1. The Growth of the Kingdom Matthew 13:24-43
Logos Bible Fellowship
9/5/2007

2. Facts About the Parables
We will examine the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of 7 parables in Matthew 13 – all of which have the same theme: the kingdom of God
The parable of the wheat and the tares…
…is found only in Matthew
…is the only parable beside the parable of the sower/soils that Jesus gives the interpretation

3. Parables of the Kingdom
The seven parables in Matthew 13 fall into four groups
The parable of the sower/soils  The establishing of the kingdom
The wheat and tares, the mustard seed, and the yeast  The growth of the kingdom
The hidden treasure and the fine pearl  The value of the kingdom and the attitude of those who vigorously seek it
The dragnet  The consummation of the kingdom

4. The Wheat and the Tares “Separate the wheat from the tares”
Tares are darnel weeds, which look like wheat and are hard to distinguish from wheat until maturity
By the time the mature, when you can see the head of the wheat and they are easy to distinguish, but the roots are intertwined, so uprooting one would result in uprooting the other
Darnel seeds, when ground to flour, were semi-poisonous
“Separate the wheat from the chaff”
Chaff is useless debris that is separated from the seed while threshing
When exposed to the wind, the chaff blew away and the grains remained
John the Baptist used the wheat and chaff metaphor in Matthew 3:12

5. Examining the Parable (vv.24-30)
Kingdom of heaven like a man who sowed good seed in a field (v.24)
The enemy sowed tares (v.25)
The tares appeared after the heads were formed (v.26)
The owner of the field planted the wheat himself (v.27)

6. Examining the Parable (vv.24-30)
Uprooting the tares can result in uprooting the wheat (vv.28-29)
Both are allowed to grow together until the harvest (v.30)
During the harvest (v.30):
First, the tares will be tied in bundles and burned
Second, the wheat will be gathered and placed into the owner’s barn

7. The Need to Explain (vv.34-36)
Jesus was exclusively teaching in parables (v.34)
To reveal truth to some and to conceal truth from others (vv.11-12)
Fulfillment of the judgment prophesied in Isaiah (vv.13-15)
Fulfillment of the Psalm 78:2 prophesy (v.35)
An uttering of new revelation (v.35)
The disciples asked for an explanation (v.36)

8. Explaining the Parable (vv.37-43)
Jesus is the man who sowed good seed, the owner of the field (v.37)
The field is the world (v.38)
The good seeds are the sons of God’s kingdom (v.38)
The tares are the sons of Satan (v.38)
The enemy who sows the tares is the devil (v.39)

9. Explaining the Parable (vv.37-43)
The harvest is the end of the age (v.39)
The harvesters are angels (v.39)
Tares thrown in the fire (v.40)
Unbelievers are described as those who “cause sin and do evil” (v.41)
Hell is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (v.42)
Righteous will shine in God’s kingdom (v.43)
He who has ears, let him hear (v.43)

10. Interpretive Insights
Is the field the world, the church, or both?
Jesus said it was the world (v.38)
Can not contradict church discipline – See Matthew 18:15-17
All tares are uprooted at the final judgment, not just unbelievers within the church
If God had established the church as His presence in the world and Satan attacks God’s kingdom by sowing tares in the world, then where would you expect to see tares showing up? See Matthew 7:15-24
The World, including the Church

11. Interpretive Insights
The tares were sown by Satan and unbelievers are called his sons
JN 8:42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me…44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire.
See 1 John 3:8, 5:19
All people have a father…God or Satan
All people are sons of the devil until they are born again (John 1:12-13)

12. Interpretive Insights
The description of unbelievers as those who cause sin and do evil
Indicates that believers lives have been changed and transformed!
People cannot be saved apart from genuine and sincere repentance
Hell as a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth
A real place with real punishment given to real people (Rev. 20:10-14)

13. Meaning of the Parable
“In an agricultural setting, sowing darnel in someone else’s wheat field was a way for enemies to destroy someone’s livelihood catastrophically. It pictures Satan’s efforts to devastate the church by mingling his children with God’s, in some cases making it impossible for believers to discern the true from the false.”
John MacArthur
Exchange the word “world” for “kingdom of God” and this is a great explanation – CV

14. The Mustard Seed (vv.31-32)
The parable of the mustard seed refers to several OT passages, which prophesied of Gentiles coming into the kingdom (Ezekiel 17:23; Daniel 4:21)
The kingdom began with Israel and spread to all of the peoples of the world
No one can stop the growth of the kingdom, not even Satan (Matthew 16:18)

15. The Parable of Leaven (v.33)
The parable of the leaven illustrates that the kingdom of heaven multiplies and permeates all that it contacts – it grows and produces great results
Yeast works its way through the dough (1 Corinthians 5:6; Galatians 5:9)
No one can alter the plans of God (Psalm 33:11)
God’s purposes prevail (Proverbs 19:21; Isaiah 14:24,27, 46:10)

16. Summary/Application
The parable of the sower  the kingdom is established in the hearts of people, although many do not believe
The parable of the wheat and tares, mustard seed, and leaven  the kingdom will grow and prevail despite Satan’s opposition
God knows the hearts of men and is in control. His purposes cannot be thwarted. Trust Him!
Be in the world but not of the world. Shine forth and help the kingdom advance.
Have compassion for the lost. They are children of the devil and are will go to a real hell.

17. Group Discussion
How can we be more alert to the fact that the devil is mixing his people in among true Christians?
Why do you think God leaves unbelievers in the world until the judgment?
Should the fact that there are unbelievers and hypocrites in the church be an excuse for unbelievers to not come to Christ?
What can we do in our own lives to really show ourselves to be wheat?
What great results would you like to see in the kingdom as a result of your work?