The Parables of the Lord Jesus Christ
10 - The Weeds
Once again we set out to discover another parable of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have a garden or if you like to grow your own vegetables, you will know how annoying it is when weeds get among the plants. They often spoil the beauty of a garden and will sometimes prevent proper development of the things you want to grow. The story we are looking at this time is all about weeds and it is found in the Gospel according to Matthew chapter 13 from verse 24. It is another parable about the kingdom of heaven. Here it is:
"The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?' " 'An enemy did this', he replied. The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' " 'No', he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'"
In this story we see six things: We see a sower, a field, seed, a crop, a harvest and an enemy. This parable is found only in Matthew and it has similarities to the parable of the sower and the seed that appears earlier in this chapter. In both we see the activity of Satan. In the first he snatches away the good seed and in the second he actually sows weeds among the wheat. In the first story all the seed is good; in this one there is a mixture of good and bad. In the parable of the sower the good seed is God's Word sown in the lives of those who hear it. In the parable of the weeds it is people who are represented; those who belong to God's kingdom are the "good seed". Those who do not belong to the kingdom are the weeds that grow up among the crop, planted there by the enemy.
The weeds spoken of here are "tares". This is a noxious weed that in its early stages closely resembles wheat and it is host to a fungus that is poisonous to both animals and man. It was not until the grain began to develop and mature that the workers in the field could see any difference between the wheat and the tares. The planting of these weeds was the work of a particularly vicious enemy who wanted to destroy the farmer's crop. The servants are eager to try to solve this problem and they suggest pulling up the tares. It sounded like a good idea, but no, the roots of the wheat and the tares are intertwined so if they pull up the tares the wheat will be pulled out as well. The difference between the wheat and the weed will be much more apparent at harvest time. The experienced farmer's advice is to leave the weeds where they are until the time of reaping. Then the reapers will be able to tell which is which and first pull up the weeds and put them aside for burning. After this the true wheat can be harvested and placed in the farmer's storehouse.
Jesus had been relating his parables to the crowds that followed him everywhere, but in Matthew chapter 13 verse 36 we are told: "Then He left the crowd and went into the house." Jesus' disciples had not understood the meaning of this parable of the weeds so they came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
So He begins by telling them that the sower of the good seed is one called the Son of Man. This, of course, is Jesus Himself. It is a title that the Lord often used. It is a title that identifies Him with mankind. He is indeed the Son of God, yet He is truly human. He is the Son of Man, conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary to be the Saviour of the world. He said of himself, "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost." He is the one who is building his church and establishing his kingdom in human lives. So it is that the field in this story, as it does in others of Jesus' parables, represents the world. This is the world in which the Good News of Christ is being proclaimed and in which Christ's church is still growing today and will continue to grow until it is complete. Then there is the good seed. Jesus says that this represents the children of the kingdom. These are they who gladly own Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Note that they are "sown" by the Lord Jesus himself. He it is, by his Spirit, who calls them into his kingdom. The word is preached by men but it is the sovereign work of God in Christ, through the convicting of the Holy Spirit, to bring men and women to salvation and into his church. Like the good seed in this story, the children of Christ's kingdom are scattered across the world. In some places there are many together, in others they are isolated, but wherever they are they belong to the Saviour and one day will be gathered together to be with Him. But what of the tares, that noxious, tangling weed? What do they represent? Jesus said these are "the sons of the wicked one." In other words they are the children and followers of the enemy of men's souls - Satan. In the farmer's field the wheat and the tares grew side by side. Here is a picture of the visible church in the world, consisting of true believers and those whose profession is only outward. Like the tares they appear to be genuine for a time, but their true nature is soon revealed. Tares will be found among the wheat. They create problems for the "good seed" by temptations and persecution. Hypocrites and deceivers may creep in, sown by the enemy to cause discord. The tares and the wheat will, according to this parable, grow together until the harvest, and so true believers must be on their guard against all such. But, we must be careful in our natural desire to root out such ones. There is deep truth in the saying of Augustine, "Those who are tares today, may be wheat tomorrow."
We have seen that the enemy who sows the weeds is the devil. He is called "the slanderer", "the accuser", and "the adversary." He is mentioned repeatedly in the teaching of our Lord Jesus. Satan was a high ranking angel cast out of heaven because of his pride and rebellion against God. He is full of hatred against God and his people. Like the vicious enemy in Jesus' story, he goes about planting his poisonous weeds wherever and whenever he can. He places among God's people those who seek to deceive by their false teaching and to entangle with their man made rules and regulations. But this great enemy, with his weapons of sin and death, was defeated at the cross where Christ, the perfect Son of God, bore the wrath of God against sinners and was raised from death on the third day. Although the enemy is still active his power has been curtailed. He has no hold on God's people and he will be finally overcome at the second coming of Christ. Satan's days are numbered.
Then there is the harvest which is the close of this age. The servants in Jesus' story were not allowed to pull out the tares straight away. They were told to leave them until it was time for the harvest to be reaped. Only then would the true wheat and the false tares be identified. At that time the tares would be separated from the wheat and burned in the fire. What a clear picture this is of the final judgement of those who are in reality without Jesus Christ as their Saviour, whose profession is only outward. They have never been born again. The Lord Jesus here refers to the eternal loss and punishment of those who come to the day of judgement without knowing him as their Saviour. We read in verses 41 and 42, "The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Jesus would never speak words like this unless what He was saying was not absolutely true. The sinless Saviour would never lie or deceive us because there is coming a day of judgement. It will be a time of separation when the "wheat" and the "tares" will be identified and will go to their appointed destinies.
What is the destiny of the sons of the kingdom, of those who are the "good seed" born again by the Spirit of God, of those who are of Christ's true church, who are clothed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus? We read in verse 43: "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." God is the Father of all true Christian believers and their Father is the sovereign over all. In this age the children of God are often regarded as of little worth, They are obscured and hidden and persecuted, but on that harvest day it will be like the sun appearing from behind a dark cloud. They will appear with Christ in glory. Death defeated they will have glorious resurrection bodies and be wonderfully transformed. Jesus finishes his explanation of this parable by saying: "He who has ears, let him hear." So here is a call to self-examination. It is a call to consider very carefully where we stand before God. We have to ask ourselves the question, "Do I really love the Saviour? Am I one of his children, saved through faith in Him?" Or am I someone who is outwardly a churchgoer, with all the appearances of being a Christian, but it is only an outward show and I have no personal knowledge of Christ in my life. May I urge you, in the light of this parable, and what it teaches us, to turn to the Lord Jesus today in true repentance and faith so that on that future day you will numbered among the children of the kingdom?