(Text and Audio)
*This is the correct passage, in the intro I say Matthew 13:18-23 but I later correct myself
Title: The Parable of the Tares (Part 1)
I’d like to begin this morning with our reading and prayer, and then move into the introduction, I think in a moment you’ll understand why.
(read/pray)
The way Matthew lays out the next 25 verses provides for some exegetical issues for a pastor like me, who preaches through books.
Let me explain why the format of the next few sermons is going to be a bit unorthodox.
Turn with me in Matthew 13:24…
Here is an outline of Matthew 13
24-30: Parable of the Tares
31-32: Parable of the Mustard Seed
33: Parable of the Leaven
34-35: Prophecy about parables
36-43: Parable of the Tares Explained
So, obviously, this presents me with a choice. On one hand, I can preach the parable of the Tares this morning, then next week jump ahead to verses 36-43 and preach the explanation of the parable, and then the following week, circle back to the parable of the mustard seed.
Or, on the other hand, I can preach the material in the order that Matthew has arranged it.
Anyone want to guess which one we are going to do?
Let me say that I don’t think either method would be “wrong” but after thinking about it, I’ve decided to preach this chapter in the order that is was arranged by Matthew. Let me give you some reasons why:
Preaching the Material in the order Matthew records it:
- Even if the material seems to be arranged in a strange way, it was put in that order by a sovereign God.
- When Jesus taught this material, he did it all at once, and Matthew recorded it that way. There wasn’t much of a gap between the parable and it’s explanation. The gap only concerns us because of the systematic way in which we exegetically teach small passages of scripture week after week.
- I don’t want to begin arranging scripture so that it’s “easier” on any level.
So, with that being said, let’s take a minute and talk about this: there are some questions that naturally arise because of the arrangement of the material. To make matters more challenging, this parable only occurs in the Gospel of Matthew, therefore there is no parallel account in Luke or Mark to compare it to. So, before we begin our reading today, let’s get some questions and answers on the table as we move forward.
Questions:
Q: Why did the disciples need and explanation on this parable, but not on the Parable of the Mustard Seed or Leaven?
A: Perhaps because this one, particularly it’s application, confused the disciples. It is a parable with several layers, and as we will see in a few weeks, it is VERY important that we recognize WHERE the field is.
Q: Why did the disciples let Jesus talk about the Mustard Seed, Leaven, and prophecy, before “circling back” to ask about the Mustard Seed?
A: Don’t you do this? Don’t we all. We process something and when we realize it isn’t clicking, and an explanation isn’t being provided, we raise our hand.
Other Questions?
Observations from the Parable:
- “The kingdom of Heaven is like…” Jesus is definitively clear here on what is being illustrated. In his previous parable, of the Sower, he doesn’t initially offer that information.
- “good seed in his field…” This is noteworthy for two reasons: 1. Jesus is using another agricultural example which would be familiar to his audience. 2. He just finished the parable of the sower, so the lessons from that parable are still fresh in the minds of the disciples.
- “tare” Tares=Weeds We will get into this more in a few weeks, but, for now, who here are gardeners? (Mary and I are NOT, we have been known to kill fake plants) Why are weeds so troublesome? What do they do? (They take the nutrients meant for the good plants and keep it for themselves.)
- “An enemy has done this” When the servants question the master, they are essentially asking: did you make a mistake? His answer is “No. I did not do this, the enemy did.” So I think we are able to deduce two things here: 1. God knows what he planted and where. 2. (A bit more difficult of a truth to swallow) God allowed the enemy to sow tares. There was a purpose for them. And, trust me on this, Jesus gives some great insight as to why this is allowed to happen when he offers his explanation of the parable which we will look at in a few weeks.
- “At the time of the harvest” The command is that there will be a separation of the wheat from the tares, the profitable from the unprofitable, the good from the evil…but that separation comes at the master’s appointed time.
In other words, if we look at just these five observations, before we even look at Jesus’ explanation, we can come to some conclusions:
- Jesus is an organized, systematic teacher.
- He often builds on what he has previously taught.
- The idea of the sovereignty of God is ALL OVER his teachings.
pray
Q/A