#56 The Parable of the Wheat and the
Tares
Please
first read: Matthew 13:24-30, and 36-43
The following is taken directly from the
book “Jesus the Christ” written by Apostle James E. Talmage. In 1911 The Quorum
of the First Presidency and The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provided Elder
Talmage, a member of the Quorum, a room on the fourth floor of the Salt Lake
Temple to finish his writings on Jesus which he had begun in 1904. He
subsequently finished the work in April 1915, and it was published by the
church – a testament that Jesus is the Christ.
“Another parable,
somewhat closely related to the sower as to the actual story, dealing again
with seed and sowing, and like the first, accompanied by the interpretation,
was delivered by the Master as follows:
“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, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it
tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him,
Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye
gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow
together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the
reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles
to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matthew 13:24-30)
“When Jesus had retired to the house in which he lodged,
the disciples came, saying: “Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the
field.”
“He answered and said unto them, He
that soweth 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; The enemy that
sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world;
and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned
in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man
shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all
things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a
furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then
shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
(Matthew
13:36-43)
“By the Author’s explication, the sower was Himself, the
Son of Man; and, as the condition of the wheat and tares growing together was
one that shall continue until the “end of the world,” those who were ordained
to carry on the ministry after Him are by direct implication also sowers. The
seed as here represented is not, as in the last parable, the gospel itself, but
the children of men, the good seed typifying the honest in heart,
righteous-minded children of the kingdom; while the tares are those souls who
have given themselves up to evil and are counted as children of the wicked one.
Inspired by zeal for their Master’s profit, the servants would have forcibly
rooted the tares, but were restrained, for their unwise though well-intended
course would have endangered the wheat while yet tender, since in the early
stages of growth it would have been difficult to distinguish the one from the
other, and the intertwining of the roots would have caused much destruction of
the precious grain.
“One cardinal lesson of the parable, apart from the
representation of actual conditions present and future, of that of patience,
long-suffering, and toleration – each an attribute of Deity and a trait of
character that all men should cultivate. The tares mentioned in the story may
be considered as any kind of noxious weed, particularly such as in early growth
resembles the wholesome grain. Over-sowing with the seed of weeds in a field
already sown with grain is a species of malignant outrage not unknown even in
the present day. The certainty of a time of separation, when the wheat shall be
garnered in the store-house of the Lord, and the tares be burned, that their
poisonous seed may reproduce no more, is placed beyond question by the Lords
own exposition.
“So important is the lesson embodied in the parable, and
so assured is the literal fulfilment of its contained predictions, that the
Lord has given a further explication through revelation in the current
dispensation, a period in which the application is direct and immediate.
Speaking through Joseph Smith the Prophet in 1832, Jesus Christ said:
“But
behold, in the last days, even now while the Lord is beginning to bring
forth the word, and the blade is springing up and is yet tender – Behold,
verily I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord day and
night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the
fields; But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is
yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.
Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the
harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the
tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound
in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned.” (D & C 86:4-7)
Although Jesus is now drawing and
addressing large crowds, he has, as his primary concern, teaching his disciples
and especially preparing the Twelve to continue sowing and tending to the
gospel seed after his crucifixion. The responsibility to stand strong against
fierce opposition will be theirs, and they must be made ready.
We know from the teachings of the Prophet
Joseph Smith that here Jesus is not only talking about the kingdom in his days.
The Gospel will shortly again be taken from the earth with the deaths of the
Twelve. The message of this parable will also apply to the restoration and
growth of the church in this dispensation. Satan and his followers have
continued from then to now to sow tares throughout the world. Since the
restoration of the Gospel in our day good seed is now again being sown. The
Gospel has been restored for the final time before the Lord returns. The
gathering has begun and the time is soon to come for the tares to be gathered
in and burned, and the harvest – the children of the kingdom – the harvest of
God’s vineyard will take place.
In this parable Jesus has summarized the
apostasy, latter day restoration, the growth of the kingdom, the millennial
cleansing of the earth, the return of the Son of Man, and the celestial
exaltation of the faithful. Seed, mature plant, harvest.
“Both the Church and the
earth shall be cleansed before the Son of Man returns; members of his kingdom,
which is the Church, shall be cast out among the wicked in the day of
destruction preceding the personal reign of our Lord on earth.” McConkie
Glenn
R. McGettigan
February
2019
References
“Teachings
of the Prophet Joseph Smith.” Smith
“Doctrinal
New Testament Commentary.” McConkie
“The
Mortal Messiah.” Volume 2. McConkie
“Jesus
the Christ.” Talmage
