1. Weeds/Tares/Darnel
1.1. lolium temulentum
1.1.1. Looks like wheat Especially before it is mature.
1.1.2. It carries a poisonous fungus
1.1.3. If ground together after harvest the resulting flower is spoiled and poisonous
1.1.4. A week before harvest, Tares are 2-3 mm wide while the weet is 4-5 mm wide.
1.1.5. Fully developed Tares are 3mm wide and the wheat is 6-12mm wide. So it is far easier to tell the difference at harvest.
1.1.5.1. Maturity in or paragle is harvest day
1.1.6. However the roots have grown together, you can't take the weeds without destroying the wheat, so they must be harvested together.
1.2. The lesson
1.2.1. Implications for
1.2.1.1. Patience
1.2.1.2. Serving as a warning
1.2.2. The primary teaching is that the Kingdom IS present despite the presence of evil.
1.2.2.1. Blatant evil
1.2.2.2. Those who claim to be righteous that turn out to be evil.
1.2.2.2.1. Only God knows if their repentance is real
1.2.2.2.2. We just love them
1.2.2.2.3. We still protect the sheep
1.2.3. That evil is not ours to judge, it will be delayed until the end.
1.2.4. Big points
1.2.4.1. Evil is present and active even though the kingdom has arrived
1.2.4.1.1. The presence of evil is not evidence that the kingdom is not at work
1.2.4.2. While this is not the time for judgment, judgment will certainly come. The kingdom will cause a sifting, a separation of good and evil
1.2.4.3. Life is not fair
1.2.4.3.1. Psalm 73:3 (NLT) 3 For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.
1.2.4.3.2. Psalm 73:4 (NLT) 4 They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong.
1.2.4.3.3. Psalm 73:5 (NLT) 5 They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else.
1.2.4.3.4. Psalm 73:7 (NLT) 7 These fat cats have everything their hearts could ever wish for!
1.2.4.3.5. Psalm 73:13 (NLT) 13 Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
1.2.4.3.6. Evil happens as a result of a fallen sinful world and the enemy that hurts us to get to God.
1.2.4.4. A judgement is coming
2. Discussion questions
2.1. Pray that Jesus would reveal to you how to follow him in a world that opposes him. Read Matthew 13:24–43. Reflect on Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43. Taking time to reexamine what you’ve already read will help you internalize the message.
2.2. Jesus delivered this parable in Galilee, his home region, just after he told the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:3–23). What does the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat (13:24–30) have to do with the Parable of the Sower?
2.3. How would Jesus being the hometown kid influence the perception of the original audience? Who would they have thought he was talking about? Keep in mind that Jesus was mostly rejected in his home region (Luke 4:24; John 6:42; Matt 13:53–58).
2.4. This is one of the few parables Jesus explains in detail. In Matthew 13:36–43, he explains its meaning. Who are the characters and what do their various actions tell us about how God operates in the world today?
2.5. When Jesus speaks of the “close (or end) of the age,” he is referring to when he will return to earth (13:39). What does Jesus say will happen in this time to those who know him (the righteous) and to those who have refused his offer of a relationship with God (13:39–43)?
2.6. Note that Jesus directly connects the removal of those who embrace lawless deeds with the removal of the causes of sin (Matt 13:41). In light of this, what is God accomplishing in final judgment of the world?
2.7. Read 2 Peter 2:9–13. What does God ultimately desire? Why has Jesus not yet returned to judge the world (2 Pet 2:9)?
3. 5 Parts
3.1. Good Sowing
3.1.1. Matthew 13:24 (NLT) 24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.
3.2. Hostile Sowing
3.2.1. Matthew 13:25 (NLT) 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.
3.3. Growth
3.3.1. Matthew 13:26 (NLT) 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.
3.4. First Question and Answer
3.4.1. Matthew 13:27 (NLT) 27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’
3.4.2. Matthew 13:28 (NLT) 28 “ ‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “ ...
3.4.2.1. Enemy is the devil
3.4.2.2. He is the birds in the parable of the sower
3.4.2.3. Same term of devil used in Jesus' temptations
3.4.2.3.1. Matthew 4:5 (NLT) 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,
3.5. Secod Question and Answer
3.5.1. Matthew 13:28 (NLT) 28 ... ‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.
3.5.1.1. Honest Question, could have gone both ways, it was the decision of the master
3.5.2. Matthew 13:29 (NLT) 29 “ ‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do.
3.5.2.1. So "guessing" even and educated guess, was too dangerous to the health of the overall crop.
3.5.3. Matthew 13:30 (NLT) 30 Let both grow together until the harvest...
3.5.4. Matthew 13:30 (NLT) 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’ ”
3.6. The Interpretation
3.6.1. Narrative Introduction v36
3.6.1.1. Matthew 13:36 (NLT) 36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”
3.6.2. A list of 7 items from the parable
3.6.2.1. Matthew 13:37 (NLT) 37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed.
3.6.2.2. Matthew 13:38 (NLT) 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.
3.6.2.3. Matthew 13:39 (NLT) 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.
3.6.3. An apocalyptic explanation
3.6.3.1. Matthew 13:40 (NLT) 40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.
3.6.3.2. Matthew 13:41 (NLT) 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
3.6.3.3. Matthew 13:42 (NLT) 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
3.6.3.4. Matthew 13:43 (NLT) 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
3.6.4. Items not mentioned inte h interpretation
3.6.4.1. Sleeping
3.6.4.2. The departure of the enemy
3.6.4.3. The fruit
3.6.4.4. The servants and their questions
3.6.4.5. And the answer to let the wheat and the weeds to grow together.
4. It is important not to put more into a parable or any scripture that the writer/speaker is not intending
4.1. How this parable has been viewed.
4.1.1. How to deal with heretics within it's body that they had to be dealt with. This was very unfortunate for the first people to translate the Bible into English.
4.1.2. As a commentary by Matthew telling Christian readers about the separation from Judaism or the warm them against trying to purify the church of wrong doors.
4.1.3. It is viewed as a conflict within the individual between good and evil.
4.1.4. In this parable the field is not the church it is the world.
4.1.5. The world is full of people and it is impossible to tell for sure the condition of somebody's heart.
4.1.6. That is why we ought not decide in our hearts who is and who is not saved.
4.1.7. At the same time Jesus was never suggesting that we should change or avoid talking about the truth of sin and Hell.
4.1.8. Only God can see the Heart
4.1.8.1. I am so glad it is not my job to decide who is saved
4.1.8.2. I get to love people and try to inspire them to pursue God in every possible way.