The word of faith (Rom 10:8); The word of grace (Acts 20:32); The word of truth (2Ti 2:15; James 1:18); The word of righteousness (Heb 5:13); The word of reconciliation (2Co 5:19); The word of promise (Rom 9:9); The word of power (Heb 1:3); The word of salvation (Acts 13:26).

“More bitter controversies have been waged over this portion of the Scriptures than over any other, with the exception, perhaps, of ‘this is my body’! Some fierce upholders of purity in the church have applied the prohibition against tare pulling to the purging of those without, namely in ‘the world’ and have proceeded to arrogate to themselves the business of gathering the tares into bundles and burning them – even doing so literally in the case of thousands of heretics burned at the stake! Others have taken a different view and have made this parable an excuse to contain within the church every evil thing on the basis that to remove them would root up the wheat also! Neither view… is correct.

“The mild and loving discipline to be exercised by the church of our Lord is amply provided for in other NT writings, apart from this parable; and, it seems, what is forbidden here is exactly the thing that was done in the brutal, savage excommunications so characteristic of the church of the Middle Ages, which mounted the Spanish Inquisition and many other diabolical institutions upon the pretense of purifying the church” (Coffman).

This parable has caused much controversy among Christadelphian expositors. Some rather strange and disconnected interpretations have been put forth because the expositor “looked ahead” and sought to avoid an inevitable but unwelcome conclusion. Let us look carefully at each section of the parable, not fearing any conclusion simply because it may be unfavorable to an old viewpoint. Brother Thomas has well said, in his “Rules for Bible Students”:

“Never be afraid of results to which you may be driven by your investigations, as this will inevitably bias your mind and disqualify you to arrive at ultimate truth.”

This parable goes one step beyond the previous parable (that of the sower), yet it follows on in the natural life-cycle of the seed: sowing, sprouting, growing to maturity, and finally harvest. In this parable the “seed” has become more than simply the word of God, as it was in the previous parable (Mat 13:19). The “seed” now symbolizes the individuals subsequently begotten by the sown word (Mat 13:38) — again, one step further along in their personal development.

“The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field” (Mat 13:24). “The field is the world” (Greek kosmos: an arrangement or order) (v 38): Here is the preaching of the gospel message first by Christ and then, by extension, by his disciples and later brethren, in obedience to his command of Mar 16:15,16 and Mat 28:19 — a command which is still obligatory today. The “seed” takes root and produces fruit from place to place, known as “children of the kingdom” (Mat 13:38). (This “sowing” has been continuous from Christ’s day to ours; there is no arbitrary “boundary line” at AD 70 after which the “sowing” was to cease!)

The men who sleep (Mat 13:25) must refer to Christ’s followers and “fellow-laborers” (1Co 3:5-9), the parabolic “workers in the vineyard” (Mat 20:1-16). The “sleep” represents the sluggishness and carelessness of the appointed ecclesial watchmen in every age (Eph 5:14; Rom 13:11; 1Th 5:6) which allows the enemy to do his diabolical work.

The enemy who sows “tares” among the wheat is the “devil” (v 39), the lusts of the flesh (Heb 2:14) embodied in individuals and organizations who sow evil and false thoughts secretly in the midst of the ecclesias in every age. Again compare Paul’s loving warning in Act 20:30, where he foretells that after his departure men will arise speaking “perverse” things with the effect of leading away unsuspecting believers. (See also 2Ti 3:4-6 — men who “creep in stealthily”; Jud 1:4 — “unawares”; 2Pe 2:1; and Gal 2:4.)

The “tare” or “darnel” is a very troublesome weed found in Oriental wheatfields. It was thought by the ancients to be a degenerate form of wheat (LTJM 1:589). It looks exactly the same as wheat until late in its growth cycle. Its seed is similar in size and shape, but is gray in color; its fruit is very scarce. When present in a field with good wheat sown broadcast, the roots of the two are intertwined. Thus the darnel can be successfully separated from the good wheat only at the time of harvest. Thankfully, it causes no danger during growth, but even a little will spoil the finished product!

