First, Jesus describes the different responses a person can have toward knowledge of the kingdom of heaven and their consequences. The Lord then told a parable about a farmer whose field had been sown with both wheat and weeds.
Matthew 13:24–30 MSG PARABLE OF TARES (WEEDS): The central message of this parable is that the consummated kingdom of God will be different from the present kingdom (reign) in that the consummated kingdom will be in a perfected environment of only sons of the kingdom. Currently, sons of the kingdom and sons of the Evil One live together in human society.
This means that on Earth, good and bad people will grow and live together. The Kingdom of God will be present amongst the evil of the world. At the end of time people will be separated into their eternal destiny.
24-26 He told another story. “God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.
27 “The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn’t it? Where did these thistles come from?’
28 “He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.’
“The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?’
29-30 “He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.’”
13:25 Tares were very common in Palestine and closely resemble wheat; they are not really distinguishable from wheat until the grain appears at harvest time.
13:30 The question of separation or relative purity in conduct or doctrine among the disciples and the church is answered by Jesus’ directive. This is not to be done by the disciples nor by the church—but will ultimately be done by God’s angels (vv. 39, 41). Premature separation in the present age is out of the question and becomes more destructive than it is purifying.
Matthew 13:47-50 MSG - PARABLE OF THE DRAGNET: “Or, God’s kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That’s how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won’t do any good.”
The parable of the dragnet, like the parable of the tares (vv. 24–30), deals with saints (the good) and sinners (the bad) in a mixed society. Its uniqueness is that it alludes to the church’s responsibility to cast the gospel message before all of society, realizing it will attract all types of people, some of whom will be found unredeemed by the angels at the end of the age.
What are the two meanings of the parable of the three servants?
The first two servants are able to see God in a positive perception, as understanding, generous, and kind, while the third servant sees God as harsh, demanding, and critical. Finley suggests these interpretations among the teachings for Christians: The nobleman (Lk 19:12), or the man (Matthew 25:14) is Christ.
Who are the tares in Matthew 13?
In Matthew 13, Jesus taught the parable of the wheat and the tares. Tares are weeds that resemble wheat. In the parable, a wheat field had deliberately been polluted by an enemy who sowed the seeds of the weeds intermixed with the wheat. Only after the plants were partly grown did the problem become apparent.
What does it mean to separate the wheat from the tares?
The tares bound and burned are the evil ones separated out and cast into fire (punishment) at the Judgment. The wheat gathered into the barn represents the righteous who are separated out and made to “shine forth” in the kingdom of the Father.
What do the parables in Matthew 13 mean?
The man represents God and the seed is His message. Just as a planted seed starts to grow, the word of God starts to deepen and grow within a person. Some seed fell on the path and the birds ate it. The birds represent Satan. The seed on the path represents people who hear the message, but it is immediately lost.
What is the main message of the parable?
The Parable of the Wheat & Weeds teaches us that God does have a plan for this world and He is working to accomplish it. However, it is unfolding over time and that means there's some waiting to do, something we find difficult. Jesus is teaching us patience – the patience of a God who chooses to delay His judgment.
The central message of this parable is to be ready for Christ's return. Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour when the end will come, only the Father in Heaven knows. Jesus is instructing His disciples to be vigilant in their walk with the Lord and be ready at all times for Christ's second coming.
Prayer: Merciful God, you plant each of us like seeds in the same field and together we are nourished and nurtured by the sun. We sway in the wind and are refreshed by the rain. We are blessed by the knowledge that you want us to grow towards what you call us to be.
When we deprive others of that same opportunity, forgive us. When we want to uproot those whom we believe do not belong in our part of the field, forgive us. When we label others as good or bad rather than accept them for who they are, forgive us. When we are reluctant to acknowledge that we ourselves are a mixture of weeds and wheat, forgive us. When we are afraid to look into the fields of our own lives to see what is growing there, forgive us.
O God, you know us inside and out, through and through. You search us out and lay your hand upon us. You know what we are going to say even before we speak. So we pray that you will help us to reach out to the uprooted and rejected, the lonely and the outcast, and to develop and grow the good in ourselves, in others, and in the world. This we pray in Jesus’s name. Amen.
