City Life Starter

Written by Stefan Johnsson

The Word

²⁷ So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ ²⁸ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ ²⁹ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

Matthew 13:27-30 (NKJV)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

John 3:16-17 (NKJV)

² For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

Matthew 7:2 (NKJV

Reflection

The Parable of the Tares has been a significant parable for me when I began to understand how we are to apply it in our every day lives. This parable goes hand-in-hand with how we judge others and treat those around us.

If we go back to the life of Jesus and study how He cared for others, we can see a common trend. There was a sense of love and compassion for sinners and the poor. They were never kicked out from His presence, instead Jesus invited Himself into their lives. Much of this culminates in John 3:16-17. Jesus says that God loves the world so much that He sent His only son to die for us who were once enemies of God. And then, right after, He mentions that He did not come to condemn the world, but to save it. This point cannot be missed. Yes, judgment will come and everyone will have to face God for the sins they have done in this life. Be they those who accepted Jesus as their atonement and righteousness (the wheat) or those who have to face judgement based on their own righteousness(the tares).

Though, all of this goes back to love. Many times in the past, Christians have not done a great job in how they try and reach others in love and bringing them into an understanding of the gospel. Many would require someone to be a good Christian before they can come to church or partake in their social circle. By trying to remove ‘the tares’ from your life, it has caused an opposite effect. It sets a bad example that other Christians(the wheat) sees and they are then affected by your actions of trying to remove these people(the tares) from your life. Many of us have probably heard some of these stories throughout our lives, experienced this ourselves, or been the one who tried to remove the tares. Many have judged non-Christians by their actions instead of seeking to show them Christ. This is why Jesus wanted to stress how important it is not to try and remove sinners from your presence or a community by handing out judgments instead of showing them the right path through empathy and love.

If you do approach anyone(Christian or non-Christian) regarding their sin, always ask yourself if you are doing so in love, knowing that you are also just as likely to fall into similar sin. We have to be careful and with the understanding that building others up is much better than tearing them down and that ultimately, everyone will answer for their sins at the end times. We cannot be a judge of a person’s heart (if they are a wheat or a tare) and intentions (why they may be stuck in sin), and that’s why it’s important how we look at this parable in the sense of our communities, family, or social circles. As the parable explains, our job is not to separate the wheat from the tares.

Application

How are you approaching your family, friends, and community in relation to your spiritual life? Do you spend a lot of time comparing your goodness to someone else’s badness? Are you putting yourself on a pedestal? Jealousy and judging are sins that can ruin friendships, community, and our ability to love others. Put others before yourself (Phil 2:3) and live as an example of Jesus to those around you.

Judgement will come, but not by your hands. Lift others up instead and help them see the need for Jesus in their lives, and do so in love, knowing that we are all susceptible to the arrows of the devil.

Re-examine how you look at others around you and see if you are truly loving others the way that Jesus did in the gospels. If not, pray for God to help you do so, so that you don’t go around and try to pull out the tares and the wheat with it.

Prayer

Father, help me be more like You. Help me to love others and not to condemn them, but to help and lift them up and encourage them to seek righteousness in their lives. Let me look at others with the help of Your Holy Spirit and to pray for them to know God so they can be wheat in the harvest and not the tares that will be thrown out and burned. Help me to love others better every day. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.