The Wheat and the Tares

Another parable He set forth before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while he was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed also darnel (weeds resembling wheat) among the wheat, and went on his way. So when the plants sprouted and formed grain, the darnel (weeds) appeared also. And the servants of the owner came to him and said, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then how does it have darnel shoots in it? He replied to them, an enemy has done this. The servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and weed them out? But he said, No, lest in gathering the wild wheat (weeds resembling wheat), you root up the [true] wheat along with it. Let them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will say to the reapers, Gather the darnel first and bind it in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my granary.    Matthew 13:24-30 AMP

I had planned to share more dreams in this post, but felt that the Lord has led me to this subject instead. As I shared last time, I believe we are in a time of harvest, but I also believe we are in a time of threshing and separation. Threshing involves beating the wheat, in order to separate the outer hull (which represents our carnal or sinful nature) from the wheat. As I stated previously, the Lord is going to cleanse His church and burn up the chaff, which includes the hulls and waste materials, which are of no value. And this usually happens through trials and shaking events. But, after listening to a word by another brother in the Lord, I also sensed the Lord reiterating a word He has spoken to me about in the past. That is that we are in a time of separation, not only from things that are ungodly or unprofitable (time wasters), but also some relationships that are detrimental or keep us from doing the things God has called us to do.

Jesus explained the meaning of the parable of the wheat and the tares in verses 37-42:

He answered, He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed means the children of the kingdom; the darnel is the children of the evil one. And the enemy who sowed it is the devil. The harvest is the close and consummation of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the darnel (weeds resembling wheat) is gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of offense [persons by whom others are drawn into error or sin] and all who do iniquity and act wickedly, And will cast them into the furnace of fire; there will be weeping and wailing and grinding of teeth. Then will the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with God) shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Matthew 13:37-43a AMP

Notice what Jesus said in verse 38, “the darnel is the children of the evil one.” I remember reading that darnel looks just like regular wheat, until it produces fruit, at the time of the harvest; only then can you tell the difference between the real wheat and the darnel. These are people among the children of God, who profess to be Christians, but as verse 41 says, they cause offense (cause others to stumble), “persons by whom others are drawn into error or sin, who do iniquity and act wickedly.” These are people that teach false doctrine, and/or cause division and strife and are used by the enemy to bring spiritual warfare against others.

I believe the Lord is calling His people to walk in greater discernment and separate or at least distance ourselves from these kinds of people. You can pray for them, but then give them to the Lord and don’t allow them to steal your joy and prevent you from doing what God has called you to do with your life. God bless you all.

In Christ ~ Kelly Rowe

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