Wheat and Tares

[saintwalee]

One of mine attended a church service, and I asked, "what was the sermon about"? The response was; "something about wheat and weeds".

I expounded on that and said that it represented those who believe in Jesus and those who don't and when Jesus comes back, he will separate the two. Knowing that they were no where near that understanding, I explained that it also represents the good things we do and the bad things, expounding further what some of those were.

But afterword, I thought, hmm, if the tares do represent sin in our life, why can't we remove them and why would that endanger the wheat, or the righteous works in our lives?  :dunno2:

This is the parable:
Mat 13:24  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
Mat 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Mat 13:26  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
Mat 13:27  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?
Mat 13:28  He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
Mat 13:29  But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Mat 13:30  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.

It turns out that "tares" are not ordinary weeds, but weeds that grow up looking like wheat, until they approach the harvest, at which time the wheat turns golden and bears its fruit, while the tares stay green and bare no fruit.

So, although I think my explanation was useful, I don't think it really represented what was being said.

As the tares look like wheat, but do not produce fruit, they would indicate those that profess Jesus, but aren't His.
Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

But still, why not "root up" the tares, why would that affect the wheat?

In the end they will be separated, but what advantage is there to letting them grow together? :JCThink:

[ed]

I got an epiphany on it once after making some doctrinal changes in my life.

As Christians we grow in whatever setting we happen to land.   It is a always a mix of good doctrine(wheat) and  not so good doctrine(tares).  We learn to weed out the bad doctrine if we are willing to follow the Spirit and allow change.  Until the time of growing out of our bad doctrine, the wheat and tares grow together. 

In other words God works with us even though we are not perfect.  God works within all sects of the Christian faith.  Christ transcends our sectarianism. :2c:

[micah7:9]

 :dsunny:

[saintwalee]

I got an epiphany on it once after making some doctrinal changes in my life.

As Christians we grow in whatever setting we happen to land.   It is a always a mix of good doctrine(wheat) and  not so good doctrine(tares).  We learn to weed out the bad doctrine if we are willing to follow the Spirit and allow change.  Until the time of growing out of our bad doctrine, the wheat and tares grow together. 

In other words God works with us even though we are not perfect.  God works within all sects of the Christian faith.  Christ transcends our sectarianism. :2c:

I agree that we will continue to have sin in our lives and that through Christ, we have potential to overcome sin.

In your reply you state; "We learn to weed out the bad doctrine".

But in the parable, it states "But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them."

So that is my question, why would gathering up the tares also root up the wheat?

If tares represent sin, and we get rid of sin, how would that root up the wheat, or the righteous works also?

Or, if tares represent false faith, or false doctrines, why would rooting up those uproot the faithful.

Bet we see in the epistles and in revelation that the church did call out false prophets, false teachings and anti-christs. The church uprooted those out of the church.

Tares are like wheat, but can never change into wheat.

[joeteekay]

Everyone has sin (tares?) in their lives. The LoF purges us of sin, the Elect now, all others in the White Throne Judgement. All of our sins, hopefully few by then, will finally be eliminated at the resurrection.  Become ye perfect, grow in grace and knowledge. It is a process

1Co 3:12  Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Co 3:13  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1Co 3:14  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Co 3:15  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

OR A BETTER THOUGHT?

Wheat = God's Elect
Tares = the non-elect who profess Christ.


Mat 7:21  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 7:22  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
Mat 7:23  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

:2c:

[rosered]

In the end they will be separated, but what advantage is there to letting them grow together? :JCThink:

Wow , thought of the same thoughts for  many years off and on now , very much stimulating  our minds to think in a different direction   than just the mainstream ..
 
