All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables (Matt. 13:34).
Parable of the Tares
As he begins another parable on the nature of the kingdom of God, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ are, “The kingdom of heaven is likened…” (Matt. 13:24).
What a powerful introduction! We all desire to know what the kingdom of heaven is like; what man or woman wouldn’t desire this information? Yet the parable is not what we would expect. It tells us nothing about what life might be like in the kingdom age. Instead it focuses on how God is working with men and women to create the children of the kingdom.
The two seeds go back to Genesis
There were yet more lessons to be learned concerning the nature of the “good seed” that has been sown by the Lord Jesus. The lesson is contrary to what the Pharisees and scribes would have expected from the Torah.1. They would have thought the tares should be completely rooted out and destroyed lest they contaminate the “good seed.” The emphasis on what to do about the “bad seed” was clearly understood by the disciples as they themselves aptly named this: “The Parable of the Tares” (v.36). They had discerned the focus even without the explanation of their Master, but the full meaning eluded them as it sometimes escapes us.
The good seed now is not the “word of God,” as in the previous parable. Instead Jesus Christ shifts the meaning and identifies it instead as “the children of the kingdom” (v.38). Along with the “good seed,” tares are sown by the “wicked one.” The Greek word for “the wicked one” is diabolos2 [v. 39]. In the Authorized Version the word “one” in verse 38 is in italics, indicating it has been added by the translators. The phrase should read that “the tares are the children of the wicked,” period.
Once again we have the metaphor of the two seeds. This picture is thoroughly consistent with all scripture going back to the seed of the woman (which are typified here as the children of the kingdom) and the seed of the serpent (seed of the wicked) as we recall from Gen. 3:15.
Good and bad grow together
However, Jesus now recommends a most revolutionary course of action, namely, he insists on letting both the “good seed” and the “wicked seed” “grow together until the harvest”! (v. 30). Under the Law such thoughts would have been unthinkable. The Jews were instructed to thoroughly purge the land of Canaan and, in the days of our Lord Jesus, the Pharisees and scribes wanted nothing more than to cleanse their land of the hated Roman occupiers. The idea of “good” and “bad” seed living together until the harvest, or judgment to come at the end of the age (world), was not what the elders of Israel wanted to hear.
The imagery of the parable makes it clear why “good” and “bad” seed were to be allowed together until the harvest. The “tare” is said to correspond to a plant called the “bearded darnel;” it is a poisonous rye grass which grows in the Middle East. In the immature state, prior to full bloom, it is supposedly impossible to distinguish from true wheat. Hence trying to weed it out would undoubtedly risk the destruction of much “good seed” in the process. However, when the grain reaches full maturity and is ready for harvest the differences between “tares” and “wheat” can be easily recognized. The lessons here are evident: Jesus says that he will reap the harvest and that he will send his angels to separate “good seed” from “bad.” He further tells us exactly when he will do it: “at the end of this world (age).”
Where does withdrawal fit?
The very fact that our Lord Jesus Christ gives an exact interpretation of this parable has not stopped many from speculating further. Some have said that this parable does not preclude withdrawal from brethren and/ or sisters who have sinned against God either by doctrinal error or by moral laxity. Indeed other scriptures supporting withdrawal can certainly be cited. Nevertheless, the point of the parable should not be diverted.
Ultimately all judgment is committed to the Son, and prior to his appearance it should be only under the most certain of circumstances that separating the tares from the wheat is carried out. If there is any doubt whatsoever, we must exercise extreme caution lest we uproot much “good seed” in the process of seeking to eliminate the “tares.” That lesson is crystal clear from this parable (Matt 13:29, 40).
We can not have perfect ecclesias, nor can we have a perfect community, until our Lord comes. Sometimes, in our zeal to create such, we actually go quite contrary to the scriptures. The Lord Jesus teaches “they that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick” (Matt. 9:12). An ecclesia should therefore be a hospital for healing sick sinners rather than a place for heaving them out in the street like some hardhearted modern HMO3! When the scribes and Pharisees sought to permanently disfellowship the woman caught in adultery, Jesus chided them: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Could this indictment also apply to us? Before we accuse others, let us first become aware of our own shortcomings. Unfortunately too often our zeal for the “truth” is not always tempered with a sense of humility and thus Christadelphians can often appear incredibly insensitive and unloving in dealing with fellowship issues both within, and without, our community. Such things ought not to be. While some would emphasize the words of Jesus to the woman “sin no more” and insist on this as paramount, I have rarely heard emphasized the need for purity in her accusers; for only “he that was without sin” was invited to cast the first stone. Even he who was without sin, our Lord Jesus, refused to condemn her!
Another interpretation
This is one possible interpretation of the “Parable of the Tares,” which takes the “field” to represent “the ecclesial world.” This interpretation relies on the reasoning that the vast majority of the seed planted by our Lord is styled as the “good” seed with the “bad” being a minority weed. One certainly cannot claim the overwhelming majority of people in the “world” outside of the ecclesia are “good” seed! Hence the identification of the field with the ecclesial world.
An alternative takes the “world” in the sense of the total population in all areas where believers live. The “good” seed is identified with the ecclesia and the “bad” with the apostasy and outright heathen nations. This is not a comfortable match to the picture given in the parable. Who would claim the good seed grows over most of this world and the tares grow over so small a portion that they can safely be allowed to grow until the harvest?
