In Jesus’ teachings, few stories paint as vivid a picture of our current world as the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. Jesus presents a scenario that every farmer of His day understood instantly: a man sows good seed in his field, but while everyone sleeps, an enemy sneaks in and sows weeds right alongside the wheat.
When the crop sprouts, the servants notice the weeds and ask, “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?”
The owner's response is simple yet profound: “An enemy has done this.”
When the servants offer to pull up the weeds, the owner stops them. Uprooting the tares early would accidentally rip up the delicate wheat intermingled with them. Instead, he instructs: “Let both grow together until the harvest.”
Matthew 13:24-30 NIV [24] Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. [25] But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. [26] When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. [27] “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ [28] “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ [29] “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”
Understanding the Field is the World, not the Church
This parable is frequently misunderstood. Many well-meaning commentaries use this story to describe the makeup of the church, suggesting we should allow unrepentant, deceptive behavior to go unchecked in our congregations. However, Jesus directly cleared this error up when His disciples asked for clarification:
Matthew 13:36-39 NIV Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, [39] and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. (emphasis mine)
Jesus isn't overruling church discipline or telling us to ignore sin within our local assemblies.
Matthew 18:15-20 NIV “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Rather, He is explaining how believers are called to live in the world.
John 17:14-16 NIV I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. [16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. (emphasis mine)
We live in a world where God’s common grace—His sunlight, rain, and earthly blessings—falls on both the righteous and the unrighteous.
Matthew 5:43-48 NIV “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (emphasis mine)
Good and bad seeds mature side-by-side until the end of the age.
Why We Don't Uproot: The Limits of Human Judgment
In ancient agriculture, the tare in question was likely bearded darnel—a toxic ryegrass that looks identical to wheat until the heads mature.
Because tares and wheat look so similar early on, human judgment easily fails. Throughout history, whenever people have taken it upon themselves to forcefully root out "unbelievers" from the world—think of the Crusades or the Inquisition—disaster and destruction followed. Innocent, immature believers were severely hurt.
God alone holds the authority to execute final judgment.
At the end of the age, the Lord will send His angels to separate the crop. The counterfeit will be destroyed, and as Jesus promised,
Matthew 13:40-43 NIV As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. (emphasis mine)
Self-Examination: Are You Bearing Kingdom Fruit?
Instead of spending our energy attempting to judge the hearts of everyone around us, the Scriptures urge us to turn our focus inward.
2 Corinthians 13:5-6 NIV Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.
A counterfeit lifestyle often exposes itself.
1 John 2:15-17 NIV Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
True wheat, on the other hand, bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit
Galatians 5:22-26 NIV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Living with Discernment
Living alongside "tares" in a fallen world means we will encounter distraction, hypocrisy, and scandal—even among high-profile Christian leaders. But our faith must never rest on public figures or human perfection.
Prayer
Lord, You have planted us in this world to grow toward Your purpose. Forgive us for the times we try to play judge and uproot others rather than showing Your love. Search our hearts today, root out any worldly desires within us, and grant us the discernment to walk faithfully until the harvest. In Jesus' name, Amen.
When the crop sprouts, the servants notice the weeds and ask, “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?”
The owner's response is simple yet profound: “An enemy has done this.”
When the servants offer to pull up the weeds, the owner stops them. Uprooting the tares early would accidentally rip up the delicate wheat intermingled with them. Instead, he instructs: “Let both grow together until the harvest.”
Matthew 13:24-30 NIV [24] Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. [25] But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. [26] When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. [27] “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ [28] “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ [29] “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”
Understanding the Field is the World, not the Church
This parable is frequently misunderstood. Many well-meaning commentaries use this story to describe the makeup of the church, suggesting we should allow unrepentant, deceptive behavior to go unchecked in our congregations. However, Jesus directly cleared this error up when His disciples asked for clarification:
Matthew 13:36-39 NIV Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, [39] and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. (emphasis mine)
Jesus isn't overruling church discipline or telling us to ignore sin within our local assemblies.
Matthew 18:15-20 NIV “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Rather, He is explaining how believers are called to live in the world.
John 17:14-16 NIV I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. [16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. (emphasis mine)
We live in a world where God’s common grace—His sunlight, rain, and earthly blessings—falls on both the righteous and the unrighteous.
Matthew 5:43-48 NIV “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (emphasis mine)
Good and bad seeds mature side-by-side until the end of the age.
Why We Don't Uproot: The Limits of Human Judgment
In ancient agriculture, the tare in question was likely bearded darnel—a toxic ryegrass that looks identical to wheat until the heads mature.
Because tares and wheat look so similar early on, human judgment easily fails. Throughout history, whenever people have taken it upon themselves to forcefully root out "unbelievers" from the world—think of the Crusades or the Inquisition—disaster and destruction followed. Innocent, immature believers were severely hurt.
God alone holds the authority to execute final judgment.
At the end of the age, the Lord will send His angels to separate the crop. The counterfeit will be destroyed, and as Jesus promised,
Matthew 13:40-43 NIV As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. (emphasis mine)
Self-Examination: Are You Bearing Kingdom Fruit?
Instead of spending our energy attempting to judge the hearts of everyone around us, the Scriptures urge us to turn our focus inward.
2 Corinthians 13:5-6 NIV Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test.
A counterfeit lifestyle often exposes itself.
1 John 2:15-17 NIV Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
- The lust of the flesh: Giving control over to depraved human desires.
- The lust of the eyes: An insatiable greed for material possessions, wealth, and status.
- The pride of life: Arrogant self-reliance on your own achievements rather than God’s grace.
True wheat, on the other hand, bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit
Galatians 5:22-26 NIV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Living with Discernment
Living alongside "tares" in a fallen world means we will encounter distraction, hypocrisy, and scandal—even among high-profile Christian leaders. But our faith must never rest on public figures or human perfection.
- We must exercise discernment: Weigh every teaching against the truth of God’s Word.
- We must avoid self-righteous execution: Leave the ultimate sorting of hearts to the Lord of the harvest.
- We must stay rooted: Focus on growing in grace, yielding good fruit, and shining Christ's light in the middle of the field where He planted us.
Prayer
Lord, You have planted us in this world to grow toward Your purpose. Forgive us for the times we try to play judge and uproot others rather than showing Your love. Search our hearts today, root out any worldly desires within us, and grant us the discernment to walk faithfully until the harvest. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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