Parable of the tares

[ALAYMAN]

Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭24‬-‭30‬

Is this parable about the church or the world?


“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
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[biscuit1953]

Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭24‬-‭30‬

Is this parable about the church or the world?


“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
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Matt 13:24–30 The wheat and the tares are the true and the false converts sitting alongside each other until the time of harvest. (See vv. 37–43.)
Mark 4:13 The parable of the sower is the key to unlock the mysteries of all the other parables. If we understand this parable (that when the gospel is preached there are true and false conversions), then all the parables Jesus told will make sense: the foolish virgins (false) and the wise virgins (genuine), the good and bad fish, the wheat and tares, etc. Not all believers are equally fruitful but all produce fruit. Ray Comfort

 

[Ransom]

Is this parable about the church or the world?

"The field is the world" (Matt. 13:38).

 

[ALAYMAN]

"The field is the world" (Matt. 13:38).

I just find it interesting that in light of that simple and straightforward explanation by Jesus that so many prominent theologians ( Augustine, church fathers , Ryle, etc) insist on forcing it onto the church.


“This parable teaches us that good and evil will always be found together in the professing church until the end of the world. The visible church is set before us as a mixed body. It is a vast field in which wheat and weeds grow side by side. We must expect to find believers and unbelievers, converted and unconverted, the sons of the kingdom, and the sons of the evil one, all mingled together in every congregation of baptized people.

“The purest preaching of the gospel will not prevent this. In every age of the church, the same state of things has existed. It was the experience of the early church Fathers. It was the experience of the Reformers. It is the experience of the best ministers at the present hour. There has never been a visible church or a religious assembly of which the members have been all wheat. The devil, that great enemy of souls, has always taken care to sow tares. The most strict and prudent discipline will not prevent this.

“Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Independents all alike find it to be so. Do what we will to purify a church, we shall never succeed in obtaining a perfectly pure communion. Tares will be found among the wheat. Hypocrites and deceivers will creep in. And, worst of all, if we are extreme in our efforts to obtain purity, we do more harm than good. We run the risk of encouraging many a Judas Iscariot, and breaking many a bruised reed. In our zeal to gather up the tares, we are in danger of uprooting the wheat with them. Such zeal is not according to knowledge and has often done much harm. Those who care not what happens to the wheat, provided they can root up the tares, show little of the mind of Christ. And after all, there is deep truth in the charitable saying of Augustine, ‘Those who are weeds today, may be wheat tomorrow.’” Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Matthew [Updated Edition]: A Commentary” by J. C. Ryle

 

[illinoisguy]

"All expositors connected with State churches, and those who follow their leading, unite in wresting by interpretation in the support of those false churches, by teaching that the FIELD is the VISIBLE STATE CHURCH, in which the notoriously bad must be allowed to grow without disturbance by healthy discipline, thus using God's word to defend corrupt churches and to keep manifestly wicked men in the church. Christ explicitly declares that the FIELD is the WORLD, and not THE CHURCH, which He everywhere commands His servants to keep PURE by the prompt expulsion of all classes of evil men. . . .

"We learn that God denies to the children of the kingdom the use of FORCE, oppression or PERSECUTION. Christian rulers are forbidden the use of the sword or force to EXTIRPATE heretics. While the churches of Christ must be kept pure, the wicked must be permitted to exist in the WORLD, since the attempt to forcibly root them out of it now would break up the foundations of society and destroy the kingdom of Christ, because it would have no material out of which to renew its membership by conversion to itself."

J.R. Graves, "Parables and Prophecies of Christ," published in 1887.

 

[voicecrying]

A thought/question on the parable unrelated to the original question (we are on the FFF after all ) - the harvest 1st takes the tares (lost) to be burned and then the wheat (believers) to be gathered into the barn. How does a rapture before the return of Christ fit into that?

 

[biscuit1953]

A thought/question on the parable unrelated to the original question (we are on the FFF after all ) - the harvest 1st takes the tares (lost) to be burned and then the wheat (believers) to be gathered into the barn. How does a rapture before the return of Christ fit into that?

I think the question should be, is Jesus coming back to punish the Church or in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess 1:7-9)? Christians will be kept from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth (Rev 3:10) that is described in the book of Revelation. This particular parable doesn’t deal with the catching up Paul talks about in 1 Thess 4:15-17.

 

[illinoisguy]

the harvest 1st takes the tares (lost) to be burned and then the wheat (believers) to be gathered into the barn. How does a rapture before the return of Christ fit into that?