There are some great insights  on the forum  reads and  fellow tentmaker members
as well as the Tentmaker resources !!
I for one thought of   wheat and tares    as thoughts in your heart /mind as  a land  /your body
  this is the reason we are kept here in tact  , till the end or harvest of our mortality /days of earthen  vessels
seems to me logical  that God is fair and all   have the wheat and tares in them    , not some all good and some all bad
  we are a mix   of the tree of knowledge of good and evil   when it come to thoughts and acting on them   
   when Jesus plants the seed of  immortality  within our walls of salvation /tree of Life       we are blessed to have a hope we never had before   the time the Lord and His Spirit  come    to  stay .....     
I can certainly remember     that time in my life when I knew nothing of God  , but just heard  of Him  and left a   empty yearning to find out  more of  Him  , a faith that come by hearing what the Spirit is saying    and being careful how we  hear

much is lost  when we have answers but they DO NOT satisfy   the  hunger and thirst in our   barren lands / bodies minds and hearts     ,
  when   we seek and pray and ask Him  directly   , I know we have all here experienced something like this   , God is faithful to answer    HIS WORD is clear and  clean

I know the  tares called , a kind of darnel, resembling wheat except the grains are black and poisonous  !!

So  like thoughts and doctrines as   our brothers have mentioned above in these posts    give a good insight to more   ''proofs of the Word opening up to more clarity   for us , like Jesus stating if you drink anything poisonous it will not harm you
  or all things are clean , but its what comes out  that defiles us
  So many more scriptures ''COME TO LIFE '' for us , HIS WORD begins to Breath   the breath of Life into us by His Spirit ,
  we begin to Live   in the Spirit and Life and not so much focus on the mortal and temporary realm of this world and its   struggles
  I enjoy your  posts Saintwalee  and all those whom contribute to   the threads , Love to all  :grouppray: 

[Seth]

Hi Saintwalee,

Here are my thoughts about your question, why do the tares grow with the wheat? First, here is Christ's own explanation of the parable:

Matthew 13
36 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." 37 And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 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; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 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, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The tares are "sons of the wicked one" as opposed to "the sons of the kingdom." The field is "the world." So why do the tares grow with the wheat? My thoughts go to a passage in Peter:

1 Peter 1
5(the born again) are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations (trials and tribulations): 7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

The sons of the wicked one are kept in the field (the world) with the sons of the kingdom for "the trial of your faith which is more precious than gold." To take away the tares is like taking away gold from the church:

1 Peter 4
12Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

[saintwalee]

Rev 22:11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

It is not by works, but by faith.

I suppose that is why Jesus taught us to pray; "... forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...".

Thanks for the the replies.  :high5:

[Seth]

The thing about faith is that it has a positive impact on works, which is what salvation is all about.

[sheila]

  just a little aside regarding 'works' that I rec'd the other day...and would like to share with you all..for it greatly

  comforted me...and maybe it will you all,too.

      I had been down the other day..kind of blue,I guess...and feeling not much good for anything...

     I had been dwelling on the strength in my body I had when I was younger and how I used to be able to help

   other's in need..both physically,financially and in the spirit..and gues I was greiving over the loss of my

strength,vitality and ability as I become older[the desire is there..but I just can't ake this body go like I used to.

    I had been praying,meditating about it.....and told Father my concerns.    I then picked up my bible......

   and what should Iopen it to but this...........because you are not a hand you must not say you are not

part of the body.  This was like balm on me...a perfect word spoken at the perfect time...and brought me

to tears.

     we must alway keep balance when we speak of 'works'........  2 Cor 8;14  if they be an equalizing

  of the unrighteous riches...surely even more so..for the true riches.........

[joeteekay]

That is very good Sheila. I can really relate.  :dsunny:

[rosered]

Well said Shelia !  :girlheart:
 
  Our best effort  is to point them to Jesus Christ and tell them what a comfort its been to know Him !
 
I can recall a time, when overcome and overwhelmed with all the need and  dismay of  this life and its  great'' burden of proof ''

in every direction from personal and many family members and the news and  sickness  , death and  dis-pare  from every

direction  with  all matter of  need    , and the Spirit spoke ever so gently    saying ,

You are not Jesus Christ the savior of the world , HE IS !!!  immediately  as release   came and  rest in a hope and  heart  for

Gods will to be doing a work that would make everything  perfect    and to WAIT ON THE LORD !     

