The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares is found in Matthew 13:24-30. Jesus tells the parable to the crowds who came to hear him teach near the Sea of Galilee. Through this parable, Jesus teaches that in this age, the righteous and the wicked will co-exist until the harvest, which represents the final judgment.
The Parable
Jesus begins the parable by comparing the kingdom of heaven to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the plants came up and bore grain, the weeds also appeared. The servants of the owner came to him and asked if he wanted them to pull up the weeds. The owner told them no, lest they accidentally pull up the wheat with the weeds. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers to gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, and then gather the wheat into my barn.
Explanation
After telling the parable, Jesus explains the meaning to his disciples. The one who sowed the good seed is Jesus, the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seeds represent the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
Jesus explains that just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Lessons from the Parable
This parable teaches several important lessons:
- There is an ongoing struggle between the kingdom of God and the forces of evil in this age. They will co-exist side by side until the harvest.
- It is not our job to judge who is good or evil, righteous or unrighteous. Only God knows our hearts.
- Any attempt to purify the church by human methods can harm the true believers. The roots of good and evil are overlapping in this age.
- God allows evil to continue for a season so that more people have the chance to repent and believe.
- At the final judgment, the righteous and the wicked will be separated for eternity. The righteous will inherit the kingdom of God.
- Those who reject Christ and cling to sin face eternal punishment.
1. Co-existence of Good and Evil
This parable teaches that good and evil exist side by side in this age. The field represents the world, and both wheat (believers) and weeds (unbelievers) are growing together. Though Christians are new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), we still struggle with our sinful nature. Though we seek to obey Christ, unbelievers reject him and live in open rebellion. Not until the harvest will God fully separate his children from Satan’s children.
Augustine commented on this co-existence: “Both grow together in the field until the harvest, and at the time of harvest the tares shall be set apart to be burnt, but the wheat shall be received into the barn. So the Church even now bears both, and yields a harvest of patients. Let us not be in a hurry; we shall reap in due season” (NPNF 1.6).
2. Avoid Judging Hearts
When the servants asked the owner if they should pull out the weeds, he wisely told them to let both grow lest they mistakenly uproot the wheat. Though we can evaluate fruit and discern wolves from sheep to an extent (Matt 7:15-20), only God knows the heart. Many of Jesus’ harshest opponents, like Paul, later believed. We may think someone unlikely to believe, but God may still draw them to faith by his grace. So we leave ultimate judgment to God.
John Chrysostom commented, “This kind of thing they did in Jerusalem in the days of Herod, when they sought to kill Christ, but they rather hurt themselves…For how many were there then who awoke after these attempts, and came to the truth; those very men who were then persecuting it, deprived of all excuse” (NPNF 1.10).
3. Dangers of Purifying by Human Effort
The owner did not let his servants uproot the weeds because pulling the weeds would also uproot some wheat. Whenever Christians attempt to purify the church using human methods like the Inquisition, witch hunts, crusades against heretics, or condemning sinners, we inevitably hurt weak believers too. Only God knows the heart, and only he can separate true and false believers.
Augustine commented, “There are many more internally within the Church than externally, who still are burdensome to us, and who are tolerated only for reason of mercy, to win over their hearts” (NPNF 1.6). The roots of hypocrites are often intertwined with roots of weak but true believers. Attempting to purify the church by human methods hurts those who belong to Christ.
4. God Delays Judgment to Give More Time to Repent
God patiently endures evil and postpones judgment to give more time for repentance. Peter explains, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). God has fixed a day of final judgment, but he delays until all his chosen ones repent.
Augustine explained, “It is possible at the same time both that some should be conversant with the chaff, and yet should not be the chaff…Let us see that we be not the chaff. Let us endure the chaff, it will be separated in the end. Let us be joined in heart unto their hearts who are enduring the chaff” (NPNF 1.6). We should pray for unbelievers, that they too may turn and be saved.
5. Final Judgment Will Separate Good and Evil
At the harvest, the reapers separate the wheat from the chaff. This pictures the final separation of the righteous and the wicked on judgment day. All sin and evildoers will be gathered out of Christ’s kingdom and cast into hell forever. Meanwhile, the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom.
This parable should motivate us to pursue holiness, warn the wicked to flee sin, and inspire hope that God will set all wrongs right. Evil may seem to prosper for a time in this age, but in the end God will ensure perfect justice.
6. Hell Means Eternal Punishment for the Wicked
Jesus makes clear that at the final judgment, the wicked will be cast into fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:41-42). This pictures the eternal punishment of hell. Just as the weeds were gathered and burned, so the wicked face God’s eternal wrath in hell.
Many today dismiss hell as myth, claiming a loving God would never punish sinners. But Jesus spoke of hell more than any other person in Scripture. He lovingly pleaded for sinners to repent and believe to avoid this punishment. But all who ultimately reject Christ face eternal wrath. The doctrine of hell motivates evangelism and warns the lost to flee from sin.
Other Relevant Passages
Several other passages give more insight into this parable:
- The Parable of the Net (Matt 13:47-50) teaches that at the close of the age, angels will separate the evil from the righteous.
- The Parable of the Weeds among Wheat in the Gospel of Thomas differs. There the owner tells his servants to pull up the weeds, but they are unable to do so without harming the wheat. This teaches the gnostic idea that we have to purify ourselves to be saved.
- Judas was called a “devil” (John 6:70-71), but the disciples did not recognize him as evil. This illustrates how good and evil are mixed in the church (see also 1 John 2:19).
- God will separate sheep and goats at the final judgment (Matt 25:31-33). The sheep represent the righteous who served Christ through serving the needy.
Summary
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares uses an agricultural metaphor to teach vital truths. Good and evil currently coexist in this world. God alone knows human hearts and will separate true believers from unbelievers at the harvest of final judgment. All who reject Christ face eternal hell, while believers will shine like the sun in God’s kingdom. This parable should spur us to evangelism, holy living, and hope in Christ’s coming triumph.