“The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, ‘Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares?’ He said unto them, ‘An enemy hath done this.’ The servants said unto him, ‘Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus’ Explanation of this parable is:
“He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father…” Matthew 13:37-43
My Summary & Reflection
This is one of the parables that is explained by Jesus. He explains that this parable describes what will happen at the end of the world. At that time, the evil will be separated from the good. Only the good, the “children of the kingdom”, will enter into the kingdom of God. The evil, the “children of the wicked one”, will be destroyed.
When I think of this parable, I think not just of the end of the world, but also the end of each of our lives. When an infant is born into the world, with his perfect new body and his beautiful soul, he or she is like a good seed being planted on the earth. For all of us some hardship or sickness will infect the good seed and grow right along with it. For me it may be scoliosis, for you it may be cancer, high blood pressure or glaucoma. A tare is a contaminant. It can be a weed in our garden or a disease in our bodies. Some of these tares may be plucked during our lifetime, by surgeons or the antibodies within our own immune systems, others will be with us on the day of our death. Regardless, when that harvest comes, the illnesses that occupied our bodies and that grew right along with us will be left behind and cast into the “furnace of fire”.
Jesus explains in his description that in the kingdom of heaven a separation will occur. Only the wheat will be permitted. There are no cancers in heaven. Not only do we separate one from another, but we also separate our body from our soul.
In a spiritual sense, we also can also become infected with sin. I think often of the prayer that Jesus taught us. In it we should say, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We can all become free of the infection of sin, by asking for and receiving forgiveness. But, of course to be forgiven, we need to practice forgiveness to our brothers and sisters, neighbors, and enemies here on earth. Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” He showed us the way to separate ourselves from sin, to remove the spiritual weeds in our path, while we are still here.
Your Reflection
- What are the tares in your field and how can you separate from them?
- What are the tares in the world and how can we separate from them?