Of Wheat and Tares

Jesus told many stories called Parables. It was His way of teaching. These stories challenge our expectations, provoke our thoughts, and inspire us.

Jesus’ parables are meant to teach us how to live godly lives, how to live in community and treat with others, they teach us what truly matters and cause us to make serious decisions about the future.

One such parable, the story of wheat and tares, found in Matthew 13:24-30 with an essential addition in verses 36 to 43, ought to force you to reassess your life. Where do you want to be for all eternity? I’m not talking about when you die, I am referring to the end of the age, when all is good and done and Jesus sends the harvesters to separate the wheat from the tares, weeding out of His Kingdom “all causes of sin and all evildoers”.

My beloved, no one knows when the Son of Man will return as the Righteous Judge, so you have to decide today, if you want to be a son of the Kingdom, or a son of the evil one.

While it may be too late when you see the angels approaching with sickles in hand, it’s not too late right now to determine your fate.

Every day we make decisions about one thing or another, and the ability to change our minds about that decision is a fact we take for granted. Sometimes we make great decisions and there are times when we regret the decisions that we’ve made but all decisions have an outcome.

Every day, a person somewhere decides to reject Jesus as their personal Saviour. A decision that will not only affect their lives here on earth now but for all eternity. It is a life-or-death choice we have to make.

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” (Deuteronomy 30:19 NRSV)

Out for a drive with a friend, who made the decision to “choose life”, he began telling me of the baptism experience he’d had only the day before. Filled with excitement, he related his poignant tale of how he got to this point and the reason behind his life-changing decision. His happiness was palpable. Teary-eyed, I could hear the melodic sounds of violins as he spoke. Just then, someone cut him off. That dunk of yesterday was dunked at that point, as the words that effortlessly flowed out of the once pious mouth contained primary, secondary, and tertiary colours. To say I was stunned was less than descriptive of my utter astonishment.

Beloved, you may have recited the sinner's prayer, you may have professed your belief, and like my friend, your priest or pastor may have submerged you in that water and brought you back up again, that’s not enough to save you. All those things are only outward symbols; first steps in a plethora of many more steps.

Scripture tells us, “work on your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12 NRSV). Salvation is no curbside pickup, you need to work on it every single day, because “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).

Look at my friend, his spirit indeed was willing on Sunday afternoon but by Monday morning his weak flesh came rolling in fast and furious.

Jesus cares deeply about you and the choices you make. I believe that is why He took the time to explain this particular parable. The decision you make today will determine the future you have tomorrow. Jesus does not want you to make a decision that will be detrimental to you even now and worse yet in eternity. He wants to be in relationship with you and does not want you to suffer the consequences of separation from God – He wants reconciliation, not alienation.

“The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NRSV)

I sincerely pray that today, you will choose life, come to repentance, and work on your own salvation by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Shelley Johnson “Of Wheat and Tares” © January 29, 2025