THE PARABLE OF THE TARES: GOOD VERSES EVIL
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. The Parable Of The Tares
a) One of the longer parables in Matthew 13 is the parable of the tares. It is considerably more complex than the several shorter parables in that chapter.
b) It is uncertain just what plant is referred to. The Greek word is zizania, which is used in the Bible only in the parable of the tares (Matthew 13:24-30). However the parable is clearly referring to a tare that looks very like wheat when it is young, but becomes evident when the true wheat sets a fruiting head.
c) The Parable of the Tares is mainly concerned with the fact that the kingdom of God is in the world where there is much evil, and will remain so until the end of the world when the good and the evil will be forever separated (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
2. Good Versus Evil
Matthew 13:24-30
24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26 But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 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?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘An [e]enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 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.”
a) Matthew 13:24-25 contrasts the two forces that are operating in this world. There is the power that seeks to do all things well, and there is the power that tries to spoil what is good (Ephesians 6:10-12). All who live in this world must decide which power they are going to align themselves with.
b) Matthew 13:25 also shows the deceptive nature of evil. The enemy came by night when no one was watching, did his harm, then went away. His work was not evident in the morning, and nobody was aware of what he had done.
c) Matthew 13:26-28 shows evil, having insinuated itself into our midst, will sooner or later become evident. By that time however, it will be nearly impossible to get rid of.
d) Matthew 13:28-30 shows that we live in an age in which evil and good exist together, and the roots of good and evil are tangled together. It is clear however that good and evil remain distinct, and the evil can be recognized as evil, and the good as good. You can look at one stalk and say, "This is a tare", or at another stalk and say, "This is wheat". Knowing the difference is not the problem.
The End ...
1. The Parable Of The Taresa) One of the longer parables in Matthew 13 is the parable of the tares. It is considerably more complex than the several shorter parables in that chapter.
b) It is uncertain just what plant is referred to. The Greek word is zizania, which is used in the Bible only in the parable of the tares (Matthew 13:24-30). However the parable is clearly referring to a tare that looks very like wheat when it is young, but becomes evident when the true wheat sets a fruiting head.
c) The Parable of the Tares is mainly concerned with the fact that the kingdom of God is in the world where there is much evil, and will remain so until the end of the world when the good and the evil will be forever separated (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
2. Good Versus Evil
Matthew 13:24-30
24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26 But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 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?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘An [e]enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 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.”
a) Matthew 13:24-25 contrasts the two forces that are operating in this world. There is the power that seeks to do all things well, and there is the power that tries to spoil what is good (Ephesians 6:10-12). All who live in this world must decide which power they are going to align themselves with.
b) Matthew 13:25 also shows the deceptive nature of evil. The enemy came by night when no one was watching, did his harm, then went away. His work was not evident in the morning, and nobody was aware of what he had done.
c) Matthew 13:26-28 shows evil, having insinuated itself into our midst, will sooner or later become evident. By that time however, it will be nearly impossible to get rid of.
d) Matthew 13:28-30 shows that we live in an age in which evil and good exist together, and the roots of good and evil are tangled together. It is clear however that good and evil remain distinct, and the evil can be recognized as evil, and the good as good. You can look at one stalk and say, "This is a tare", or at another stalk and say, "This is wheat". Knowing the difference is not the problem.
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