hundredfold'.

Parallel with this teaching of the Sower is the witness of the same truth in the parables of the Fig Tree (Luke

13) and the Great Supper (Luke 14). The primary teaching of these parables is not merely to supply a moral or

spiritual lesson, but to depict the secret course of the mystery of the kingdom on through its apparent defeat to

its glorious close.

The parables of Matthew 13 which follow supply further details, but have no new subject; all are connected

with the rejection of Christ by Israel, and relate to the `mystery of the kingdom of the heavens'. We will now

consider the parable of the Wheat and the Tares.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

In dealing with the Sower, we considered the course of the several ministries, or `sowings', of the word of

the kingdom. We saw how the various grounds depicted not only the state of the human heart universally, but

the characteristic of the hearers at different points of the history of the kingdom proclamation. To meet the

possible difficulty that might arise as to the reason why the gospel of the kingdom should be so long refused is

the purpose of the next parable. The key words are `an enemy hath done this'. The scene is not changed, but

the symbols are. We have a wheat field before the mind, as in the previous parable, but now we are definitely

told that `the field is the world'. Further, the sower in this instance is `the Son of man'. Let us look at the

parable before we consider its interpretation.

First consider its structure:

a A man sowed good seed.

b Enemy sowed darnel.

c The blade sprung up.

d Then appeared the darnel.

a Didst thou not sow good seed ?

b An enemy hath done this.

c Shall we gather the darnel?

d Let both grow till harvest.

The very first thing which we must notice is that whereas the parable of the Sower occurs in the three

Synoptic Gospels, the parable of the Tares is found only in Matthew. This enables us to see that this particular

parable has exclusive reference to the kingdom of the heavens, and must not be applied to outside subjects.

Before going further we will set before the reader a rather more literal rendering than that of the Authorized

Version or the Revised Version:

`Another parable placed He before them, saying, The kingdom of the heavens hath become like a man

sowing good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel through the

midst of the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the

darnel also. Then the servants of the householder came near and said to him, Sir, was it not good seed thou

didst sow in thy field, whence then hath it darnel? But he said unto them, A man that is an enemy did this.

But the servants said unto him, Wilt thou therefore that we go and gather them together? But he said, No:

lest at any time while gathering the darnel ye uproot along with it the wheat. Let both grow together until

the harvest, and in the harvest season I will say unto the harvesters, gather together first the darnel, and bind

it into bundles with a view to the burning it up; but the wheat bring together into my barn'.

Our first consideration must be to settle, if possible, the true meaning of the servants, the wheat, and the

tares. Christ's explanation, in answer to the disciples' question concerning the parable, was as follows: