"Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven
is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was
sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the tares also appeared.
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good
seed in your field? Where then did the tares come from?’ “ ‘An enemy did
this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and
pull them up?’ “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the
weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let
both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the
harvesters: First collect the tares and tie them in bundles to be
burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."Matt:13:24:30Jesus’ Parable of the Wheat and Tares
Often we read this as a description of what will occur at the end of human civilization, when the trumpet of the Lord will sound and Jesus will return in glory, that in the end, God will separate Christians from those who refuse to accept God’s free offer of salvation , which is by grace alone.
Jesus even gives as his overarching explanation that in the end of the age (when ever that might be) there will be a dealing with the spiritual and the carnal at the culmination of human history.
Not Just For the End
But, as with all scripture there are many depths to the meanings which can give us insight into our lives each and every day.
The tares mimic the wheat, and if not examined closely these tares can ,at first glance, appear to be the real thing and can look just like wheat.
Jesus is not just laying out the judgment at the end but rather Jesus is calling on his people to be aware of what is growing in the field(s) of our lives.
Of the Spirit or the Flesh
Our flesh, or carnal nature, can and does deceive us into believing that some of what arises out of the flesh is from God. We can mistake the voice of the flesh for the voice of God, especially if what we hear matches our own personal desires.
"The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.Who can understand it?" Jer:17:9
Our heart can convince us that those things which have sprung up in our thinking and consequently in our lives, are a product of the working of God, as the tares in the parable, when in truth they come from our own heart.
The sower has given us the word of God , and there can real growth in us spiritually and the fruit of the Holy Spirit, but there can also be ,growing right along side the fruit, tares which are the fruit of the flesh masquerading as piety and righteousness.
This fruit of the tares can say the right things and do the right things yet they have its origins in the flesh, that is the soil which represent that which is "earthy", or carnal.
Scripture tells us that there is a kind of wisdom to this world , and at times it can look good have all the appearance of godliness.
This worldly wisdom , or cleverness , is even mentioned by our Lord Jesus in the Parable of the unjust Steward. Lk:16:8
The whole Epistle to the Galatians Church was written to encourage Christians not to look to the flesh, not trust in works or performance based religiosity, no matter how rightness those works might appear.
In the city of Colossi some were introducing ascetic practice into the church, and some of the Christians were embracing these practices, mistaking this asceticism for spirituality. These things are not of the Spirit, though they can have the appearance of piety. Cols: 2:16-23
Tares Resemble Wheat
At first glance, tares which might arise in the field of our lives, resemble the wheat and when examined at face value can convince us that they have grown out of our relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ .
We Christians need to ask for the guidance of our God with open and honest self examination , for our Lord will graciously and mercifully help us to see our selves and the field of own lives for he sees the heart.
"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 1Sam:16:7
God can Discern the Difference
St. Paul wrote to Christians that we should examine our selves.
"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?",2 Cor. 13:5
Our Lord calls on us to honestly and prayerfully examine our lives and see if what is growing in the fields are those things that which are of the Spirit or the flesh, no matter how good they appear, we need to ask "are they coming from the Spirit?" are they wheat or tares?
In The End
But here is the good news, even if we go through life, thinking some of what has been in our lives has come from the Holy Spirit, but is not. In spite of tares in the fields of our lives , our Lord is a merciful and gracious Judge who will "judge" our lives based upon who we are in him, rather than the limitations which we all share in our flesh. 1Crth:3:5-23
Recall that in the parable the tares were bound up and separated from the wheat and burned, gone forever.
This hints at what will occur with of us when, we come before our Lord, when our Lord Jesus looks upon the filed of all of our lives. Jesus will discern what has grown out of the carnal "soil" ,that is the flesh, "the tares", and that which was born of the spirit "the wheat", as St. Paul wrote "tried by fire" that is the by Holy Spirit.
Those things of the flesh will be burned away leaving only that which is of the Spirit.
The tares will be bound up and cast away our of the field of our lives, burned and gone forever, leaving only the good wheat of the Spirit to be placed in the Lord's barn, that is the Kingdom of God, we will be saved and live eternally with our Lord untroubled by the tares which grow within the field of our lives .
Our Lord Jesus will bless us and gather us together free for all eternity free of the tares which grew in the field of our lives.
Benediction: May we each and all produce only the wheat of the Spirit in the field of our lives, today, tomorrow and forevermore.Amen
The Fountain of life Church a Congregation of Grace Communion 2101 Old National Pike, Washington, Pennsylvania, 15301 www.gcfountainoflife.org
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