The Wheat and the Tares

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Scriptures: Matthew 13:24-31 (ESV)

24 He put another parable before 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 weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So, the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.

Devotion:

            Yesterday, we looked at the dictionary definition of the kingdom of heaven. Today and for the next several days we will be looking at how Jesus defined the kingdom. Jesus never gives a narrative definition of the kingdom of heaven, but uses his favorite teaching technique the parable to explain what the kingdom means.

            In this parable the kingdom of heaven is compared to a field into which the farmer (God) has sown good seed. The field is in an Edenic state. Yet while the farmer and his workers rest an enemy (the devil) sows weeds among the wheat. Far more than just a general nuisance the type of weed sown was likely darnel. A weed that looks similar to wheat as it grows, but is poisonous to animals and humans. The question is how best to purify the wheat so that the crop will not have to be destroyed.

            The only way to tell wheat from darnel is at harvest time when the grain bearing head is fully ripened, so the farmer orders his workers to leave the plants to grow up together until harvest when the difference between the wheat and weeds will be unmistakable. This way no wheat is lost by mistaken identity.

            The kingdom of heaven is compared to a wheat field where weeds are allowed to grow wild among the wheat until harvest time. So, this world is like that field. Both God’s servants and the enemies servants are allowed grow up together until the end of the age when the angels will separate the wheat from the weeds.

            This explains why God does not want us to attempt to separate the wheat from the tares but leave that decision to his harvesters at the end of the age. It is said in scripture that God makes the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. Here Jesus is reinforcing that teaching. We may judge others by their works, but we are to leave the eternal destination of each person in the hands of the Lord who judges rightly.

Prayer:

            Lord, lift our eyes to the hills from where your saving help comes. We live in a world of wheat and weeds, and it is tempting for us to try to do the weeding ourselves. Teach us patience so that we will let you have charge over the judging of eternal state of each stalk in your fields, Only you are the infallible judge over our souls. 

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