The first parable given is the Parable of the Tares (or the Parable of the Tares among the Wheat). This parable should be discussed first because it is the only “Kingdom of Heaven” (KoH) parable in Matthew that Jesus explains. This explanation can be used to understand the other KoH parables.
| Parable of the Tares (Matt. 13:24-30) |
Tares Explained (Matt. 13:36-43) |
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| The Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to . . . | |||
| 13:24 | a man | the Son of Man | 13:37 |
| 13:24 | who sowed good seed | the sons of the kingdom | 13:38 |
| 13:24 | in his field | the world | 13:38 |
| 13:25 | and his enemy | the Devil | 13:39 |
| 13:25 | sowed tares | the sons of the evil one | 13:39 |
| 13:30 | and the reapers | the angels | 13:40 |
| 13:30 | (tares) burn them up | the furnace of fire | 13:42 |
| 13:30 | (wheat) into my barn | shine forth | 13:43 |
When I first read these parables I thought they were saying the KoH is like “a man” (or the Son of Man). However, I ran into some theological issue when looking at the Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Parable of the Costly Pearl. I will discuss these issue at a later time, but for now my interpretation of this is that the KoH is being compared to the whole scenario. In other words the KoH is compared to the set: the Son of Man, the sons of the kingdom, the world, the Devil, the sons of the evil one, the angels, and the furnace of fire. All these things combine are what the KoH is being compared to, not just the man.
However, this interpretation seems a little awkward. When I first think of Heaven neither this world nor the furnace of fire comes to mind. I think most Christian (and probably non-Christians) would agree. Another way to think about this is found in other gospel accounts. For instance, some of the same parables are used in Mark and Luke, the only real difference is that they say the Kingdom of God, rather than the Kingdom of Heaven. I will discuss the significance of this in my next blog. It is not such dangerous theology to call all of this the Kingdom of God, especially when we understand that Matthew probably used the word “Heaven” as a replacement word for God – remember he was writing to Jews and they did pretty much all they could to avoid using (i.e. taking in vain) God’s name. Matthew did use the phrase “Kingdom of God” four times in his gospel account. It may or may not be significant, but three of those times Jesus was speaking to Pharisees, Sadducees, and Priests and the other time he was speaking to his disciples.
The conclusion I have drawn from this parable is that the Kingdom of Heaven has been started by Jesus, there are sons of the kingdom (Christians) and sons of the Devil (the Lost) who live in this kingdom. When it is time to harvest the Christians, the Lost will be gathered up and thrown into “the furnace of fire” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The Christian will be gathered up and will “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
God Bless
P.S. I believe this parable has been used in the past as evidence for a post-tribulation rapture. It is not the intent of this entry to discuss the tribulation or the rapture, but I thought I should mention it. I personally lean towards a post-trib view, however, I am not sure I would use a parable to defend my position. Parables have a tendency to break down when they are stretched too far from their main point.
Lew,
I agree with you on all but one point. I think Jesus says that the seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but he does not say that the weeds are “in” the kingdom. He says the weeds are sons of the evil one. In other words, the kingdom is interspersed in the “field”.
I’m looking forward to your next post!
-Alan
Alan,
I guess that depends on whether or not the “kingdom” is the combination of all things in the parable or if the “kingdom” is represented by the “sons of the kingdom.”
We probably would both agree that the sons of the kingdom and the sons of the evil one are in the world, for both are planted in the field (the world).
It is not until the harvest that the angels come and remove the tares from the field and remove the wheat from the field. The tares go to the fire, the wheat are stored away in the barn.
If all of this represents the Kingdom of Heaven, then I would say that the tares are in the kingdom, just not from/of the kingdom. Much like we (Christians) are in the world, but are not meant to live according to the world.
I guess what I am saying is, that it seems to me that everything is part of the “Kingdom of Heaven” and that those things that the enemy has planted in the field of the kingdom will be removed and burned up.
What do you think?
Lew
Lew,
When I read that parable, I don’t see every item within the parable as being part of the kingdom of God. Of course, that’s the difficulty of understanding parables. Exactly what was Jesus comparing the kingdom of Heaven to? What was Jesus’ purpose for speaking this parable? What was he trying to communicate?
Of course, answering these questions are not easy. But, for me, Jesus was showing how the kingdom of Heaven exists among the people of the world, and that He did not intend to separate His people from the world until the end.
Thanks for bringing up this discussion. I look forward to discussing more parables.
-Alan
Alan,
I understand what you are saying. I am not sure I fully agree with your conclusion, although I do not think it is heretical. As you said, parables are difficult to understand. As I finish up this study I hope to have more conclusive evidence. We may find that the next few parables limit this parable to just the sons of the kingdom.
Thanks again for the comment. As always you provide excellent insight.
Lew