Joe R. Price

A series of parables is recorded in Matthew 13 in which Jesus taught the nature of His kingdom, which is His church (Matt. 16:18-19). Repeatedly, Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like…" as He "spoke many things to them in parables" (Matt. 13:3, 24, 31, etc.).

The first parable Jesus taught was the sower and the soils, in which we learn the gospel contacts different types of hearts when it is preached, which determines whether good fruit will be produced.

Another parable Jesus taught was the wheat and the tares (Matt. 13:24-30). In this parable, a man sowed good seed in his field, but during the night the enemy sowed tares (a false grain which looks like wheat). The wheat and the tares were allowed to grow together until the harvest, when the separation would occur.

This parable has given rise to an application Jesus never made nor intended. Some use this parable as proof that sin in a church should not and cannot be confronted and rooted out (because, they say, Jesus said to let the wheat and tares grow together). So, we cannot do anything about sin in the lives of Christians. Of course, this is not at all what Jesus and his apostles taught (cf. 1 Tim. 5:20).

The interpretation of the parable is given in Matthew 13:36-43. In it, Jesus explains its meaning and settles the matter:

(1) The field is the world (Matt. 13:38). If the foregoing explanation were correct, the field would have to be the church; it is not.

(2) The good seeds are the sons of the kingdom (Matt. 13:38). Christians live in the world but are not of the world (John 17:15-19).

(3) The tares are the sons of the wicked one (Matt. 13:38). The servants of the devil are in this world, too (2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:1-3).

(4) The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels (Matt. 13:39). A judgment day is coming for all people.

(5) The end of the world will be the day when the sons of the kingdom are separated from the sons of the devil (Matt. 13:40-43). The sons of the kingdom of God (Christians) live among sinners in this world, but the Son of Man will gather up the wicked of the world for punishment on the last day (see Matt. 13:47-50).

(6) The "kingdom" of verse 41 is the "field" of verse 38 from which the tares are removed. Without doubt, this earth is the Son of Man's kingdom. He rules over it and will judge all in it (Matt. 28:18).

Nowhere does this parable condone sin among Christians or teach that we are impotent to deal with it. (A study of Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor. 5 and 2 Thess. 3:6-15 makes this clear.) In fact, the parable warns those who would go back to the sins of the world face eternal death (Heb. 10:26-31).