The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

Matthew 13:24-30
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’
29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

And in Matthew 13:36-43
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
New King James Version (NKJV)

When the pastor was preaching on this topic this morning I was reminded of a garden I once had many years ago. I had never really done any gardening my whole life and knew next to nothing about gardening. But I really wanted to try it because it would save us money if I could have a big crop. So I picked the spot on the big property we were renting and I planted seeds of all kinds. But in my foolishness I never did any research on gardening. And when the plants started to come up … I couldn't make heads or tails on what were weeds and which were the plants … so I thought of this passage and decided that it be best to let everything come up and then when harvest comes to harvest whatever I can find. A very good friend of mine told me that that’s not very wise because the weeds can destroy the small plants.

Today, as I sat there in the service remembering this memory, I thought of how true this was spiritually too. We, especially when we are new to the faith, need to be careful what kinds of people we associate with. The devil likes to take advantage of us when we are weak or new to the faith and destroy us; that is what his agenda is for all people. The wrong "friends", like weeds, can destroy the faith that is growing inside of our hearts. We need to first identify the bad “weeds” (people) in our lives then remove them so that our young weak faith can grow strong and tall in the "sonlight" of God’s word. We need to study our Bibles very closely and diligently to be able to have discernment in this issue. And pray everyday for God's help for our growth. And most importantly allow God to guide our ever step.

May God be with you and help you to grow in his son. God Bless.