HIS ENEMY CAME AND SOWED TARES

The first parable of the ‘kingdom of the heavens’ portrays the inauguration of the kingdom. The Lord Jesus, in ‘the days of his flesh’, went forth, sowing the gospel seed throughout all Galilee. However, this second parable spans the whole of this age, dur­ing which Christ reigns from above. The ‘good seed’ are now the ‘children of the kingdom’, v. 38, whom the Son of man in sover­eignty sows in the world’s soil. Its interpretation is given on return to ‘the house’, v. 36, and this age will not be finalized till the Lord returns and Israel is reconciled to Him.

In the King’s absence satanic opposition, seen in the first par­able, becomes active and intense. ‘The enemy’ plants tares, or false believers, among the wheat. Tares, while growing, are indistinguishable from wheat but, when mature, wheat grain is rich and golden, whereas tares are black and poisonous. So, Christendom today encompasses a mixture of the true and false, co-existing side by side. They are often so similar that even angels, those keen, intelligent observers, cannot tell the differ­ence, v. 29. All will be clear at the harvest, ‘the end of the age’, v. 39. The wheat shall be gathered into the householder’s barn; the tares burnt. ‘Wheat’ may include both church and tribulation saints, who in turn are gathered in. The harvest is never com­pleted in a day! Finally, ‘the righteous shall shine forth … in the kingdom of their Father’, v. 43 - all kingdoms will merge into God’s eternal kingdom, 1 Cor. 15. 24, and saints of every age shall bear the relationship of sons to the Father.

There is a correspondence between the seven parables of the kingdom and the seven churches of Asia, Rev. 2, 3. This parable parallels Smyrna, when Satan ferociously attacked the early church. Just as Christ implants His nature into His true disciples, likewise Satan injects evil into his. This happens ‘while men slept’, v. 25. How sobering to think that our sloth gives Satan opportunities to plant his false disciples! Watchfulness and self-sacrifice will safeguard Christian families and assemblies, and will often expose these fakes. Genuine disciples will be known by their fruit. Counterfeits will be ultimately recognised by their barrenness or badness.