Matthew the apostle wrote how 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. He answered and said unto them, He that sows the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one”, and in chapter thirteen and verse thirty-nine of his book, Matthew wrote how Jesus tells His disciples, “the enemy that sowed in them is the devil” where we read:
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world;
and the reapers are the angels.
The verse reads, “The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world;” Matthew began with the words, “the enemy” which means “the hateful, opposing, hostile and odious one” “that sowed them” or “who scattered the tares” “is the devil” which means “the slanderous, accusing falsely, calumniator and traducer”; “the harvest” or “the act of reaping and gathering” “is the end” which means “the completion and consummation” “of the world” or “pertaining to the unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity and age. Matthew shared how the “enemy” in the parable of the “tares” is the “devil” himself, and the “gathering and reaping” is when the “end” of this present age shall be complete.
The verse continues, “and the reapers are the angels.” Matthew added the words, “and the reapers” which means “and the gatherers and harvesters” “are the angels” or “are the messengers and envoys” of the living God. Matthew shared how Jesus said the messengers of God are assigned to the task of “reaping” the earth.
When we consider Matthew's words in this verse, we see how Jesus specifically relates to His disciples what the “parable of the tares” means. Piece by piece Jesus identified each of the people, places and actions of each part of His story. There is no need to speculate upon any of Jesus' parable as we realize He is the “sower”, those who receive it are the “good seed”, the enemy who sowed the “tares” is the “devil” and the “tares” are those who are in opposition to Jesus and His “good news”. The time for judgment shall come, and the “harvest” will be made by “angels” who shall separate the “good seed” from the “bad”, and those who have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ shall be saved, and those who do not shall be eternally separated from Almighty God.
Next time Matthew shares how Jesus told His disciples, “the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world”, 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"
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; download to e-books, and find it locally at
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