Matthew 13:24-26, New International Version

“Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.’”

I recently learned something that I never really thought about before; it is mentioned in a parable in the Bible, but yet, I never thought to research: What is the difference between a wheat stock and a tare? (In the NIV it is called a weed, but in other translations it is called a tare.) When they are just springing up out of the ground, they actually look a lot alike but when they have matured you can tell the difference. Wheat is a beautiful golden-brown color that bows due to the weight of the grains in the head. The spokes that are on the sides of it are almost

erected straight up with the head of grain and when it is fully matured and ready to be harvested, it is good for eating or put to good use. However, a tare is not the same, although they look very similar. When a tare reaches maturity, it is dark in color and can even turn black. It stands tall due to the lack of grain inside. When mature, it is not safe to eat, it can actually cause one to be poisoned and sick to their stomach. The little spokes that come out of the sides hang more to the side rather than straight up like the wheat.

When I was reading the information about the wheat and the tare, some things came to my mind  when discussing the coloring: the wheat, a beautiful golden-brown color, and the tares, a dark and even black color. It reminded me of our condition… Are we filled with light or darkness? Jesus is the light and tells us so in John 8:12 (NIV), “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” Are we following Jesus?

The next thing that came to my mind was the position of the head of the plant. The wheat stock bows because of the weight of the grain in the head. I immediately thought about humility. When we are humbling ourselves, we are bowing to a holy God and showing reverence to our Creator. If we are puffed up with pride, we stand tall, thinking that we do not need God, but that we can handle anything that comes at us on our own. Scripture tells us, “But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’” (James 4:6-7, NIV) I don’t know about you, but I desire to have God’s favor, so whatever it takes for me to humble myself and be under the favor and blessing of God, that is what I will do!

The final thing that came to me was talking about the fruit they bare. The wheat bears good fruit, making it useful for human consumption.  The tare, however, is poisonous to humans and causes sickness. That is just like Jesus and Satan: What Jesus Christ offers us gives us true life if we accept His invitation. But if we do not, then we are accepting the poisonous lifestyle of Satan that will only lead to eternal death and separation from God—from everything that is good! I want to share this parable with you now. Read through it, allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you…What is God saying to you?

“Jesus told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.^’ The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” (Matthew

13:24-30, NIV)

Jesus later explains this parable to his disciples saying: “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 13:37-43, NIV)