Note.—There is a marked difference between the manner of the Saviour’s teaching in the present lesson and that recorded in the lesson of last week. The difference seems to have been occasioned by the attitude of the Jews. Christ had taught them plainly, but they refused to hear; now He taught by parables, and those who desired to know the meaning of the parables received their explanation from the Saviour’s own lips. The Jews had been opposing Christ at every step, and seeking to catch Him in His words, that they might have an excuse for putting Him to death; but they did not understand the meaning of the parables nor comprehend the truths contained therein. Those who were not looking for truth for truth’s sake could find nothing in the parable with which to condemn the Teacher or hinder His work; and yet the truth was not hidden from those who were seeking, with honest hearts, to know the truth of God.
24 “Another parable set He before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his 25 field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares 26 also among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares 27 also. And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? 28 whence then hath it tares? And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then 29 that we go and gather them up? But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.” 36 “Then He left the multitudes, and went into the house; and His disciples came unto Him, saying, Explain unto us the 37 parable of the tares of the field. And He answered and said, 38 He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the sons of the 39 kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy that sowed them is the devil; and the harvest is the end 40 of the world; and the reapers are angels. As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the 41 end of the world. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that cause 42 stumbling, and them that do iniquity; and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of 43 teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He that hath ears, let him hear.”
Golden Text: “He that soweth the good seed” is the Son of man.” Matt. 13: 37.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) In what way does Christ begin to teach, as shown in this chapter? Verse 24, also verse 3. (2) With what does this parable deal? Same verse. (3) To what does He liken it? Same verse. Note 1. (4) Who also sowed seed in the same field? Verse 25. (5) What circumstance made the sowing possible and fruitful? Same verse. Note 2. (6) What was the result of the sowing? Verse 26. Note 3. (7) What question did the servants ask of the owner of the field? Verse 27. (8) What did he reply? Verse 28. (9) What further question did they ask him? Same verse. (10) What did he reply? Verse 29. (11) What reason did he give for not allowing the tares to be gathered at that time? Same verse. (12) How long did he say they should be allowed to grow together? Verse 30. (13) What command would be given to the reapers at harvest-time? Same verse. Note 4. (14) After Jesus had sent away the multitude, who came to Him? Verse 36. (15) What did they desire Him to do? Same verse. (16) In answering them, who did he say was the sower of the good seed? Verse 37. (17) What is the field? Verse 38. (18) Who are the good seed? Same verse. (19) Who are the tares? Same verse. (20) Who is the sower of the tares? Verse 39. (21) What is the harvest? Same verse. (22) Who are the reapers? Same verse. (23) How were the tares disposed of after gathering them out from the wheat? Verse 40. (24) How will the wicked be destroyed after being separated from the righteous? Same verse, with verses 41 and 42. (25) How will it be with the righteous at that time? Verse 43. (26) With what admonition does the Saviour close His explanation of the parable? Same verse.
NOTES.
1. A man that sowed good seed.—That man is God and the sowing was done through Christ. While all the words of Christ’s teachings are good seeds, yet the seeds to which the Saviour here refers are the followers of Christ themselves. Upon the persecution of the Christians at Jerusalem in the time of Philip, the Christians were scattered abroad and “went everywhere preaching the Gospel.” They were like seeds which the wind scatters. The scattering but fulfils the object for which they were created, for in each place to which they went, others13sprang up like grain-bearing stalks where the sower has scattered his grain.
2. But while men slept.—While parables are not always applicable in all their details, yet there is a beautiful truth brought to view in this verse. It was not the Sower who slept, for “He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep;” it was while men slept—while they were asleep to their eternal interests. While Christians are sending their missionaries—the good seed—throughout the world, Satan has his missionaries working right among them, on the same ground, among the same people. It is a sad fact, too, that many of these missionaries for the wicked one put more of their life and soul into their work than the missionaries for God do into theirs. They throw their whole soul into the work, and only when Christians do likewise can they expect to compete with these powers of evil. God can not use a half hearted-worker.
3. Then appeared the tares also.—It was difficult to distinguish between the tares and the wheat until near the time for harvesting. “There can be no mistake then. As once I heard it remarked in that country, ‘The ears which God has blessed bow their heads, but these accursed tares stick theirs above the whole field.’ For the tare then carries a tall, light head of small, dark grains, which in every respect contrasts with the weighty, golden ear of the good seed.”—Thomson. The tare is said to be the only grass which bears a poisonous seed, “a fitting symbol of the fruit of the devil’s sowing.” It is both a narcotic and an emetic, and can not be eaten without producing nausea, even when mixed with good flour.
4. Bind them in bundles to burn.—The fate of the tares will be the fate of the wicked. This is not a figure of speech, but a statement by the Saviour Himself of what will actually occur. It is also forcibly expressed in Mal. 4:1, 3: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.” There will be no endless torment in such punishment as here mentioned. The chaff and the tares will be as tho they had not been. So will be the condition of the wicked, as shown by the Saviour’s parable and the text above quoted.
