The Kingdom Parables #7
- These were teachings designed to do two things.
1. Explain the nature of the spiritual kingdom that Jesus came to establish.
· Each week we have studied various characteristics of the kingdom by looking at the parables Jesus used to describe it.
2. Separate the believers from the unbelievers.
· By using parables Jesus could teach publicly to crowds of people but only those who believed in Him could actually understand the meaning of these sayings and how they pertained to themselves.
- In may instances Jesus would give the parable and then when His disciples would press Him, He would provide the meaning only to them.
v We have an example of one such parable in the Wheat and Tares.
I. Parable of Wheat and Tares - Matthew 13: 24 - 30; 36 - 43
- This parable follows the one concerning the sower and the seed where Jesus is using agricultural examples to teach about the kingdom.
- By its proximity to the first parable (Sower and Seed), the parable of the wheat and tares may have been the second parable that Jesus spoke during His ministry.
1. The Parable - verse 24-30
- Read vs. 24-30
Vs.24 - This parable is about the kingdom, not about the world. It takes place and describes events in the kingdom. It is important to remember this.
Vs.25 - Tares or darnel are a weed-like grass that resembles wheat but has a firmer root system.
- The landowner sows good wheat and while the laborers are sleeping the darnel/tares are sown by his enemy.
Vs.26 - The fact that tares had been sown only became evident when both began to grow.
Vs.27 - The workers question the possibility of these being tares among the wheat. How could this be so?
- The owner gives them the reason why this is so.
Vs.28-29 - The workers want to identify and remove the tares but the owner tells them to allow both to grow side by side to full maturity.
· In the case of the tares, their close and strong roots might serve to damage the good plants if they were to be torn out.
· Also they resemble the good crop and so good plants might be uprooted by error.
Vs.30 - The owner instructs the workers to wait until harvest when it will be easier to separate the good from the bad and deal with each accordingly - one for keeping, the other for burning.
2. Explanation Of the Parable - vs.36-43
- Like the parable of the sower and seed, there is a break in the story where Jesus, in this case, gives another parable and reasons why He spoke in parables.
- Read verses 36-43
Vs.36 - Apparently after going out into the boat He taught several parables and then returned from the shore back to His family's home.
- This is when the disciples come asking for an explanation of the parable of the tares and wheat.
· Jesus had spoken another parable about the mustard seed and they did not ask about this one. Perhaps the parable that contained a judgement stirred them to ask for an explanation.
Vs.37-39 - Jesus gives a quick rundown of the characters in the parable and who they represent in real life.
- Jesus Himself is the sower and refers to Himself as the Son of Man.
· This expression is first seen in Daniel 7:13 where Daniel is seeing a vision that represents the end of the world where God gives to this "Son of Man" all dominion and authority and establishes his kingdom forever.
· In Daniel's vision Son of Man refers to the Messiah to come.
· Jesus rarely used the term king or Messiah for Himself because these terms- which were not necessarily accurate (a worldly leader making the Jews a great power again) were heavy with meaning for the Jews
· He uses this Old Testament term for Himself because it did two important things.
1. It was a Scriptural term referring to the Messiah and His work and kingdom.
2. It was not a term that the Jews had ever used or invested any kind of meaning (good or bad) into.
· So He uses Son of Man to refer to Himself in an obscure way as the Messiah and put into context the things He will say about the kingdom and its future.
- He uses a term that means Messiah but hasn't been polluted by worldly ideas.
- The field is the world itself.
· The seed of the kingdom is planted all over the world by Jesus.
- The good seed are the sons of the kingdom.
· Before the seed was God's word, in this parable the seed is what the seed eventually produces - Christians, those who make up the kingdom.
- The tares are the sons of the devil.
· The ones who have believed Satan and follow him (whether they know it or not).
- If you don't follow Jesus, them you do follow Satan whether you're aware of it or not.
- The tares are sown in he kingdom.
- They are the hypocrites who talk like Christians but don't act like Christians.
- They are the spies who are with the people in the kingdom but only because it suits their purpose - money, prestige, comfort.
- They are the backsliders and sinners who have begun to be influenced more by Satan and the world than Christ and His word - but they go through the motions.
- The influence that produces these evil and unbelieving ones is the devil.
· Just as the word has the power to create a Christian and transform him into Christ likeness - Satan and his deceptive ways have the power to transform people into evil and unbelieving individuals as well.
- The harvest is when Jesus returns and the end of the world as we know it takes place.
- The reapers (workers who separate) are angels.
· Paul said that the angels will have a voice at the end of the world and will accompany the Lord - I Thess.4: 16
· Also says they will come in "flaming fire" at the end - II Thess.1: 7
Vs.40-43 - Jesus continues to make the parallel between this parable and the end of the world.
- The separation of the tares and wheat is a mirror of what happens at judgement for those who are in the kingdom, not the judgement for the entire world.
- At the end certainly there will be a judgment between believers and unbelievers.
- Jesus says that there will also be a separation between those who believed and those who said they believed but didn't belong.
- Those who belong in the kingdom will simply remain there; those who aspire to be in the kingdom but who give offense (to the brethren, to the Lord, to the world) and those who practice sin (lawlessness) will be removed and be placed in hell.
- After this separation the righteous will be.
- Glorified - new bodies to enable them to exist in the heavenly realm.
- Exalted - lifted up to be with God forever.
- They will be of light, pure in intention, thought and conduct just like the heavenly father.
v Jesus warns, even His disciples, to pay attention and be careful to abide by the teaching of this parable.
Summary / Invitation
- This parable also gives us significant insight into the kingdom, especially at the end of time. Some of the things we learn:
1. The kingdom is universal.
· God's kingdom is all over the world. Wherever people respond to His gospel there will grow the good wheat of the kingdom.
v Also that there is good soil everywhere, our job is to go plant the seed.
2. There are pretenders in the kingdom.
· People leave the church because there are hypocrites and sinful people who show no repentance.
· There are secret sinners and spies who have no business being here but remain to carry their own agenda.
v This mustn't discourage us, this is not a sign of failure of the kingdom - it's really a sign that Satan is at work.
3. No One Escapes Judgement.
· We think that one job is to find out who belongs in the kingdom and who doesn't.
· Our job is to sow the seed of the kingdom, bear fruit in the kingdom, not rip out those we feel don't belong there.
· Jesus guarantees that at the end, all those who don't belong in the kingdom will be rooted out, judged and punished. Only those who belong will remain.
- Just like the first century disciples, Jesus says to all who hear this parable should pay attention.
- This parable was aimed primarily at those who were in the kingdom but didn't belong there because of their disbelief, their lifestyle or their secret sins.
- In real life tares can't become wheat but in those who sin, those Jews, those who are not living right can repent and be restored into a right relationship with God again.
v If you're one of these people, don't let the Judgement catch you by surprise - come to Jesus now.