There is a definite and intended contrast in the Lord’s parables between the “tares”, sown in the midst of the ecclesial field, and the “thorns” (Mat 13:7,22), already active in the field of the world, in the “soil” of human nature (Gen 3:18), before the “good seed” is even sown.

The “tares” sown by a subtle and secret enemy produce fruit in the “children of the devil” (v 38). There were many such intertwined among the faithful believers in Christ’s day (Joh 8:44; Mat 3:7; 23:33). Such “children” are lip-servants, hypocrites, “questionable brethren” — not “questionable”, certainly, to him who knows what is in the heart of every man (Joh 2:24,25), but indeed “questionable” to his brethren who lack such infallible discernment. By the explicit teaching of Christ, his brethren have no right nor duty to exclude these “tares” from their “fellowship”.

Of course there are some brethren whose errors in doctrine or conduct clearly place themselves beyond the boundary of traditional Christadelphian “fellowship”, and faithful ecclesias will deal with these brethren in accordance with Mat 18 and related passages — always remembering, of course, that every opportunity must be given for repentance and reinstatement. It would seem that, in practical terms, this parable is designed to teach us that most of our time should be spent in sowing the good seed instead of rooting out those who may or may not be unacceptable to Christ at his judgment. If there is ever any doubt, Christ says, as to a brother’s “fellowship” standing, then let him grow until the harvest (v 30), when the infallible Reaper will decide his case.

“Let both grow together until the harvest” (v 30). Some would contend that this commandment refers to the apostasy outside the ecclesia. But if this were the case then it would be a pointless commandment, for we have no responsibility there — in the churches of Christendom — at all. Our only freedom of choice lies in the “ecclesial world” (James Carter, “Questions and Answers”, Tes 39:272-274). And Christ very clearly is telling us there will arise a questionable class within the ecclesias which cannot be discovered and extricated without the risk of doing grievous damage to the true wheat. He is pointing out to ecclesial laborers their inability to judge perfectly , and thus their inability to be always certain that they are uprooting tares instead of wheat. And furthermore he is implying that the “roots” even of the wheat might be weakened by continual agitation.

“The harvest is the end of the world (Greek “aion”: age, era, dispensation)” (Mat 13:39). Some brethren suggest that this means AD 70, and the related overthrow of Israel is the fulfillment of this parable, but this seems to involve more than a minor dislocation of several related references. In the first place, such an interpretation would imply that the “sowing” or gospel proclamation must also have ceased in AD 70, and this is far from the case. Furthermore, the end of the aion means generally in the Bible the full and final end of Gentile times, marked by the resurrection and the judgment of the responsible. In this very same chapter (Mat 13), in Mat 13:49, the phrase has that obvious meaning. In the world (aion) to come, ye shall receive eternal life, Jesus said (Luk 18:30).

It is at this judgment that all things will be made manifest (Mar 4:22; Luk 12:2; 1Co 4:5). This is the time for the rewarding of both classes. Then and only then will the tares be separated; for, according to the type, they do no damage to the good grain in the field, but even a very little will taint the finished product!

All of the other allusions in Christ’s explanation of the parable of the wheat and the tares point just as directly to the judgment of the saints. Consider the following references:

Mat 13:39: “The reapers are the angels” — Other examples of angels at the judgment:

Mat 24:31: “He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet.”

Mat 25:31: “All the holy angels with him.”

Mar 8:38: “When he cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels.”

Luk 12:8,9: “Him shall the Son of Man confess before the angels of God.”

Luk 12:41,42: “They shall gather the tares out of his kingdom…there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” Similar Scriptures have to do with the last judgment:

Mat 8:12: “Ye shall be cast out of the kingdom.”

Mat 13:50: “And shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Mat 24:51: “Shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites.”

Luk 13:28: Same as Mat 8:12.

