Christ related the parable of the wheat and tares immediately following the parable of the sower: …‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but … his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and …. when the grain had sprouted… the tares also appeared. So the servants …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” (Matthew 13:24-30).
Jesus explained the parable as follows: “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… all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire… Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father…” (Matthew 13:37-43).
Many feel the specific tare, or weed, referred to in this parable is the darnel, a poisonous weed very similar in appearance to wheat. When growing next to a stalk of wheat, darnel can only be distinguished from the wheat at harvest time, when the wheat comes into ear or sprouts its fruit. That is why God tells His servants to let the wheat and tares both grow to harvest when the difference will become apparent, because it is possible to harm and even destroy the good in any effort to weed out the tares.
God’s field is defined here as the entire world. He is guiding history and mankind to an end that will fulfill His purpose, and tells us there is a coming time of judgment that will deal with lawlessness and unrighteousness. The key is that it is God’s judgment, not man’s. God judges in perfect righteousness and in His time. “The Lord knows who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19). That is why He tells His servants to let the tares and the wheat grow to harvest when the difference will become apparent. At the end of the age and the coming of Jesus Christ God will make the distinction as only He can.
The modern world doesn’t like to hear a word like judgment. Judgment implies that there are standards, laws and absolutes—both morally and ethically, but because it is God’s judgment, and not man’s, the wonderful and comforting truth is God judges in perfect righteousness and in His time.
The lesson to be learned from this parable is that we should be patient, treating people with kindness, fairness and gentleness. Only God knows the heart. This parable reminds all of us who profess Christianity to examine ourselves to make sure we are in the true faith, following the teaching of Christ, building on a right foundation, and avoiding prematurely judging others.
