Who are the wheat and the tares? Does your church talk about this?

Answer 1

The bearded darnel, mentioned only in Matt. 13:25-30. It is the Lolium temulentum, a species of rye-grass, the seeds of which are a strong soporific poison. It bears the closest resemblance to wheat till the ear appears, and only then the difference is discovered. It grows plentifully in Syria and Palestine.

Funny how so many call them "weeds".... they aren't weeds. And it is more a reference to the "wolf in sheeps clothing" than anything. I love how people try to make it out to be a "saved" vs "nonsaved"... when in all actuality it is about ALL of those claiming to be saved.... It has nothing to do with non-believers at all, but those who claim to believe yet POISON the rest of the flock with their own teachings.

Does anyone truly look up this stuff? Or do they only listen to what other people say it is? Maybe if people did their own research, to "study to show thyself approved", they might actually know what's going on in their own religion and quit trying to make it out to be that it's those outside of that religion that is doing it.

Answer 2

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...and our Church does teach about it. I think the parable is explained very well in a section of "The Doctrine and Covenants" which is one of our Standard Works in the Church.

Doctrine and Covenants Section 86

1 Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you my servants, concerning the parable of the wheat and of the tares:
2 Behold, verily I say, the field was the world, and the apostles were the sowers of the seed;
3 And after they have fallen asleep the great persecutor of the church, the apostate, the whore, even Babylon, that maketh all nations to drink of her cup, in whose hearts the enemy, even Satan, sitteth to reign—behold he soweth the tares; wherefore, the tares choke the wheat and drive the church into the wilderness.
4 But behold, in the last days, even now while the Lord is beginning to bring forth the word, and the blade is springing up and is yet tender—
5 Behold, verily I say unto you, the angels are crying unto the Lord day and night, who are ready and waiting to be sent forth to reap down the fields;
6 But the Lord saith unto them, pluck not up the tares while the blade is yet tender (for verily your faith is weak), lest you destroy the wheat also.
7 Therefore, let the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest is fully ripe; then ye shall first gather out the wheat from among the tares, and after the gathering of the wheat, behold and lo, the tares are bound in bundles, and the field remaineth to be burned.

Answer 3

I love that parable. I am not home or I would look it up as I typed. It is about the word of God(wheat) and the enemy(tares). How they must grow together in this life and then they will be separated at the end of the world. (The harvest.) The weeds (tares) will be burned. VERY COOL parable!

Answer 4

Christ’s explanation of the parable of the wheat and the tares

“Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, ‘Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.’ And He said, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear’” (Matthew 13:36-43).

In the parable of the wheat and the tares, Christ explained that He Himself is the Sower. He spreads His redeemed seed, true believers, in the field of the world. Through His grace, these Christians bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24).

The enemy in the parable is Satan. In opposition to Jesus Christ, the devil tries to destroy Christ’s work by placing false believers and teachers in His Church. Instead of requiring these false believers to be rooted out of the church—possibly hurting immature believers in the process, Christ allows them to stay until His return. Then, angels will separate the true from false believers.

Answer 5

The wheat are the people who are Saved, the Children of God. The tares are the Unsaved, the sinners.

Answer 6

Wheat is symbolic for believers in Jesus Christ. Tares are those who are not.

Answer 7

In Matthew 13, Christ interprets the Parable of the Sower for His disciples. His interpretation documents that the devil planted his seed in the world.

Matthew 13:37-39:

37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.


With the above in mind, it's not too surprising that Cain, Satan's son, was the first murderer.
In John, Christ further documents that Satan planted his evil seed in the world. That's why the Kenites, offspring of Cain, in the verses below, wanted to murder Christ.

John 8:38-44:

38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Answer 8

EDIT:

Tares are like weeds and wheat is like nutritious whole grain.

Tares represent the unsaved while wheat represents the saved of God.

Answer 9

"robin of the woods" has is right.... the tares are the posers, those who claim the name but aren't.

Answer 10

See http://www.bcbsr.com/survey/pbl6.html