Luk 13:42: “A furnace of fire”: This is the “second death” (Rev 20:14; cp Mat 25:41 and Mar 9:43-47). These allusions to the second death clinch the argument that the “tares” represent false believers, not a “Christian” apostasy which is not even amenable to resurrectional judgment.

Luk 13:43: “Then shall the righteous shine forth.” This is a quotation from Dan 12:1-3, a prophecy of the last days, the resurrection, and the judgment. The righteous ones — the good seed — will shine forth in the newness of Spirit life at the same time that the wicked will be subjected to a well-deserved shame and contempt. The analogy of the “harvest”, it must be emphasized, requires that the tares be separated at the same time as the righteous are rewarded.

“The parable of the tares cannot refer to the Romish apostasy, or equivalent heresies, for the good seed is NOT growing together with that! If, however, some still persist in not recognizing the plain teaching of the parable of the tares, what of the adjacent parable of the net and the good and bad fishes? These are not sorted out until they are brought to land, and then, and not until then, is the division made. This cannot refer to outside apostasy, but rather to developments inside the ecclesia, and Jesus is warning his followers what to expect” (Ibid, p. 273).

Other parables picture the same sequence, especially those of the foolish and wise virgins (Mat 25:1-12); the servants and the talents (Mat 25:14-28); and the sheep and the goats (Mat 25:31-34).

“If, however, we had to admit that the claims of the critics are true, and that they really are consistently more strict in their fellowship than we are, still it does not necessarily follow that they are more faithful. We want to act as the Lord would have us act. We want to be guided by the precept and example of scripture. The Lord Jesus was not as strict in condemning offenders as were some contemporary sinners. The apostle to the Gentiles revealed extraordinary patience in dealing with faults of both doctrine and practice. With these examples before us it must be admitted that it is possible to err on the side of severity in the matter of withdrawing from those who are accounted weak or faulty. Even in ecclesial life an industrious rooting out of tares may be a mistaken zeal” (IC, “A Pure Fellowship”, Xdn 95:259; reprinted from Xdn 68:408).

“It is possible to err on the side of severity.” This might be the keynote of Brother Collyer’s writings on the broad subject of fellowship. Such an emphasis is notably anticipated in the well-balanced comments of John Thomas on several occasions, with special reference to the parable under consideration. I quote these as a sort of appendix to our study of the wheat and the tares: “Beloved brethren, human nature is always tending to extremes and transcending what is written. As the saying is, it will strain at gnats and swallow camels by the herd. It set up the Inquisition and is incessantly prying into matters beyond its jurisdiction. It is very fond of playing the judge and of executing its own decrees. It has a zeal but not according to knowledge, and therefore its zeal is intemperate and not the zeal of wisdom or knowledge rightly used. It professes great zeal for the purity of the Church, and would purge out everything that offends its sensitive imagination. But is it not a good thing to have a church without tares, black sheep, or spotted heifer? Yea, verily, it is an excellent thing. But then it is a thing the Holy Spirit has never yet developed, and it cannot be developed by any human judiciary in the administration of spiritual affairs. There are certain things that must be left to the Lord’s own adjudication when he comes…” (The Ambassador, 1866, pp. 91,92; reprinted under “Dr. Thomas and Divisions”, Xd 67:52,53).

“The Mystery of Iniquity, then, had its beginning in the Apostolic State. The seeds of it were then sown broadcast by the enemy. But they did not ripen as soon as sown; they only began to grow. The fruit was to be the ‘Lawless one’. But fruit, when first formed, is not mature. Considerable time passes from the first appearance of fruit to the time of ingathering because of ripeness. So with the Lawless One, he had to appear as the fruit of the Mystery of Iniquity; but after his appearing, he had to grow and ripen for the vintage, when he should be ‘consumed with the spirit of the Lord’s mouth, and destroyed with the brightness of his coming’ ” (Eur 1:431).