It doesn't fit. Also, this passage appears to militate against the common teaching that the unsaved will have a second chance to be saved after the Rapture. Some go so far as to predict a massive revival and harvest of souls after the Rapture (the "Left Behind" novels, for instance), but I don't see any evidence anywhere in the Bible that anyone will be saved after the Rapture.

 

[voicecrying]

I think the question should be, is Jesus coming back to punish the Church or in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess 1:7-9)? Christians will be kept from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth (Rev 3:10) that is described in the book of Revelation. This particular parable doesn’t deal with the catching up Paul talks about in 1 Thess 4:15-17.

Is it your belief that no one will be saved after the rapture?

 

[biscuit1953]

Is it your belief that no one will be saved after the rapture?

Revelation chapters 7 and 14 talk about 144,000 Jews from the twelve tribes of Israel being sealed to preach the everlasting gospel during the terrible time of tribulation. They are the “firstfruits” of many others that will be saved. Even after the mark of the beast is given, the everlasting gospel will be preached to all that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people and those who repent and turn their allegiance from the Antichrist to Christ will be saved (Rev 14:4-11).

 

[Ransom]

How does a rapture before the return of Christ fit into that?

It doesn't. Christ says that believers and unbelievers belong together in the world until the judgment, at which point the believers are gathered, and the unbelievers destroyed.

That's pretty simple, and it can't be shoehorned into a particular eschatology, to the exclusion of all others.

 

[voicecrying]

Revelation chapters 7 and 14 talk about 144,000 Jews from the twelve tribes of Israel being sealed to preach the everlasting gospel during the terrible time of tribulation. They are the “firstfruits” of many others that will be saved. Even after the mark of the beast is given, the everlasting gospel will be preached to all that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people and those who repent and turn their allegiance from the Antichrist to Christ will be saved (Rev 14:4-11).

So are those 144,000 not Christians who are being "kept from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world"?

 

[biscuit1953]

So are those 144,000 not Christians who are being "kept from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world"?

I believe they are 144,000 Jews that are sealed by God to preach the everlasting gospel. The Jews are still judicially blinded by God as of today. The mark of the beast is given in Revelation 13 and after that in chapter 14 the gospel is preached to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people. Those who make the mark the “unforgivable sin” are wrong. There is only one unforgivable sin (Matt 12:31). People aren’t damned forever because of some physical act anymore than anyone is saved by one such as walking an aisle, saying a prayer or turning baptism into a saving sacrament like the Catholics and Church of Christ do. Anyone who takes the mark of the beast will be damned, but the flip side is anyone who repents and turns his allegiance from the Antichrist to the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved.

 

[voicecrying]

I believe they are 144,000 Jews that are sealed by God to preach the everlasting gospel.

Since they preach the gospel, are they Jewish Christians?

 

[biscuit1953]

Since they preach the gospel, are they Jewish Christians?

That is what I believe. I will humbly admit I'm not infallible though.

 

[voicecrying]

That is what I believe. I will humbly admit I'm not infallible though.

Doesn't that contradict your earlier statement about Christians being kept from the hour of trial?

 

[biscuit1953]

Doesn't that contradict your earlier statement about Christians being kept from the hour of trial?

No because I believe the Church will be gathered to meet the Lord in the air and only lost people will be left behind including the Jews. The main thing is I don’t believe purpose of the Second Coming of Christ is to punish the Church. It will be the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer 30:6-7).

 

[voicecrying]

No because I believe the Church will be gathered to meet the Lord in the air and only lost people will be left behind including the Jews. The main thing is I don’t believe purpose of the Second Coming of Christ is to punish the Church. It will be the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer 30:6-7).

But if the 144,000 is after the rapture and they are Christians, how does that fit into your belief?

 

[biscuit1953]

But if the 144,000 is after the rapture and they are Christians, how does that fit into your belief?

They aren't Christians but unbelieving Jews when the Church is gathered together as Paul taught in 1 Thess 4:17. They will be saved after that event. After Chapter 3 in Revelation everything is Jewish. The Church is not mentioned during the tribulation judgments.

 

[ALAYMAN]

A thought/question on the parable unrelated to the original question (we are on the FFF after all ) - the harvest 1st takes the tares (lost) to be burned and then the wheat (believers) to be gathered into the barn. How does a rapture before the return of Christ fit into that?

Maybe a better question is why should we (hermeneutically speaking) interpret the parable to be Jesus teaching a chronology of eschatology, rather than patience for believers to realize the kingdom wasn’t going to instantaneously usher in a (political) purge of the enemies of God?