Wheat and Tares Parable ~ by Allen Brooks

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Luke 13:24-30, 36-43 

“Another parable put he forth unto them saying, 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 house holder came and said unto his, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto the, 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. 

36. Then 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 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. The Son 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.” 


Observations:

Folks, please note one very important point in this parable: Harvest is always associated with resurrection. I hope you know that. If you do not know that, do a word study in your Bibles. 

Sowed good seed in a field. 
Enemy sowed tares or bad seed in with wheat. 
Jesus, the Son of Man sowed the good seed in His Generation. Jesus came only to the lost sheep of Israel. Therefore we know that Jesus is speaking about His generation. 
At the Harvest, the tares are gathered first. Now in the supposedly rapture, that the premillennials believe in, the wheat is gathered first. But this scripture refutes that idea. 
And if there is a supposedly general resurrection at the end of time and all the dead (wheat and tares) are raised at the same time, this parable refutes that idea. The tares are gathered first and burned in the fire. 

Jesus, was the firstfruit and the Bible makes clear that the firstfruit is gathered prior to the harvest, but that the harvest is immediately thereafter not next season. 
The end of the world is the end of the age not the end of the physical universe and earth. The word world here in the Greek is AION meaning age.The end of the age is the end of the Mosaic Covenant or the law. 

So, in essence, this had to be the destruction of apostate Israel who were the tares. The born again Jews of Jesus generation lived along side the apostate Israel until the parousia of Christ where Jesus destroyed the tares by His appearing. The typology of this is the fact that Ishmael and Isaac lived together in Abraham’s house until Hagar, the bondwoman and Ishmael were cast out. The inheritance could not be given to Isaac until Ishmael was cast out because Ishmael was the first born. However, Ishmael was a child of the flesh while Issac was the child of promise or Spirit. Thus fleshly Israel was of the law and fleshly (the old covenant), and the saved Jews were of the new covenant of grace and were of the Spirit. These two covenants existed side by side until the Harvest or judgment. 

Let us look at the old testament typology of the harvest and firstfruits to help us understand this parable. 

“There are actually two Firstfruits. The Firstfruits celebration that occurs the day following the Sabbath after Passover is considered Early Firstfruits. Fifty days later the Latter Firstfruits occurs, called the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost). 

Early Firstfruits was the first harvest of the spring. By this time of year, in Israel, many fruits have ripened and are ready to eat. The owner of such fruit brought the first-picked fruit to the Temple as a special sacrifice. The farmers in Israel were required to mark the fruits and grains designated that were most progressed in their growth. After marking them, sometime with a red yarn, the farmer would declare them to be firstfruits. The marked samplings were taken to the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to God. 


1 Corinthians 15:20-24 says, “But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits: afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power” 

Now this should be clear that Jesus is the Early Firstfruits First fruit can be translated “firstborn: Jesus was the firstborn from the dead. This is resurrection. 
But what about the Latter Firstfruits? Well fifty days after the Early firstfruit comes the latter Firstfruits. When did that happen? The Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles fifty days after the resurrection. In the book of James, chapter 1, verse 18 James says, “ of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of Firstfruits of His creatures”. Therefore the disciples became the firstfirsts as well. Also, in the book of Revelation chapter 14 verse 4, it talks about the 144,000.


It says, “these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth”. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb”. These were the Jews who accepted Christ as their Savior between AD30 and AD70. Now we have to remember, that the firstfruits are gathered before the harvest and this is the order stated in First Corinthians. First Jesus, then the Latter Firstfruits, and lastly, the harvest. 

We now have to go to Matthew Chapter nine to find the Harvest at the end of the old covenant or as the King James puts it “the end of the world.” 

Matthew 9: “But when He (Jesus) saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then said he unto his disciples, “The Harvest is (present tense) truly plenteous, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send forth labourers in this harvest” 

The question is, “how could Jesus say that the Harvest is already plenteous”? This is present tense isn’t it? The labourers had yet taken the message to the Gentiles who would also become part of the firstfruits and harvest. Also, the old covenant was still in place and Jesus had not yet gone to the cross. The end of the old covenant would be manifested by harvest or resurrection signifying the inauguration of the New Covenant of grace. 
This makes sense doesn’t it? 

Now we know that the time of the Harvest was when Babylon the Great Whore is judged in the Book of Revelation. Babylon is adulterous Israel. Therefore, the harvest took place during the destruction of the temple, Jerusalem, and the judgment of Israel in AD70. The old covenant of death was abolished and the New Covenant of grace was made. Christ brought about resurrection from sin-death to life in Christ Jesus. He that liveth and believeth in me shall never die, but is passed from death to life in Christ. This my dear friends was the harvest that took place at the end of the old covenant age. 

I hope now you may understand the parable of the seed, the firstfruits, and the harvest. 

We now live in the New Heaven and New Earth, Jesus sits on His throne as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. All rule and authority has been given to Jesus. 

As Matthew 9 verse six states: “then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of the Father.’ Praise God, His Kingdom has come and there shall be no end to it. It is the everlasting Kingdom. Blessed be the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.