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The Parable of the Weeds
Another parable He put forth to them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while the man slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. Matthew 13:24-25: (NKJV)
The seven parables found in Matthew 13 are called Kingdom Parables. They are small stories, easy to be understood, which tell of God's dealings with mankind and believers during the present Church
The first parable, the sower tells believers how to become and remain strong against the tactics of Satan through the Word of God. In the first parable, the sower represents the ministers of God during the Church Age; pastors, teachers, and other ministry offices. The seed are the promises of God.
In this particular story, the Sower is the Lord Jesus (Matthew 13:37). The seed is not the Word, but the Gospel, the plan of salvation. This is a parable about evangelism, not spiritual growth or discipleship. Unlike the first parable, Satan's desire in this one is not to steal the Word from believers, but to stop the Gospel, evangelism in the earth.
The parable takes us through the entire Church Age to the coming of Jesus to rule over the whole earth, the Second Advent. This is the time of the great harvest of the ages. The reapers are the angels who
accompany Jesus at His final return. They will gather all believers together and help destroy religion and all unbelievers (Matthew 13:39-43)
Three points of interest in this parable should strike a warning in every Christian's heart:
1. The enemy sowed tares among the wheat (Matthew 13:25).
Tares look like wheat. Tares are the religious teachings of our day. Don't fall for Satan's devices or let your friends or congregations fall for them. Religion may look and speak like Jesus and sound like the Word, but they are still tares. Satan and his agents appear as angels of light. Jesus said tares are
the children of Satan, not God.
2. Tares were sown while good men slept (Matthew 13:25).
What a warning to all church leaders and children of God. We need to be aware and alert to Satan's devices. We often remark how quickly the world around us is changing, morals are degenerating, and forces are threatening the freedom of the Gospel and spiritual values. We should remain on guard
and ever vigilant on the forefront of prayer, teaching of the Word, and preaching of the Gospel. Don't fall asleep as the disciples did when Jesus needed them most.
3. Jesus told laborers not to pull up the tares (Matthew 13:28- 30).
Our time should be spent winning souls, not trying to stop false religion. This is another warning we need to heed. Teaching of God’s Word should include warning fellow Christians of the power of false teaching, but Jesus Himself will put an end to it when He returns. Our job is to win souls and send forth
laborers into the fields, the whole earth. The great commission includes evangelism, healing, casting out of devils and seeing others filled with the Holy Spirit. It does not include trying to stop false religions. We need to do our job and let Jesus do His.
Relax. We have the easy part! God has already done His part;
the enemy has been defeated and although Satan desires to
stop the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, he cannot!
In his Service,
Bishop James Swinson
1. The enemy sowed tares among the wheat (Matthew 13:25)
