I N D E X
43
the interpretation given by our Lord of these two related parables, noticing their points of contact and of
divergence.
INTERPRETATION OF THE
INTERPRETATION OF THE
TARES (Matt. 13:37-43)
DRAG NET (Matt. 13:49,50)
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Spoken only to disciples
Spoken only to disciples
He that soweth the good
seed is the Son of man.
The field is the world.
The good seed are the sons
of the kingdom.
The tares are the sons of
the wicked one.
The enemy that sowed
them is the devil.
The harvest is the end of
the age.
The reapers are the angels.
So shall it be at the end of
As the tares are gathered
the age:
and burned, so shall it be at the
end of the age:
The angels shall come forth,
The Son of man shall send
and sever the wicked from
forth His angels, and they shall
among the just, and shall cast
gather out of His kingdom all
things that offend, and them
them into the furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and
that do iniquity, and shall cast
gnashing of teeth.
them into a furnace of fire:
there shall be wailing and
gnashing of teeth.
Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father.
It will be observed that a more complete explanation is given of the Tares than of the Drag Net, and that in
both cases the section dealing with the wicked receives most attention. The wheat and the tares are, the one
sons of the kingdom, the other sons of the devil. The good and bad fish are not placed under either heading.
Before considering the dispensational teaching of this parable, let us consider more carefully some of the figures
that are used.
The Drag Net.- Scripture mentions three different nets:
(1) The cast net (diktuon), cf. John 21:11.
(2) The circular net (amphiblestron), cf. Matt. 4:18.
(3) The drag net (sagene), only used in this parable.
The Fish. There are 40 different kinds of fish in the Sea of Galilee: of these there are two common kinds,
one a good fish, the bream; the other a fish without scales, and therefore an abomination, having neither fins nor
scales (Lev. 11:10), the flesh of which was salted and sold to the port of Rome, where it received the name of
`stinking sheat fish'.