SEEDS
Pt. 6
“The Wheat and the Tares”
Matt 13:24-30 “Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 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?’ 28 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?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 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.”
Now, the disciples particularly wanted to understand the parable of the tares, so Jesus told them privately:
37-39 “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.”
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The tares that Jesus describes in this parable were a noxious, poisonous weed.
It looks almost exactly like wheat in the beginning stages of its growth.
But after it grows into maturity it becomes clear that it is a TARE, and it is bad news for the farmer!
Tares will actually uproot the wheat and ruin the harvest by stealing the water and nutrients meant for the wheat.
Tares are also poisonous to sheep and cattle, causing convulsions and even death.
So one of the worst and most diabolical things a man’s enemy could do was to sow tares into his wheat field!
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Things to note…FIRST:
In most ways the key players in this parable are the same as in the parable of the sower, except that in the parable of the sower the seed is the GOSPEL.
But in the parable of the wheat and tares the seed is PEOPLE–either the CHILDREN OF LIGHT sown by the Lord, or the CHILDREN OF DARKNESS sown by Satan.
So, let’s unpack this.
FIRST, the parable tells us that:
Jesus sows Christians into the world as seed
God sows kingdom people like seed into the field of the world!
His intent is that, once sown, we would “Let our lights so shine before men that they would see our good works and glorify the Father in heaven.”–Matt 5:16
We are, as Jesus said, the SALT of the earth and the LIGHT of the world.–5:13-14
And in this parable we learn that Jesus sows us as kingdom seeds into the world to represent Him.
CATCH THIS!–As any sower sows his seed right where he wants it to go, Jesus’ sowing of his children as seed into the world is not:
random or indiscriminate, but intentional and strategic!
Have you ever stopped to think that wherever you are, God has sown you there!
Have you ever viewed yourself as a kingdom seed sown by God, on purpose, into your current context as His representative?
–Every sower sows his seed with the expectation it will grow and produce fruit in the place he has sown it, and so does the Lord!
Jesus said in John 15, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit…”–vs. 16
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Now, in the same way Jesus sows seed, He said that:
II. Satan is also a sower
Matt 13:39 “The enemy who sows them is the devil…”
He sows tares that Jesus said represent…
the children of darkness,
the ungodly,
the unsaved,
those that walk in the ways of the world,
that just plain have no true heart for the Lord.
They may be nice people,
kind,
fun to be around,
impressive in their accomplishments,
you may have great relational chemistry with them,
you get along well,
enjoy each other’s company,
but at the end of the day they have no desire to follow Christ,
or to honor his name.
So they are influencers, not for Christ, but for worldly ways and an unchristian lifestyle!
–And like seed, Satan sows them!
Where does he sow them?–Right next to the wheat!
“His enemy came and sowed tares AMONG the wheat…”–vs. 13:25
He sows them right alongside the true, born again children of God.
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Jesus points out that one of Satan’s tactics is to sow pretend Christians, false believers into the church to sabotage its mission.
Paul describes them as–“having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof…”–2 Tim 3:5
They act religious, but they reject the power that could make them godly.
LB “They will pretend to be devoted to God, but they will refuse to let that “devotion” change the way they live.”
You will find them sitting side by side with genuine Christians in a pew,
singing the same songs,
listening to the same message.
You’ll find them at the potluck dinners,
Outreaches, and
Prayer meetings
Satan strategically sows tares into key places and positions in hopes of undermining and uprooting what God is doing!
So you’ll find tares behind pulpits flashing a big smile, yet saying things that subtly and not so subtly depart from true Biblical teaching.
You’ll find tares gaining positions of power in denominational politics,
Christian publishing,
on Christian bookshelves,
on Elder boards
Deacon boards
Tares can and do write best-selling ‘christian’ books filled w/false teachings,
compose popular christian songs,
gain national prominence as ‘christian’ leaders,
While all the while it turns out they’re not the real deal.
–The truth always comes out once the tare has grown and the fruit is obvious.
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So here’s a takeaway from this parable:
–When God wants to bless you, he sows a godly person into your life; When Satan wants to destroy you, he sows a tare into your life.
–When God wants to bless you He sows a right person into your life; when Satan wants to destroy you, he sows a wrong person into your life.
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How does the devil get away with this?
Jesus says the tares were sown:
III. While men slept
He said, “While men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat.”–vs 13:25
–When the farmer and all his helpers slept.
–In a vulnerable moment of slumber and lack of alertness.
–THAT is when the enemy made his move!
And it is when we, the church:
are not paying attention,
are spiritually asleep,
not being watchful,
THAT is when the tares are sown among us.
This is why Paul warned, “Awake, you who sleep,”–Eph 5:14
“…see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil],”–vs 15
This is why Peter wrote, “Be clearheaded…be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.”–1 Pet 5:8 AMP
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This does not mean we’re to be official TARE hunters, always looking suspiciously at other church members!
It DOES mean we’re to be “wise as a serpent, but gentle as a dove.”–Matt 10:16
ILLUS: At the fruit stand you check those apples for bruises and worms before buying them!
So before DATING someone ask them about their salvation experience.
Before crowning someone your BEST FRIEND and constant running buddy check out:
their lifestyle,
their values,
their walk with the Lord!
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In closing, Jesus had a warning for the tares, those people playing a religious game but not genuinely walking with Him:
“40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 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, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”–13:41-42
You can fool people but you can’t fool God!
If you’re a tare and you know it–if you know your Christianity is a show and not authentic–your appointment to meet God is approaching faster than you think!
Heaven is real and so is hell.
The fate of unrepentant tares is eternal separation from God in hell.