I. The Tares & The Wheat-Sin Due To Imitation Vs. 24-30; 36-43

A. The Kingdom (True Church)) Belongs To Jesus Vs. 24, 37, 38a

1. The field represents all mankind
2. Humanity belongs to Jesus by ownership, but not all choose to submit to Him
3. The kingdom of heaven comes forth from the world, & exists in the world
4. Only those who respond to Jesus in faith are part of His kingdom (church)
5. The good seed represents the word of God & those saved by accepting Jesus

B. The Enemy (Satan) Also Works In The Field Vs. 25-28; 39

1. Historically, an enemy would sow tares in a man’s field; tares compete w/the wheat, use up the nutrients, and produce no fruit
2. Tares (darnel) produce a narcotic poison, induce sleep, and become most toxic just prior to harvest time. They are most dangerous towards the end
3. In church history: Satan first tried to attack the church, then he learned to join it
4. Satan works in the hearts of people, spreading a message of similarity, imitation
5. (Counterfeit Christians, 2 Cor. 11:26) (Counterfeit Gospel, Galatians 1:6-9)
(Counterfeit righteousness, Romans 10:1-3) (Counterfeit Church, Rev. 2:9)
(Counterfeit Jesus, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12)

C. Both Jesus & Satan Have A Crop

1. The wheat (the believers) belong to Jesus-“sons of the kingdom” Vs. 38b
2. The tares (unbelievers) belong to Satan-“sons of the wicked one” Vs. 38c

D. The Wheat & The Tares Exists Side By Side Vs. 26

1. In their early stages of growth, tares and wheat look identical
2. It is not until they are mature that the difference is recognized
3. This tells us that in what is called Christianity, & in what is called the church, there are “false” Christians existing side by side among the true believers
4. Are there hypocrites in what is called the church? Absolutely!

E. The Day Of Harvest Is Coming

1. Wheat & the tares grow side by side until the harvest Vs. 28b-30, 39b-43
2. The tares (unbelievers) may feel safe while side by side w/the wheat (believers)
3. True believers often sense that there are false believers among them
4. The true test in discerning wheat from tares is fruitfulness. Is there fruit?
5. Even so, we can want to root people out, remove them, when in actuality, with some people, we cannot truly know if they are wheat or tares
6. The awful day of harvest (judgment) will come, when Jesus will separate the true believer from the false believer. It is God’s job to sort them out.

a. For the unbelievers- terrible punishment
b. For the believer- wonderful blessing in God’s presence

II. The Mustard Seed Church- Sin B/c Of Abnormal Growth Vs. 31, 32

A. Jesus Teaches The Same Truth With Different Illustrations

1. The church is composed of both true and false believers

B. Facts About Mustard Plants

1. Mustard plants don’t normally grow to become similar to trees in size
2. Jesus speaks of the unnatural growth what is called the church
3. It is unnaturally large, so much so that the birds of the air nest in it’s branches
4. What are the birds of the air? Refer back to verses 4 and 19.

a. The birds of the air represent the work and workers of Satan
b. The church has grown abnormally large, that the workers of Satan can come and nest in its branches

C. Summary Thoughts On The Mustard Seed Church

1. In many cases, the church had grown abnormally large, sometimes because of a permissive attitude regarding sin or wrong doctrine
2. When the church lacks holiness and a fear of God, the “birds of the air” are comfortable nesting in its branches

III. The Leavened Church-Sin B/c Of Inward Rottenness V. 33

A. Leaven Permeates Whatever It Is Mixed Into

B. Interpretation

1. Some believe that Jesus is speaking positively about the church

a. As the gospel is spread around the world, it will bring world revival
b. This idea is nice, but it contradicts the Biblical teaching about the last days

2. Contextually, Jesus is giving a series of negative examples of the church

a. Biblically, leaven always signifies sin. 98 X’s it appears as sin.
b. Leaven= (wrong doctrine-Matthew 16:12) (hypocrisy-Luke 12:1)
(sexual immorality- 1 Corinthians 5:6) (legalism- Galatians 5:9)
c. When sin is introduced into the church, it has the ability to permeate
d. The idea that there is sin in the church fits the context of these examples

IV. The Dragnet Church-A Separation Will Eventually Come Vs. 47-50

A. Dragnet Fishing

1. A weighted net is dragged along the bottom of the lake or ocean
2. It indiscriminately catches and gathers in all kinds of creatures
3. When the net is full, the fishermen sort thru the fish, keeping the good, discarding the bad

B. The Separation Of The Wicked & The Just

1. The church gathers many people into it’s midst
2. The church will not reform the world. A mixed multitude up until the end
3. There will be a great separation in the end time
4. The wicked will be cast into eternal suffering