Matthew 13:24-30 (New International Version)

The Parable of the Weeds

 ²⁴Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

 ²⁷"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?'

 ²⁸" 'An enemy did this,' he replied.
      "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

 ²⁹" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. ³⁰Let 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.' "

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Matthew 13:36-43 (New International Version)

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

 ³⁶Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."

 ³⁷He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, ³⁹and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

 ⁴⁰"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹The 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. ⁴²They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

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            What really brings out the story and the lessons in this parable is when you fully understand all the components of the story told, along with the meaning. 

            Back in the 'old days' it was unfortunately common practice for enemies to purposefully sow tares among the wheat of the household in which they intended malice. Now this was an effective revenge tactic. If you think about it - it would ruin crops potentially attacking health, finances and stability of the entire household. This was finally outlawed and considered a criminal act. 

            You have to understand what a tare is though.  A 'tare' is what is called a bearded Darnel. (Lolium Temulentum). The synonyms for this plant are ray-grass, drake or cheat.  The bearded Darnel, is a common grass weed, It grows easily and plentiful… as weeds often do. 

            The mixture of the Darnel's grain with those of nutritious grains should be avoided as it's properties are regarded as deleterious. When Darnel has been given medicinally in a harmful quantity is is recorded to have produced all the symptoms of drunkenness. A general trembling, followed by the inability to walk, hindered speech and vomiting. The ancients supposed it to cause blindness, hence with the Romans, lolio victitare, to live on Darnel, was a phrase applied to a dim-sighted person. 

            In short, the Bearded Darnel is a dangerous weed if ingested. It is poison (Sophoric in fact) and judging by the symptoms : 1. Sleepiness, drowsiness 2. Hypnotic episodes 3. Convulsions 4. Drunkenness, intoxication 5. Trembling 6. Inability to walk 7. Hindered speech 8. Vomiting 9. Stupification 10. Dim-sightedness -- that doesn't really sound like a way that I would want to die.

            Ok - so now we know quite a bit about this weed. And by now you may be curious as to the point that I'm getting to. The most significant fact about the bearded darnel is that in the immature stages it looks exactly like, and resembles wheat. It is practically impossible to tell them apart. In fact, I read that you'd have to dissect them and even then … you couldn't really tell. The only way to know for certain, is when they produce their fruit.

            Now in light of this information when I re-read the parable a lot of things suddenly jump out at me.

            1. Right away Matthew 7:15-23 came to mind

  ¹⁵"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. ²¹"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' ²³Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

            There are false Christians among us… ones who claim that they are saved by grace and that God is Lord of their life. There are even those out there who are incredibly good at looking legitimate… but when you get to their fruit… it becomes obvious of whom they actually serve.  Just like the wheat and the tares… the fruit of a tare is vastly different then the fruit of the wheat. "By their fruit you will recognize them…"

 2 Timothy 3:1-9: ¹But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ²People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

 ⁶They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, ⁷always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. ⁸Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. ⁹But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.

            This verse points out the fruit of a tare. Having the form of godliness, but denying it's power. Honestly, if you ask me it's very scary to be a tare we know their end!

            So again, the first thing that stood out to me was that we would recognize by the fruit.

            2. The second thing that I got out of it was that the servants asked their master, well can/should we just remove the tares? That seems like a reasonable solution doesn't it? It did to me as well… until you understand the root system. Because the Darnel has some time to grow and establish undetected… it has time to dig in deep roots in the field. This means that if it is sown among wheat… the roots are intertwined together… AND they are strong. A good friend of mine who farms and just is good with gardening and such, explained that they once planted a weed on purpose on a hill in order to keep the mud from sliding down in bad rain storms. The roots would hold the hill in place. Just to give you an idea of how strong roots are. If the servants were to root up the darnel … they would hurt the wheat. First they'd have to trample on the wheat to get to each individual Darnel… and then when they'd pull up the darnel they'd ruin the ground in which the wheat still needs to grow.  The master tells them that he will have his harvesters sort them at the time of harvest. The darnel will be bound and burned… and the wheat will be brought into the store house.  This is an encouragement for the wheat and a warning for the tares. God in all His wisdom would see me prosper, rather than possibly hurt me in dealing with those who displease Him. In each situation where God dealt with the sinful people, he first saved those who were faithful. The flood, Sodom and Gomorrah… are just a few examples that come to mind. We may have to live and grow with tares among us. But God tells us that they are there, He helps us to grow regardless of them. And when it comes to their final judgment.. GOD will separate. We just need to worry about our own relationship with him. This is not saying we tolerate sin… we just let God deal with the sinner.

            3. How do you know if you're a wheat or a tare? well, really, it's outlined through out the entire Bible but these few verses come to mind :

Again Matthew 7:17   ¹⁷Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.

            If you're wheat you're going to bear good fruit. If you're a tare, you'll bear bad fruit. Period.

Living as Children of Light

Ephesians 4:17-32  ¹⁷ With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

 ²⁰ But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. ²³ Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. ²⁴ Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

 ²⁵ So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. ²⁶ And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”^[d] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

 ²⁸ If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. ²⁹ Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

 ³⁰ And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,^[e] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

 ³¹ Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. ³² Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

Ephesians 5  ¹Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children ²and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.