It has been a patience   to wait on the Lord and constant  reminder  to ''rest in hope '' that He will accomplish  everything He has started   in all His creation  :HeartThrob:

God loves and though His own Spirit and Life   we all have that  comfort  now . :HeartThrob:

[eaglesway]

Hi Saintwalee,

Here are my thoughts about your question, why do the tares grow with the wheat? First, here is Christ's own explanation of the parable:

Matthew 13
36 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." 37 And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 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; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 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, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The tares are "sons of the wicked one" as opposed to "the sons of the kingdom." The field is "the world." So why do the tares grow with the wheat? My thoughts go to a passage in Peter:

1 Peter 1
5(the born again) are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations (trials and tribulations): 7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

The sons of the wicked one are kept in the field (the world) with the sons of the kingdom for "the trial of your faith which is more precious than gold." To take away the tares is like taking away gold from the church:

1 Peter 4
12Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 14If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. 15But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. 16Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

Very cool, edifyng perspective.

[marie glen]

..also how cool when the earth no longer puts forth thistles, itch weed or poison ivy! so also, of course no more evil lurking in hearts..

But as to why the not pulling up of tares before Jesus' return? I've always thought of it as a gardener! When you have lots of weeds and pull them up, you do pull up some crop with them.. And God of course, loves His tender (growing but young) plants..
       :smile:

[Seth]

I'm also reminded of how Paul said he was given so many revelations that God sent a messenger of Satan to buffet his flesh and keep him humble. So, when Peter says "for the time has come for judgment to begin with the house of God" he does so in the context of how "tares" mistreat the "wheat." For when God's judgments are in the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.

God's method for the judgment of the church is to humble them, and teach them how to be patient and forgive their enemies, and teach them to be like Christ by giving them trials.

So, by uprooting the tares too early, it also uproots the very method by which God judges believers and teaches them righteousness.

[saintwalee]

..also how cool when the earth no longer puts forth thistles, itch weed or poison ivy! so also, of course no more evil lurking in hearts..

But as to why the not pulling up of tares before Jesus' return? I've always thought of it as a gardener! When you have lots of weeds and pull them up, you do pull up some crop with them.. And God of course, loves His tender (growing but young) plants..
       :smile:

Or maybe the thistles, itch weed and poison ivy won't hurt any more!
Isa_11:8  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

I'm also reminded of how Paul said he was given so many revelations that God sent a messenger of Satan to buffet his flesh and keep him humble. So, when Peter says "for the time has come for judgment to begin with the house of God" he does so in the context of how "tares" mistreat the "wheat." For when God's judgments are in the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.

God's method for the judgment of the church is to humble them, and teach them how to be patient and forgive their enemies, and teach them to be like Christ by giving them trials.

So, by uprooting the tares too early, it also uproots the very method by which God judges believers and teaches them righteousness.

:iagree: :iagree:
It is so easy for us to get high minded and self-righteous, becoming so legalistic in faith. I fear that almost more than anything!
To the Angel of the Ephesians:
Rev 2:4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Rev 2:5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent

[eaglesway]

Annias and Saphira saw another aspect of God's judgment in the church. It is also easy to get high-minded in "super-spirituality" and miss some of the more direct manifestationns of God, or minimize them. IMO, When Jesus explained parables, He explained them- He didnt issue more parables.

[Seth]

 :iagree:

[rosered]

Rev 22:11  He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

It is not by works, but by faith.

I suppose that is why Jesus taught us to pray; "... forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us...".

Thanks for the the replies.  :high5:

  Hi Saintwalee ,


when I looked at that verse in Rev   you put up , I thought of  how Jesus separated us one from another
  but realized one day with  new eyes of understanding    ,  I believe its speaking of the old man of sin    in us as Paul spoke of   in Romans 7 and 8  being filthy still    and the new creature in Christ being holy still    , its the Lord whom  does the works and  exposes   our true natures   as we begin to discern   such differences

  the works of Jesus Christ though the Spirit of the Father   by faith/ believing  in Him we   receive Him and His new Life and purpose in Gods desire

Amen we  begin to forgive others as we also are being forgiven    sin is error and we all have erred  and gotten out of the  way /path ..