Ironically the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church have at various times in its history emphasized different interpretations of this parable as it suited its purpose. In the early Middle Ages, when the Donatist protestors (styled as heretics by the R.C. Church) argued for purity of the church, Augustine of Hippo used this parable to prove the Church should not be purged! He argued that only Christ could do this at his coming. Later, during the reformation era, the Catholic Inquisition used this same parable and interpreted it in the opposite sense. At that time, when thousands felt the torture rack, it was argued heretics were so plainly evident that they did not constitute tares (which, following this parable, were supposed to be indistinguishable from the wheat). With this view, slaying heretics did not constitute a violation of the teachings of the parable.
Parable of the Mustard Seed
Another aspect of planting “seed” is revealed in the parable of the mustard seed. It is not one we would have imagined from the previous parable of the tares and even, in a sense, appears to provide an image contrary to its predecessor. In the “Parable of the Tares” it appears the good seed encompasses the whole world and the tares are but a minor problem. One hardly imagines the fanner had a field that was mostly tares, although it is entirely possible to do this if weeds get out of control! I have experienced this myself in failing to properly maintain a lawn. Just a little neglect for a season will end up creating all crabgrass and dandelions. So it is with the Truth, it cannot be neglected, but must be constantly nurtured! This emphasizes the danger of attributing more than is intended to the message of any particular parable.
In the parable of the tares the stress is on being careful not to weed indiscriminately and being mindful that the ultimate harvest is committed to the Lord Jesus Christ at the end of the age. The relative proportion of wheat and tares is not the issue. However, in the “Parable of the Mustard Seed” the size of the harvest is indeed the central idea. The mustard seed is one of the smallest of seeds found in the Middle East, especially in comparison to the ultimate yield of the mustard tree (actually a very large bush). The plant also takes a comparatively long time to reach maturity and bear fruit. Yet in full measure, a mustard plant (tree) can reach fifteen feet or more in height.
The lesson is one of patience and perseverance. The children of God have always been a small minority in this world and so it is even to this day. Yet in the full maturity of the harvest, when the children of the kingdom are gathered from all places on the earth, and from all past times, they will indeed constitute a vast multitude. This is a great message of hope and ultimate triumph.
Let us not be discouraged in preaching or teaching the word of God. Sometimes from very small beginnings an amazing “tree” grows. I know of a case where one ecclesia had a series of special lectures over a period of a few months, in 1946 shortly after World War II, and only one visitor showed up. This ecclesia was so discouraged that they didn’t have another lecture campaign for more than a decade! Yet from that one visitor several hundred brothers and sisters have come to the Truth either as direct descendants, or through people who were taught and baptized by this person’s children, grandchildren and great grand children! Indeed here was a little seed that time and nurturing has made to grow into a great plant.
Parable of the Leaven
Our Lord Jesus Christ does not directly explain the “Parable of the Leaven.” Two alternatives have been put forth. The first relies on the usual scriptural identification of leaven as a corrupting influence and hence this parable becomes a warning to beware of wicked influences in the ecclesia. The other treats this parable as a follow-up and expansion of the ideas just espoused in the “Parable of the Mustard Seed,” namely, that great things might happen from small beginnings.
There is always the danger of “generalization,” thus the words of the apostle Paul that “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Gal. 5:9) when spoken with respect to corruption, should not be assumed to apply to this particular parable. The interpretation from the immediate context of the parable of the mustard seed seems more appropriate. Besides, leaven only corrupts when allowed to lie idle and the bread becomes stale. In the days of our Lord, it was the custom to put aside a little of the dough from the daily baking and let it mold. This molded lump was then kneaded into the batch of dough for the baking done on the morrow. Bread that is fashioned in this manner today is called “sourdough.” It is much richer in texture than bread that is made from commercial biotech yeast! (And is obviously much preferred by the author.)
Compared to unleavened bread, or matzo, sourdough type bread was the daily portion that the Jews usually ate, as did (and do) most Mediterranean peoples to this day. The bacteria in the molded piece gives off gas bubbles as the bread rises prior to baking. This is what gives sourdough bread its lighter, chewy texture compared to the dry brittle nature of matzo (i.e. unleavened bread). Hence leaven does have both good and bad effects. “Good” in that a little bit can make a lot of dough rise and be baked into flavorful bread; “bad” in that if not eaten while fresh it will eventually cause the bread to become putrid. So it is with leaven in the ecclesia: a little bit of “bad” influence can grow, and, if unchecked, can corrupt the whole loaf. By contrast, a steady daily stream of “good” positive ideas, character, love, energy and dedication to the Truth can also grow and become flavorful bread leading to life in the fullest sense.
The key principle is to never let the “word” grow stale, remembering that a little bit of goodness can go a long way. Ultimately this is one of the major lessons we learn from the life of our Lord Jesus Christ The man Jesus Christ — born almost two thousand years ago in a small, insignificant nation by the world’s standards, into a family of humble background, who taught for only a brief period of three and one-half years, never having written a word by his own hand, and who was despised and rejected in his own generation, has managed to change the world beyond the measure of any who have come before, or since. Surely let this be our guide. In all we say and do let us always remember that a little bit of goodness goes a long, long way!
- See for example in the Torah Deut 7:2, 12:2 and 31:3, among other references to destroying the heathen
- Diabolos identified in Strong s Analytical Concordance as referring to a “false accuser” or “slanderer” The Greek word does not have reference to a personal devil
- ‘HMO stands for Health Maintenance Organization in the USA. They are often run as a corporate business for profit
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One