In the parable of the wheat and tares, Who does the wheat represent? Who do the tares represent? Who is ...?

Question

the enemy?

The parable states: "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." (Matthew 13:24-30).


**All Scripture from the King James Bible.

Answer 1

The wheat are the real Christians, those who are born again.
The enemy is Satan who places his children the tares in the church building. The tares are the counterfeit Christians; those who go inside of the church building but have not been born again, although many think they are saved because they are deceived by the enemy. Some pretend to be saved, playing church as some call it, and they are all inside the church building but are not part of the true church which is the body of Christ.

Answer 2

God plants good seed in the world. The devil casts among that same seed a deceitful type of seed.

The meaning of this passage has been lost in a number of biblical translations because the key word "tares" also known as darnel is often translated as "weeds."

Darnel is a weed but not an ordinary weed. When it is first growing it resembles wheat. Therefore the Master does not want his servants to weed the field until the harvest because at that time it will be clear what is wheat and what is darnel.
If they weed too early they may pull out wheat with the darnel.

The parable is about judgement, but there is an important other lesson here too. Until the Final Judgement, we will be unable to tell with any certainty who is truly evil and who is truly righteous.

VB8

Answer 3

bypass reference with a verse in Matthew 3: His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will sparkling his threshing floor and collect his wheat into the barn, however the chaff he will burn with unquenchable hearth." Matthew 3:12 ESV Wheat = somewhat Christians. The chaff / tare are people who devil has placed between the Christians to misinform them and reason divisions and dissension... i.e. wolves in sheep clothing. He placed yet another parable beforehand them, asserting, "the dominion of heaven may well be whilst in comparison with a guy who sowed stable seed in his container, yet whilst his men have been dozing, his enemy got here and sowed weeds between the wheat and went away. So whilst the flora got here up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared additionally. And the servants of the grasp of the dwelling house got here and mentioned to him, 'grasp, did you no longer sow stable seed on your container? How then does it have weeds?' He mentioned to them, 'An enemy has executed this.' So the servants mentioned to him, 'Then do you pick us to flow and collect them?' yet he mentioned, 'No, lest in amassing the weeds you root up the wheat alongside with them. permit the two enhance at the same time till the harvest, and at harvest time i'll tell the reapers, collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, yet collect the wheat into my barn.'" Matthew 13:24-30 ESV And the harvest ? and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. Matthew 13:39 ESV Grace and peace.

Answer 4

I look at it as if the Lord is saying there are enemies from satan planted among us. However, we aren't to pluck them out and kill them off. We have to give them time to grow and maybe God grace will rub off on them so to speak and they'll change their ways. When the time comes for God to harvest his wheat, then will He seperate the tares from the wheat. Until then we are to live for Him and shine His light for all to see.

Answer 5

The wheat is a reference to believers....
The tares represent unsaved people infultrating the church
The enemy is obviously the devil.

And the harvest represents the judgment.....which is coming soon.

Answer 6

I don't think that it talks about religion at all. Religion is just a way to live a good life. What it is saying that there are good people that God has put on this earth to grow and do good deeds. There are things planted with these people that are evil and could affect the good. Instead of eliminating them at the beginning since it would be hard to tell which is which, they have to wait until harvest to separate them out. That has nothing to do with religion, nationality, race, but with deeds. You will recognize my people not by their clothing (including religion, race, or nationality) but by their deeds.

Answer 7

The wheat are believers in Christ-- those who are saved in Him ( otherwise known as "saints" of God and "God's sheep", the chosen ones, the elect)
The tares are the false prophets or unbelievers who claim to know Christ, but do not know Him-- that is why Christ will one day say to them "Depart from Me I never knew you"

Answer 8

Wheat are believers and tares are the non-believers on Y/A.

Answer 9

The wheat refers to those who HAVE received the Good News of Christ. Believers are like the wheat growing up among the unbelievers, (the tares). When Jesus returns, Believers will be seperated from the unbelievers, as we read here in:

Matthew 25:32-50 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain



32And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

33And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

34Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.