The LORD has purposed that His kingdom have both good seed and bad, wheat and tares, sheep and goats. It demonstrates all of the glorious attributes of God and King over His creation in that all that lives, moves, and has its being is in Him!
We imagine a perfect world with all evil and injustice removed. God has purposed a world that is fallen, wherein the whole world lieth in wickedness, and yet HE is still God, and rules and reigns over it all, to bring glory to Himself in the saving of some (paradoxically called ‘the few and yet the many), or in the condemning of others.
The Sower and the good seed sown:
This is no more clearly demonstrated than in the parable of the Sower who sowed good seed in his field, v. 24. The man which sowed good seed is none other than the LORD Jesus Christ. The good seed He sowed is His death, burial, and resurrection, that our LORD compared to a seed sown, that must die, but then bears the fruit like unto the seed sown, but many times over fruitful, John 12:24. The field is the world, and yet it is called His field, v. 24. Again a reminder that the world belongs to the LORD Jesus Christ. He prayed in the garden thanking His Father for giving Him power (authority) over ALL flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as the Father has given Him, John 17:2. Can He not do with His own what He will? Matthew 20:15.
The enemy and the tares:
v. 25- ‘But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.’ While some would reason that it is because the men slept that the enemy sowed the tares, but the sleeping is not for lack of watchfulness, but rather resting after a day’s labor, as you would expect. Clearly, the enemy entering and sowing the tares is according to God’s purpose judging from the Master’s response to their question to go and gather up the tares, v. 28. The answer is ‘Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them,’ v. 29.It is significant that the tares and wheat at a certain point appear to be the same, but ultimately time will tell. For example, Judas Iscariot was not manifest as a tare until right before the time when he was to betray our LORD Jesus. Outwardly, not even the other disciples perceived him as ‘the son of perdition.’John 17:12. At the last supper when the LORD said ‘that one of you shall betray me,’ Matthew 26:21, none of the disciples at the table said, ‘It’s Judas!’ Rather, ‘they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, LORD, is it I?Matthew 26:22.
Let them grow together:
Our LORD said, ‘Let both grow together until the harvest.’v. 30. The same LORD of the harvest who sends laborers into His harvest field, Matthew 9:38, is the One who separates the wheat from the tares in the end of the harvest. By "the harvest" is meant "the end of the world",v. 39. The wheat represent the elect of God who are redeemed by the blood of Christ and called by the Spirit of grace, Luke 22:31. The tares are the seed of the serpent, destined for condemnation, Genesis 3:15. When they are ordered to "grow together", the meaning is, according to the LORD’S determining in time and duration. The tares may not acknowledge it, but it is of the LORD’S mercies that He allows the tares to be beside the wheat, benefiting from all that the LORD ordains for the wheat, even though they themselves will know only condemnation. It is a mercy to dwell even for a moment on God’s earth and not be immediately cast into hell At the same time, it is a reminder to the wheat that they are who they are by the grace of God alone. 1 Corinthians 4:7-‘For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
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