The thirteenth chapter of Matthew’s gospel records an abrupt shift in Jesus’s teaching ministry. Responding to his formal rejection as messianic King by Israel’s leadership (12:24), the Lord pivots from a clear declaration of the nearness of the kingdom of heaven to seemingly simple stories that, as he explains to his disciples, are meant to reveal new kingdom truths to some and, at the very same time, conceal those truths from others (13:11–12).

Today we come to the parable of the tares among wheat, the second parable in total but the first that purposes to uncover a novel kingdom reality. This, like that of the sower before it (13:3–9, 18–23), is a parable that Jesus both tells (13:24–30) and later interprets (13:36–43) for his disciples. From this text we want to grow in our understanding of the parable itself, the mystery it revealed, and the implications for us today.

SERMON MANUSCRIPT

Please turn to Matthew 13. Last week we started working our way through this chapter by, first, noticing, along with the disciples, that something had changed in Jesus’s teaching style (v. 10). Jesus had replaced his clear declaration of the nearness of Israel’s long-awaited kingdom with vague fables and simple stories.

Answering their question, Jesus explains that the shift was intentional and in response to being rejected by the nation. He had so much more to teach about God’s kingdom program—its timing, its nature, its worth—but those faithless rejectors wouldn’t have the privilege of grasping the lessons. Instead, he reserved these new revelations—what he called, mysteries of the kingdom of heaven—for those who had ears to hear, that is, those who believed he was, indeed, the messianic King.

Last Sunday we also noted that this discourse is made up of eight parables, one that introduces the whole (which we studied), six that reveal new kingdom truths (each marked by the phrase “the kingdom of heaven is like”), and one that concludes the lesson with a charge.

Today we come to the parable of the tares and wheat. This, like that of the sower, is a parable that Jesus both tells and later interprets for his disciples. In our time together this morning, we’re going to try and better understand three things: first, the parable itself; second, the mystery it revealed; and, third, the implications for us today.

The Parable of the Tares and Wheat

Let’s begin by making sure we understand the parable as the original hearers would have, even before we get to Jesus’s interpretation. 

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also” (13:24–26).

We have a farmer who’s going about his business planting good-quality crop during normal work hours. But he has an enemy for some reason, one who is determined to sabotage the crop and, so, rather cleverly, under the cover of darkness, secretly sows tares in and around the already-planted wheat.

The version of the Bible you have may say weeds instead of tares. These weeds are likely something called darnel, a poisonous grass that looks a lot like wheat, especially in the early stages, making it almost impossible to see. What makes this enemy’s subterfuge even more genius is that, as they grows, the roots of the two plants become intertwined and virtually inseparable. So, by the time the wheat starts ripening and revealing the weeds around it, it’s too late.

“The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ‘And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!'” (13:27–28a).

In other words, where did these weeds come from? We know what you sowed. So, what happened? The landowner knows exactly what has happened.

The damage is done. The question now becomes, what to do about it.

The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them'” (13:28b–29).

This farmer is shrewd. He knows his plants. As much as he’s troubled by the weeds, he cares more for his wheat and he won’t risk the latter for the sake of the former. So,

“Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn’” (13:30).

There will be a sorting. It will require more care and effort than if the weeds weren’t there. But, in the end, all will be made right if patience is exercised.

Now, remember, this parable, along with the one before it and the two after it, was told by Jesus from a boat in the presence of large crowds standing on the beach. The Lord just flows one story to another without explanation. It’s not until later on that the disciples ask for, and receive, its interpretation.

Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field” (13:36).

Apparently they’d understood some of the other parables but this one caused them some consternation.

Jesus, having already told them “to you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (v. 11) obliges their request for clarity: “And He said, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man … ” (13:37). So, Jesus is the landowner. Matthew’s already recorded Jesus calling himself “Son of Man“ seven times, so it’s well-established.

Jesus continues and provides the full cast-list.

“… and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels” (13:38–39).

So, Jesus, as the landowner and sower, longs to grow a world full of people who will belong to the kingdom of heaven and reflect its ideals. 

The enemy, the devil, cunning as always, attempts to sabotage Jesus’s fields, sowing confusion as he camouflages evil in and around good, their roots getting progressively tangled together. In the context of Matthew, I think it’s best to understand these sons of the evil one as Israel’s religious leaders. In fact, over in John’s gospel, Jesus says exactly that (John 8:39–44).

Like the wheat and weeds in the field, the difference between the children of the kingdom and the children of the evil one is not always obvious. In first-century Israel, many of the Pharisees looked like wheat, but they were tares, agents of the enemy wrapping their roots around the unsuspecting, faithful Jews around them.

But, as fooled and as intertwined as they may become, in the end, true identities will be revealed. An angelic harvest is coming.

“So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” (13:40–43).

There will come a time when, as the King returns to set-up his kingdom, wheat and tares will all be collected, sorted, and eternally and appropriately dealt with. Then, and only then, the enemy’s plot will be totally foiled, those faithful to him justly punished, and the good seed completely liberated.

Though our culture balks at the idea, this parable certainly presents some dichotomous realities: Christ and Satan, wheat and tares, belief and unbelief, the barn and the bonfire. 

While we may try and squirm away from them, find a ‘third way’ or ‘alternative option’ in order to alleviate some of the pressure, one way or another all people will face the reality of the binary. There’s two sowers, two types of seed, one harvest, and two destinations.

One author I read years ago said it well: “You can choose your actions, or you can choose your consequences. But you can’t choose both” (Bailey, To Follow Him, 52). If we decide to choose our actions, live however we want, then the consequences are beyond our control. But if, knowing the potential consequences, we decide where we want to end up, then that choice must dictate some of our actions. 

The Mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven

Well, back to Matthew 13. Now that we’ve unpacked the parable, let’s pinpoint the mystery about the kingdom it was told to teach. What is it in the parable of the tares and wheat?

Simply stated, it’s this: Judgement is going to be delayed. It’s not that it’s not coming—it is—it’s just not coming when Israel expected it. Judgement is going to be delayed.

To understand why this is a new truth we have to understand what Israel had been anticipating. To do that, let me give a small sample of some OT texts. As I read, listen and try to hear them in the most plain way possible, the way the first hearers, would have heard them. 

Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us concerning His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war (Isaiah 2:2–4).

Four things are very clear in this passage. First, there’s a day coming when God’s dwelling place on earth will be prominent and preeminent. Second, people from all nations will travel to it to learn directly from God. Third, God himself will judge the nations. Fourth, there will be no need for weapons and warfare. There will be peace.

So, God, physically present, will judge all and abolish war forever. Divine judgement then peaceful kingdom.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6–7).

This passage speaks of a child ruling eternally from David’s throne, bringing never-ending righteousness on the backside of justice being established. Divine judgement then peaceful kingdom. 

Then, earlier in Matthew, before Jesus’s offer to establish that kingdom had been rejected, his forerunner, John the Baptist, with Isaiah’s prophecies in mind, spoke of judgement.

“The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:10–12).

He was proclaiming the nearness of the kingdom and declaring the necessary preceding cleansing. Divine judgement then peaceful kingdom.

That’s what Israel was expecting: Evil dealt with by a perfect Judge followed by an eternal kingdom characterized by peace and prosperity.

Now, what they didn’t see, because the OT never revealed it, was that there would be two comings of the King. They expected that when the King came, so came Israel’s restoration and rise to global prominence, so came perfect judgement, so came the eternal kingdom of peace. 

But, Jesus is revealing a previously unforeseen era between two comings—an age, as he calls it in this parable. The King came, offered the kingdom, and was rejected. So, no judgement now and no kingdom now. He’s going to leave for an age characterized by good and evil growing alongside one another. Then, he’ll return at the end of the age for the harvest—divine judgement then peaceful kingdom.

The mystery revealed in this parable is that judgement is going to be delayed. It’s still coming, but the Landowner is being patient, watching and caring for his crop in a weedy world. 

The Implications for the People of God

We’ve understood the parable and we’ve identified the mystery. But, what are the implications for the people of God today?

I want to leave us with three. The first implication being something to know, and that is where we are in God’s plan of redemption. I can’t help but think of that red “you are here” icon on our GPS or Maps App. We should know where we are in God’s plan of redemption. 

You and I are living between two advents of Christ. We look back in awe at his first coming, when the Word became flesh, and we look forward in anticipation at his second coming, when he will fulfill prophecies like those in Isaiah. And, just like with my Maps App, sometimes I need to zoom out to better understand where I am and how to get moving, in our Christian lives we should know where we are because that affects how we live and minister. 

We’re not under the Mosaic Law. We’re not living in a theocracy. We’re not living in the times of Jesus. We’re not Israel. We’re not in the kingdom right now and we’re not tasked with bringing the kingdom. What you and I are called to do is worship our triune God, build up the body of Christ, and proclaim salvation by grace through faith in Christ—the promise of everlasting life—to those who are perishing. We need to know where we are in order to move with confidence. One of the implications of this parable today is that it drops a “you are here” icon.

The second implication is something to pray, and that is, ask for protection. We are living in an age when God is patiently allowing tares to grow among wheat. These are agents of the enemy, whether they know it or not, who look like good crop. But they’re poisonous. 

We’ve got smart people peddling theories and ideologies that sound decent and just but, at their core, are anti-God. We’ve got religious leaders preaching their own ideas and not God’s word. We’ve got school boards propagating and celebrating lies about humanity. We’re surrounded (see 2 Corinthians 11:13–15). The enemy’s done a good job with his subterfuge. And the Landowner is being patient so as to not harm his crop. As wicked as some of these weeds are, we’re intertwined with them. He doesn’t want to hurt his own. So, we trust him, and we have something to pray: Ask him for protection.

The final implication is something to hope, and that is, look forward to justice. We ache for justice and, the good news is, we’ll get. That eternal kingdom of perfect peace, love, righteousness—it’s coming. In God’s perfect timing, it’s coming. We can hope in that.

As you know, 2020 was a hard year for many people around the world. It was a year marked by wildfires, earthquakes, pandemics, racial tension, and political unrest. 

Wonderfully—and perhaps, surprisingly—it seems that even today people are turning to God’s Word for comfort in chaos. YouVersion, a popular Bible app, reported an 80-percent increase in searches last year, reaching almost 600-million globally. 

When asked what the most search Bible verses were over that twelve-month span, YouVersion reported that number one and two were Isaiah 41:10 and Philippians 4:6 respectively. In many ways, not surprising as they deal with fear and anxiety.

That said, it was the third most searched Bible verse of 2020 caught my attention. [Romans 8:28] In that verse, Paul’s celebrating God’s perfect timing; his ability to work in and through the chaos of this sin-stained world to bring about that which is most glorifying to himself and most beneficial to his people.

We know God’s timing is perfect. We know that he’s never late nor early. We know he’s reliable and that when he, from our point of view, seems to be waiting it’s for a good reason. We know, as Peter tells us that [1 Peter 3:9]. We know, even when it’s hard to know. You know?

This parable today reminds us that God’s in control, he has a plan, he’s patient, and his timing has been, is, and will be perfect. And so, in the meantime we can know where we are, ask for protection, and look forward to justice.

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