The Wheat and the Tares Matthew 13 24

The Wheat and the Tares Matthew 13: 24 -30

1. Definition of Terms • Matthew 13: 37 -39 • Jesus sows the good seed. • The field is the world. • The good seed are the righteous.

• The tares are the unrighteous. • The enemy is the devil. • The harvest is the end of the age. • The reapers are the angels.

2. Difference between wheat and tares It’s the harvest which reveals the difference

Wheat and tares look the same until the time of harvest

Three stages of the harvest • First is the time of sowing. • “While men slept. ” • Don’t sleep during the planting season. • Stay alert to bad seed.

• Second is the growing season. • Don’t waste time pulling up tares. • “Let them both grow together until the time of the harvest. ”

Pulling up tares endangers young wheat

• Third is the time of reaping. • The harvest reveals what is wheat and what is tares. • Wheat produces a harvest of fruitful grain. • Tares produce nothing. • Tares take up good earth and devour good resources.

Tares are defined as “things that offend. ” And those “who practice lawlessness. ”

• “Things that offend” speaks about being offensive in our relationships with others. • The way we treat others determines how fruitful the outcome will be. • Romans 12: 18

• “Lawlessness” or iniquity means to be without law. • It simply means not being under authority. • Lawlessness keeps us from being fruitful.

3. Dynamic Ministry of Angels

• In this story “the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. ” • Something dynamic happens at the end of the age. • Which book in the Bible speaks more about angels than any other?

The Book of Revelation

• The angels in this story were involved in two tasks. • First they removed the tares from the Kingdom of God. • Those who looked like Christians but produced no fruit were removed.

“There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth”

Everything will be judged including our works!

• God is looking for fruitfulness. • “Bears fruit and produces: some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty. ” Matthew 13: 23 • Our goal in life should be to produce as much fruit as possible which isn’t destroyed.

God’s goal is a good harvest

“Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. ”

Why would we swing a sickle?

When we can be driviing a combine!