LET BOTH GROW TOGETHER

THIS IS MY COLUMN IN THE LOCAL PAPER THIS WEEK


LET BOTH GROW TOGETHER
BY PAT GULLEY

Matt 13:30
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. (KJV)

Matthew records several Parables that Jesus taught concerning the Kingdom of Heaven. The one we will look at today is the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. I find it extremely interesting that the Parable of the man planting wheat in a field is likened to the kingdom of heaven. How did the enemy enter into the field and sow weeds among the good seed? This surely cannot be referring to "Heaven" as we have come to understand it. I doubt Satan will be harassing us after we go to Heaven. The Disciples also wondered about this teaching and after the crowd left and they were alone with Jesus, they asked Him to explain the parable of the tares in the field.

In his explanation, Jesus explicitly says that the Son of man sows the good seed, the field is the world, the good seed are the children of the kingdom; and the tares are the children of the wicked one. (Mt 13:36-43) This is important to know, as we are the children of the kingdom if we are born again through the Blood of Jesus. I would also like to note that this teaching is not referring to the Church as an institution. I have heard some preachers say that this refers to our Churches and that the Devil likes to plant spies among us. They say the tares are sent to choke out the Word and the Works of Jesus. This may be true up to a point, but Jesus tells us that the field is the "WORLD." We "Children of the kingdom" do not live in the Church, but we do live in the world.

Jesus tells us how we are to deal with the tares that are sown among us. We are to "LET BOTH GROW TOGETHER." I used to wonder how it was possible to discern between wheat and a tare until one day I was driving in the country and noticed the wheat fields were ripe and ready for harvest. I looked at them and suddenly I understood what Jesus meant about waiting until the harvest to separate the wheat from the tares. The wheat was a bright golden brown, and the tares were an angry ugly green (taller than the wheat and having big, big heads) WOW. Anybody could tell the difference at harvest. Then I realized that the farmer could tell the difference when both were still green. His trained eye knew what to look for as the field was still maturing. But the reapers could not come in and destroy the tares because the wheat would also be destroyed.

The lesson I learned from this Parable is to make sure the "Children of the Kingdom" were taught the Bible and were fed and watered by the Word of God. As a parent and as a Pastor, I knew that I was to "Let both grow together" until every one in the Church, or on the bus, or at work, or at school, could tell what was a tare and what was wheat. Jesus teaches us the same thing when He tells us that "a tree is known by its fruit" and that you can tell what is in a person's heart by what comes out of their mouth. (Mt 12:33-34) Read the Bible with your family. Go to Church together. Grow together. It's almost harvest time for this generation. Be ready because God knows the wheat from the tares.