Weeds/Darnel in the Land-Owner’s Field

This was Illegal Under Roman Law

It was Apparently Common for Rival Farmers to Sabotage Each Other’s Harvest

Darnel is a Weed that Can Sometimes Be Poisonous

It Looks Nearly Identical to Wheat Until it Matures

That Makes Sense of What We Read Next

Matthew 13:26–28a (NASB95)

“But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 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?’ And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’

The Landowner and His Slaves had No Idea that Tares Were in the Field

Finally When the Ear of Grain Began to Show, They Realized

So the Slaves Ask the Landowner Why the Tares Were in His Field

“If You Planted Nothing But Good Seed in Your Field…”

“Where Did the Bad Seed Come From?”

There was Only One Logical Answer:

It Wasn’t the Land-Owner Who Sowed Bad Seed in His Field

It was the Enemy

Matthew 13:28b–30 (NASB95)

The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘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.” ’ ”

So the Workers Offered to Get Rid of the Tares

But He Tells Them “No”

By this Point, the Root Systems of the Wheat and Tares are Intertwined Together

When They Would Pull Up the Tares, They Would Pull Up the Wheat as Well

Instead, He Tells Them to Allow the Good and the Bad to Grow Together Until the Harvest

Then the Good will Be Separated From the Bad

The Good Will Be Stored in the Barn and the Bad Will Be Burned

Now We’re Going to Skip the Next 2 Parables…

Because Jesus is Going to Explain the Parable of the Tares

Matthew 13:36–39 (NASB95)

Then He (Jesus) 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.”

And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 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; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.

Like with the Parable of the Sower…

The Disciples Need a Little Extra Help Understanding What this Parable Means

Jesus First Explains What All the Key Characters of the Story Represent:

The Landowner = Jesus

The Field = The World/Creation

The Good Seed = The Citizens of Jesus’ Kingdom/People Who Belong to Jesus

The Tares = Citizens of the Devil’s Kingdom/People Who Belong to the Devil

The Enemy = The Devil

The Harvest = The End of the Age

The Reapers = The Angels

Let’s Apply this Information to the Story:

Jesus Planted His Good Seed into His World, Producing Citizens of His Kingdom

But the Devil Also Planted Bad Seed into Jesus’ World, Producing Citizens of His Kingdom

Instead of Immediately Ripping Up and Destroying the Citizens of the Devil’s Kingdom…

Jesus is Patient and Allows Both the Good and Bad to Live Together in the World

This is to Ensure that He Doesn’t Destroy Any of the Good with the Bad

Jesus, Himself, Will Explain the Final Part of the Story

Matthew 13:40–43 (NASB95)

“So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 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, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

At the End of the Age, All Those Who Sin and Cause Others to Sin…

Will Be Gathered Out of His Kingdom

This is Not a Reference to the Church (Kingdom and Church are Not the Same Thing)

The Church are the Sons of the Kingdom

They Belong to the Kingdom

They Aren’t the Kingdom Itself

This Parable Isn’t About Jesus Gathering the Evil Ones Out of His Church

It’s About Jesus Gathering the Evil Ones Out of His World

Jesus’ Kingdom is Everything Under His Authority (All Things in Heaven and Earth)

He’s Going to Gather Out of His Domain Everything that Doesn’t Belong There

Everything He Didn’t Plant Will Be Thrown into the Furnace of Hell

But When Describing the Fate of the Citizens of the Kingdom…

Jesus Says “the Righteous Will Shine Forth as the Sun”

This is a Reference From Daniel 12:1-3

This Passage is Referring to the End of Time When God’s People Will Be Rescued

At the End of the Age, God is Going to Rescue His People

He Will Do this Through Awakening Them From Their Sleep in the Dust

God is Going to Resurrect the Righteous and Give Them Glorified Bodies…

And They Will Be Glorified with Him Forever

Application

This Parable is a Fascinating One

And it Vividly Reveals the Answer to These 2 Questions:

1.) If the Messiah has Come, Why is There Still Evil in the World?

2.) Since Evil Still Exists in the Messianic Age, is There Any Hope of Justice?

The Jewish People Expected the Messiah to Immediately Eradicate Evil and Establish Justice

But Jesus Revealed to His Disciples that Isn’t the Case

That’s the Secret this Parable Reveals and Conceals About the Messianic Age

Evil Will Not Be Destroyed Immediately

Justice Will Not Be Established Immediately

If the Landowner Immediately Destroyed All of the Weeds…

There Would Be So Much Wheat that Would Also Be Destroyed

If Jesus Immediately Destroyed All Evil…

There Would Be So Many People Destroyed Who One Day Would’ve Became Citizens of His Kingdom

The Harvest is Coming, Which Means Justice is On its Way for God’s People

But Not Yet

There is Hope for the Citizens of Jesus’ Kingdom

But We Must Be Patient

Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering in His World?

Because He is Gracious

He Wants All People to Have Opportunity to Repent

There’s No Doubt About it…

Our Hope is for All Evil, Oppression, Corruption, and Injustice to Be Stopped

Our Hope is for Peace, Justice, and Righteousness to Prevail

But if We Want to Be More Like Jesus…

We Have to Desire What He Desires

He Doesn’t Want Anyone, No Matter How Wicked, to Be Destroyed

He Wants All People to Repent and Place Their Faith in Him

That has to Be Our Desire as Well

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Taught Us to Be Perfect/Complete/Mature…

Like Our Father is Perfect/Complete/Mature

How?

By Loving Our Enemies

While Living in the Messianic Age, Jesus Wants Us to Endure the Evil

And Love, Pray for, and Do Good to Those Who Practice it

Only Then Can We Be Like Him and Bring Glory to His Name

We Also Need to Remember: Jesus is Not the Source of Evil

He is the Source of All Good in the World

The Devil had No Right to Bring Evil into Jesus’ World

Jesus Has Already Defeated the Devil and the Evil He Produced

And One Day, He is Going to Return to Finally and Utterly Finish the Job

But Until Then, We Must Endure in this Age of Evil and Suffering…

And Remember that Justice is Coming

Peter Later Wrote in Plain Language What this Parable Illustrates:

2 Peter 3:9–13 (NASB95)

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!

But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Jesus, Why Do You Allow Evil to Continue?

Why are You Taking So Long to Return?

Why Haven’t You Established Justice, Peace, and Righteousness in Your World?

It’s Because He’s Being Patient So All Can Have Opportunity to Repent

He’s Going to Return and Bring Fiery Judgement Upon the Wicked

And He’s Going to Provide for Us a Home Where There’s Nothing But Peace and Justice

He’s Going to Give Us New Heavens and a New Earth Where Righteousness Lives