How many times have you heard someone in the church say something to this effect, “Let the wheat and the tares grow up together”? I have. It’s become what one might call a man made tradition in the church. Why is that? Well, because when used in that context, what church folk mean, is that we are supposed to allow the tares…in the church…remain there, and then at harvest time, the LORD will do the separating himself.
OK, that may seem very spiritual of these church going Christians, but…is that what Jesus really taught? I’ve gone over this teaching a number of times, and I can’t find one scripture reference that indicates that tares are supposed to be allowed to grow in the church, which is supposed to be the Body of Christ. Why in the world would Jesus want tares in the church when He already taught that a little leaven spoils the entire lump?
Lets look at the scripture where Jesus explains the meaning of the parable, from Matthew 13:
36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.
37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
So, you see, the LORD clearly explains where the tares have been sown;….the field is the world.
Of course it is true that these worldly evil tares were seed that had been sown by the enemy, Satan, and many have infiltrated the church, the Body of Christ. But it is not true that it’s the will of the LORD for them to be allowed to remain there and bear unhealthy fruit.
Most of us have heard the description and characteristics of tares, but what kind of bad fruit do they produce?
The tare weed, otherwise known as bearded Darnel has poisonous properties. It hasn’t been decided whether the seeds themselves contain the poison, or if it originates from a fungus that usually infects the plant. However, if darnel is ingested, or makes its way into bread, it produces an array of unpleasant symptoms. Ancient Greeks and Romans used darnel medicinally to induce a sedative effect. It produces multiple symptoms of drunkenness, such as drowsiness, hypnotic episodes, trembling, inability to walk, hindered speech, vomiting, giddiness, and lowered visual acuity. It can even stimulate convulsions and death if taken in quantities large enough.
That doesn’t sound like very beneficial seed, or fruit to me. So, it seems obvious that although these seeds grow wild in the world, they shouldn’t be allowed to be planted in the church, as these man made church traditions claim, “let the wheat and the tares grow up together “.
Friends, this is why, again, it’s so important to study and understand what the Word of God is actually saying, because as you can see, this particular one can have serious effects if allowed to take root and grow in the church, the Bride of Christ, that is supposed to be without spot, wrinkle or blemish.
If something as simple as this parable can be so distorted, can you imagine how twisted some of the less easily understood scripture passages can be?
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