In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9) we learned that not all people react to the Word of the Kingdom in the same way:

Transcription

1 Kingdom Seed Marius Gradwell 6 May 2018 The parable of the Wheat and Tares Told Matthew 13:24-30 NKJV Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; (25) but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. (26) But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. (27) So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' (28) He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?' (29) But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' " Explained Matthew 13:36-43 NKJV Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." (37) He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. (38) The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. (39) The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. (40) Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. (41) The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, (42) and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (43) Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear! Introduction In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-9) we learned that not all people react to the Word of the Kingdom in the same way: - Some with hard hearts and dull ears would not even allow the Word time to germinate in their hearts. - Others would receive the Word, but either persecution or things in this life would render them fruitless. - Only those with yielded hearts, who receive the Word with patience and keep it, will bear the intended fruit in their lives. This truth was illustrated further when Jesus taught the parable of the Wheat and Tares. Jesus s purpose is clearly to teach principles related to His Kingdom. 1

2 Matthew 13:24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like Like the parable of The Sower, this parable is one of the few in which we have Jesus s own explanation. Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." The parable of the Wheat and Tares explained 1. The Sower - v37: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. - It is Jesus Christ proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God 2. The Field - v38: The field is the world - Into which the Son of Man (Jesus) came to sow the seed. - Over this world Jesus now exercises His authority. - Matthew 28:18 NKJV And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. - Revelation 1:5 NKJV and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth 3. The Good Seed Wheat - v38: the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom - Those who gladly own Jesus as their Lord and King, submitting to him freely. - When we compare this with the parable of The Sower, we come up with mixed metaphors o In the parable of The Sower the seed is the Word of God and the true disciples of Christ is referred to as the good soil. o But in the parable of the Wheat and Tares the true disciples (sons of the Kingdom) are the good seed themselves. o Thus, when one receives the seed of the Kingdom (The Word of God), they become good seed (a son of the Kingdom). 2

3 4. The Tares - v38: but the tares are the sons of the wicked one - Those defined as they : v41 that offend, and those who practice lawlessness - They clearly are not submitting to the Lord Jesus s authority. - Their actions reveal that they are the sons of the wicked one. - The tares are a troublesome sprout which resembles wheat in the early stages, but once the wheat heads up it becomes obvious that the tares are imposters and not genuine wheat. The tares are sometimes referred to as wild oats. These wheat imposters are Bearded Darnel. In the field, it causes havoc. Sucking up vital soil nutrients and moisture, they deprive the wheat plants of what was intended for them. The Bearded Darnel also plays host to a fungus, which is threat to a healthy wheat crop. 5. The Enemy - v39: The enemy who sowed them is the devil - He is the one who tried to tempt Christ but failed. - Who now tries to destroy the efforts of Christ to save souls and to enlarge the influence of His Kingdom rule. 6. The Harvest - v39: the harvest is the end of the age - That age in which o The gospel of the Kingdom is being preached. o People who receive the gospel of the Kingdom can become the sons of the Kingdom. o I.e. the present gospel dispensation. o Colossians 1:13 NLT For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son - An age that will end with a great harvest identified as the glorious coming and appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. o 1 Timothy 6:15 NLT For, At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. 3

4 7. The Reapers - v39: and the reapers are the angels - Angels will accompany Christ when He comes again. - They will separate the wicked from among the just. - 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 KJV And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (8) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (9) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power Observations The overall Meaning of the Parable: Righteous believers and wicked people will exist in the world until the day Jesus returns at the end of the age, and the final harvest takes place. Until that glorious day, we are not to try to separate out the salt and light from the deteriorating body which is the world. We are not to withdraw ourselves to a fortified castle, prepared to fight off the attack of the world, waiting out the return of the Lord. Despite the presence of those nasty evil weeds (people), the crop will mature. Good will not be overcome by evil. The righteous will not be eliminated by the enemy s tactic to sow evil seed in God s field. Also, don t blame God for the evil in this world, the source of evil in the world is clearly spelled out in the parable. V27: So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' (28) He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The problem of the tares will not be fully addressed until the final harvest. This is done out of consideration for the good seed sons of the Kingdom. It is at the end of the age that the Son of Man will finally resolve this problem His angels will gather out of His Kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness the sons of the wicked one. They will be cast into the furnace of fire where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. In v 43 the blessedness of the righteous (the good seed the sons of the Kingdom) is described after the harvest they will shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. 4

5 The Focus for Today Kingdom Seed 1. Kingdom Sons are the seed God sows into the World we live in Matthew 13:24 "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; Matthew 13:37-38 He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. (38) The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom Romans 8:19-21 NKJV For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; (21) because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 2. Jesus was the first Kingdom Son sown into the world John 3:16-17 NKJV For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 3. You were created and purposed to be a Kingdom son (seed) by God s design Ephesians 2:10 NKJV For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 4. Why does God refer to me as a seed? Christ is the image of God. Christ is the precise representation of the Father in human flesh. Jesus is the prototype of what God intends man to be. The life of Jesus is the life of God transmuted into the form of our human life, so that we may see, touch, hear, know, understand, and experience the very being and nature of God in human terms. Christ is the image of God and God meant for every man to look and speak and act and be just like Jesus Christ! Our heavenly Father demands that all men should follow the example of our Lord and Master. 5

6 The dwelling place of a son of God is in the Father and the dwelling place of the Father is in the sons. The sons are the out-raying of the Father s substance and the perfect imprint of His nature in human form. Christ is within us as a seed! Within this Christ-Seed can be found all the divine attributes necessary to make us fully manifest sons of God. As each single cell of our body contains within it the genetic code that made us what we are physically, so the seed of God within our spirit has within it all the power of the life of God to transform us into the full image and likeness of our heavenly Father. 5. Say Yes Lord! Send me! Romans 8:14 NKJV For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Matthew 9:37-38 NKJV Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. (38) Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." 6