First Mennonite Church
November 2, 2025
The Parable of The Wheat and Zizania (Tare)
Test: Matthew 13:24-30:
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
For many centuries, theologians have debated the meaning of this parable. They wondered if it referred to the church’s make up, suggesting there are both wheat and tare living together within the church. Or, if it referred to the mixed nature of the individual, both the believer and non-believer, where good and evil co-exist.
As we noticed while reading the parable, at its heart is the instruction not to pull out the weed growing amongst the wheat, but to let them grow side by side. The idea goes against the common gardening practice of weed abatement.
I enjoy planting and harvesting, although harvesting does not always happen when I plant. I have been planting a mini garden and have enjoyed seeing the weak and small transplants grow. Sometimes, although I put every effort and care, my plants don’t always grow. But there is something I always do: keep the weeds away.
This parable goes against my logic for gardening. I like to see my plants thrive without having to fight for space or sunlight; therefore, weeding is essential.
In this parable, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven not only to a man who goes out to his field to sow the good seed, but with everything that follows in the story. Taking from the previous parable of the mustard seed, Jesus says that the good seed is God’s potent and transforming word. The good seed is the revelation of God’s good intentions for human life to flourish. The field is the world. In that sense, the good will and design of God have been broadcast, scattered, planted throughout the world. However, there is something that happened. While everyone was sleeping the enemy plants zizania, tare in the same field where the owner had planted his good seed. Who were sleeping? It does not say who exactly. Does “everyone” include the man who sowed the good seed? Is it those who are supposed to look after and tend the field? Who is the enemy it does not say either. However, in light of the eschatological reference (that is: God’s closing of time when the final judgement comes) the owner who plants the good seed is God, the good seed is God’s good news—the gospel, and the enemy is Satan, whose followers will suffer the final judgement of God.
The field looked normal, but once the wheat grew and produced heads of grain, the laborers noticed that tare had been growing alongside the wheat. As biblical commentators say, tare looks very similar to wheat, that is until they produce heads of grain. Tare’s grain heads are coarse and prickly. Flour from it is bitter. The obvious difference of the grain seems to be confirmed in the story. It was until the wheat had grown up and produced head that the field workers found tare had all the while been growing together with the wheat. It was until the fruit had come that the difference became clear.
The grain of both the wheat and the tare was still not ready to be harvested when the tare was discovered growing together with the wheat. So, the laborers asked their master if they should pull out the tare. The master knows that if the tare is pulled out, harm will be done to the wheat. Removing evil can ruin the chances of a good harvest. So, even when evil becomes evident, the proper time for the master to take action is until harvest time comes. He then will give orders on what to do first and with which. The harvesters—the angels, Jesus says, will collect the tare first and tie them in bundles to be burned. Then the angels will gather the wheat and store them in the master’s barn.
There are a couple of important elements we should consider in this parable.
Wheat never becomes tare and neither tare will ever become wheat. That means that God’s will always leads to what is good, but evil will always cause pain and suffering.
According to this parable, the kingdom of heaven is everything that represents God’s good intentions for life and ultimately for salvation. And there is no other place where God’s good intentions have the greatest potential to become a reality, even if only glimpses of it, than among and through the people he has redeemed through Jesus Christ. God’s redeemed people are shaped and molded by God’s word. But we live in a world where wheat and the tare grow side by side. From a practical point of view, it is impossible to weed out evil in the world, and in fact, it is only God who will deal with it, ultimately. Evil is real and we see it every day. Wherever pain and suffering happen, wherever God’s will for life is hindered or obstructed, tare is flourishing.
As Christians, we run the danger of trying to weed out evil in the world. Just like the workers in Jesus’ parable who wanted to pull out the tare, we too can fall into the temptation of seeking to eradicate what we perceive as evil, whether within the church and society. As we know, it is not only Christians who tempted to weed out evil. Politicians also offer to do that through laws or defunding programs they consider are promoting or sustaining evil. And oftentimes, church people see them (these politicians) as allies in this common pursuit. Thus, they join forces in their quest of vanquishing what they consider the evil in society. Yet, by doing so, some Christians do exactly what Jesus said should not be done.
In the context of the church, zeal for purity or the pursuit of “guarding the good name of the church or its uniformity,” can lead to wanting to pull out any perceived tare growing in in it. However, in the effort to remove what is perceived as evil, families are harmed. (The story in Christian Century: Religious Trauma)
Therefore, what practical lessons can we find in this parable?
At a personal level, each of us knows the struggles we have with evil. There are times when we suddenly realize that within ourselves both wheat or tare can be found. Sometimes, we struggle internally, with thoughts that if they were revealed would show that within us still resides fertile ground where evil can grow. As Alexander Solzhenitsyn, a devout member of the Russian Orthodox Church and critic of the Soviet’s anti-religious stance wrote: “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” The obvious answer is that no one would want to cut a piece of his or her own heart. But here is the thing, if and when we realize that tare still finds fertile ground in our hearts, let us take our hearts to the one who can heal and renew it. The Lord is the healer of our hearts.
This parable is also a warning about our readiness to call for the removal of evil in society or even the church. It is God alone who will deal with evil and within his timing. Meanwhile, as much as we desire to take it upon ourselves to deal with the problem of evil, let us be patient and trusting that time will come when God will do that.
Lastly, this parable reminds us that even when we have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ and even when we strive to be good and do good, it is only God’s grace that keeps us in his good field. Thus, every Sunday when we gather, we confess our dependence on God’s grace to remain in his field. Every time we gather, we offer our hearts to God and pledge to increase our yield for a greater harvest for his glory. Amen!
Pastor Romero