Harvesting the Wheat and Tares - Matthew 13:30

Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus told the multitude and His disciples, “The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, did not you sow good seed in your field? from where then has it tares? But he said, No; lest while you gather up the tares, you root up also the wheat with them”, and in chapter thirteen and verse thirty of his book, Matthew wrote how Jesus tells the multitude and His disciples how the householder continued, “let both grow together until the harvest” where we read:

Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather you together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

The verse reads, “Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather you together first the tares, ...” Matthew began with the words, “let both” which means “allow and permit the good and bad seed to” “grow together” or “increase in size with each other” “until the harvest” which means “to the extent and term of the act of reaping and gathering”; “and in the time” or “at due measure, the decisive epoch and the fixed and definite time” “of harvest” which means “pertaining to gathering and reaping” “I will say” or “the householder will utter, declare and proclaim” “to the reapers” which means “toward the harvesters, collectors and gatherers”, “Gather you together” or “collect to carry of” “first” which means “chiefly, principal and at the beginning” “the tares” which refers to “the darnels or bad seed”. Matthew shared how Jesus said the “householder” instructed his “servants” to wait until the “gathering time” in which he would tell those “reaping” to collect the “tares” or “bad seed” at the beginning of the harvest.

The verse goes on to say, “... and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew continued with the words, “and bind them” which means “and fasten the tares” “in bundles” or “in aggregations or packages” “to burn them” which means “to consume wholly the tares”: “but” or “nevertheless, moreover and” “gather” which means “harvest and collect” “the wheat” or “the grain, corn or good germinated plants” “into my barn” which means “in the householder's storehouse or granary”. Matthew shared how Jesus said the “householder” instructed his “servants” to put the “tares” in aggregates and “burn” them with fire, and afterward “harvest and collect” the “grain” and put it into his “storehouse”.

When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how the “householder” allowed for the growth of the “bad seed” along with the “good”. Even though the “bad seed” would not produce “good fruit” it was allowed to continue until the “harvest time”. Thus it is and shall be with the “good” and “bad” ideas concerning the salvation of man. God sent His Son Jesus into the world to die for the “sins” of all people, and this “gospel” or “good seed” is present among all the other “bad seed” ideas that portend to “save” mankind. The “bad seed” will be “gathered together”,burned and wholly consumed, and the “good seed” or those who believe in the “gospel of Jesus Christ” shall be gathered into God's “storehouse” forever.

Next time Matthew shares how Jesus shares, “another parable” with the multitude and His disciples, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.