“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.”
Here again we see how busy Satan is in seeking to mar the work of God in building up His kingdom. What Satan cannot hinder he will try to corrupt and spoil. We have our Lord’s explanation of the parable. He Himself is the Sower; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one, called here His “enemy.”
Thus we get the distinct teaching that ungodly people are being associated with the kingdom by Satan, and are there so mingled with the saints, the “children of the kingdom,” that the instruction is to let both go on until the end of the age. Then the Son of man will send forth His angels and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity. These shall he cast 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.
Along with the fact here revealed that there are “children of the wicked one” associated with the kingdom of heaven, it is important to see that the instruction to let all go on together has nothing to do with allowing evil or wicked persons to remain in an assembly. Here it is in the world, and concerning the great outward profession called “the kingdom of heaven.” There are other scriptures quite as distinct, showing that evil is not to be allowed in the assembly. For instance, when evil had been made manifest in the assembly at Corinth, the injunction is, “Put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” (Cor. 5:13.)
Another important point to see is that “the children of the wicked one” will continue in this connection until the end of the age, and at the last it will be God’s instruments who will purge out the evil. This at once shows how vain and delusive it is to expect that the world will be converted by the means of Missionary, Bible, Tract and other Societies, together with the preaching of the gospel. God’s messengers are sent, not to convert the world, but to “visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name” (Acts 15:14), and then to instruct and edify the same when called out. Now surely it is very important to have God’s thoughts about what He is doing, so that our prayers and labors and expectations may be in unison and fellowship with the Lord Himself.
And this should in no way cool down our zeal. The gospel is to be preached fully and freely to every creature under heaven, and men are to be exhorted and invited with all the earnestness that the love of Christ and a love of souls can beget, praying men to be reconciled to God. (2 Cor. 5:19.) Yea, with all the more zeal, because we know from the parables that Satan is busy, endeavoring to hinder the work, and it was while men slept that Satan accomplished his purpose.
Before leaving this parable it may be well to see that it does not clash with the Christiana hope of the coming of his Lord. The parable does say, “Gather ye together first the tares,” thus leaving the wheat; and some may not easily see how this agrees with the church being taken up first, leaving the wicked, according to the epistles to the Thessalonians.
The explanation, we doubt not, is, that here it is the kingdom that is under consideration, and not the church. We may be in both; but when we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air, according to 1 Thess. 4:15-18, the kingdom will go on. And the end of the world, or age, is not till after the church is taken away. We know from scripture that there will be saints on the earth after the church is taken up. So that the order of events is
The taking up of the church.
The kingdom goes on, and others are brought into the kingdom.
The wicked are taken first at the end of the age.
God will establish His kingdom in righteousness.
Thus we see that this parable is concerning the kingdom of heaven, and not the church; that evil men will be in the kingdom to the end of the age—the direct work of Satan. They shall be eventually gathered out and sent into perdition. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father”—a glorious portion surely, but not to be confounded with the glory that awaits those who will be caught up to meet their Lord in the air. May the Lord hasten it in His own time!
The Grain of Mustard-seed.
Matt. 13:31, 32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18, 19.
“The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard-seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.”
It has been found to be a difficulty to point out a “mustard-seed” that would grow large enough to answer the description in the parable. This does not, however, affect the teaching intended to be conveyed. The kingdom of heaven began as a small, insignificant thing in the eyes both of the world and of those who claimed to be God’s people on earth. It has, however, grown to be like a tree, with “great branches.” The only difficulty is, as to who are pointed out by the “birds of the air.” We get the key to its meaning in the parable of the sower. In that there are also “ fowls of the air,” but they devour the seed sown by the wayside, and this, in the interpretation by our Lord, is said to be the work of Satan (Mark 4:15); they must, then, be associated with that which is evil. (Compare also Acts 10:12; Jas. 3:7; Rev. 18:2.) Now, as we see plainly in the parable of the wheat and tares how evil men are introduced, so it is here: they take shelter among the branches of the great tree. And, alas! we have only to look around at the professing church to see how many of the unconverted are sheltered under its branches. These, too, are not simply those who come to quiet their consciences by becoming religious, but, alas! many are to be found in the higher branches of place and power, daring to take upon themselves the “cure of souls,” and purchase the same as they would a mere worldly profession! Over their heads is said, in the Church of England, “Receive the Holy Ghost, for the office and work of a priest in the church of God, now committed unto thee, by the imposition of hands. Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven; and whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained,” &c.; and forthwith they take shelter under the great tree. If the blessings connected with the kingdom were alluded to, doubtless we should read of the fruits to be gathered from the tree; but of this there is not a word. It is simply a tree with great branches, in which the birds take shelter; not, indeed, becoming actually a part of the tree but simply finding shelter among its branches—a type, surely of the evil we see all around us. May God open the eyes of those who can see nothing but progress and blessing. Blessings we have, through mercy, but they are not what the parable teaches.
The Leaven. Matt. 13:33; Luke 13:20, 21.
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”
This follows the parable of the mustard-seed, and is similar in its teaching. Seeing that scripture uniformly uses leaven as a type of evil, it is surprising that this parable is so repeatedly explained as teaching the “invisible working of grace.” It must be because Christians, who look for universal progress, improvement, and a converted world, are loathe to see that our Lord, instead of this bright prospect, foretold evil first—evil in the kingdom of heaven, or the professing church which now answers to it. There will, indeed, be a time of universal blessing, as we know (Isa. 11:9), but not until the Lord Himself comes, and purges out of His kingdom all things that offend, as is taught in Matt. 13:41, and other passages.
Without a doubt, then, leaven signifies evil doctrine (as “the tares,” and “the birds of the air,” pointed out evil persons), and, as its name implies, it works secretly, as yeast when mixed with meal. And can anyone be so blind as not to see how wide-spread are evil doctrines in this our day? The Bible, that was once appealed to by all, is now itself called in question, and assailed on every hand. Instead of that being their judge (John 12:48), men, while calling it the word of God, are judging it! We must not wonder, then, that doctrines are thought little of amid the running wild of men’s thoughts. “Damnable heresies” is God’s own term respecting the evils that are associated with His professing people, and by “feigned words” many are drawn aside. (2 Pet. 2:1-3.) How needful, then, to be able, by the word and the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to discern all that is not of God, and to turn away from such!