“As Paul testified 30 years before, ‘the Mystery of Iniquity’ was ‘already’ at work, and showed itself in the ‘false apostles’ at Ephesus; the spurious Jews of the Synagogue of the Satan, at Smyrna; the Balaamites and Nikolaitans at Pergamos; the children of Jezebel and the Satan, at Thyatira; the twice dead, at Sardis; the but little strength, at Philadelphia; and the wretched and pitiable, and poor, and blind, and naked, at Laodicea. These were tares, which in 280 years from the day of Pentecost, choked the good seed, so that a separation had to ensue.

“But while the Mystery of Iniquity was thus developing ‘after the working of the Satan’ with all power, and signs and lying wonders…there existed a class, who not only knew the Truth, but loved it. This was ‘the salt’ of the first three centuries, which gave savour to pre-Constantinian christendom. It was the redeeming and antagonizing element in the Ephesian haters of the deeds of the Nikolaitans; in the Smyrnean rich in faith…

“The Apostolic Christendom, then, to which John wrote, was divisible into these two sections, which were more or less commingled in the ecclesias generally — real and nominal christians…” (Ibid 421,422).

This basic interpretation is followed also by Robert Roberts:

“The reservation [about particular additional demands in fellowship] is a reasonable one, and needless distress is being caused by the insistence of a ruthless rule of excision. There is great danger in this course. While trying to pull up an incipient tare or two (if they are such) they are levelling whole rows of genuine wheat” (Xd 35, July cover page).

And, finally, it is followed by HPM also (“The Parable of the Tares”, SB 9:65-69).

The baby in the manger uttered his first cry, and thereby his Father staked a claim upon our lives. Thereby the Mighty God of all creation became also “Abba” — the tender Father of a little child; and OUR Father as well!

The God whose son was born in that stable, amidst the simple farm animals, ceased being (if He ever was!) a God of remote abstractions and technical theories.

He is now, for us, a God who loves PEOPLE, a Father who is not willing that any should perish, who holds back no blessing from His “children”, who searches out and loves even the least worthy and most neglected.

A tiny cry in a manger. It was truly a miracle. It was the greatest of all miracles — the birth of God’s own son!

But isn’t every birth a “miracle”, and a mystery? Isn’t every child a “holy” child, because he or she receives life from the God who is holy? Isn’t every child a “gift” from God, showing His continuing love for man, showing that even yet He has not “given up” on us?

And shouldn’t every child be a special child — like Samuel or John or even Jesus — who should be dedicated by righteous parents to the service of God?

Like Mary and Joseph, many of us have been entrusted by God with future kings and queens — who will one day, by God’s grace, sit upon thrones and apply to the nations the lessons learned in their parents’ homes.

And, in fact, aren’t we ALL — from youngest to oldest — children of God, begotten by His love… children who manifest our “sonship” by our love for one another? If there is a lesson in the Christmas story, it is this: the preeminence of love. We love him, because He first loved us. For, after all, “sonship” is not what we do, but what we receive. Not what we earn, but a gift. Thanks be to the Father in heaven, that through His special Son we have received the gift of knowing what it means to be His children.

Harry A. Whittaker, Christadelphian and Bible prophecy student, died in 1992 at the age of 83. Harry was exemplary in many areas: Bible student, teacher, preacher, missionary, author, letter-writer, visitor, counselor and upbuilder. His boundless energy, forthright message and genuine concern for the welfare of others were inspirational. Harry’s copious writings [see below] are a source of wonderful Bible insights and discoveries, and have encouraged many people in many countries. His work in the area of Bible prophecy has been particularly interesting, and has certainly influenced the thinking of many.

Harry and his wife Phyllis did pioneering preaching work in Guyana in the 1950s.

A list of the published works of Harry Whittaker:

The Last Days The Time of the End Five Minutes to Twelve Isaiah Joel Of Whom the World was not Worthy (Jeremiah) Revelation — A Biblical Approach Jews, Arabs, and Bible Prophecy Visions in Daniel Studies in the Gospels Studies in the Acts of the Apostles Bible Studies — An Anthology Israel in the Wilderness Letters to George and Jenny Exploring the Bible Enjoying the Bible Exhorting and Testifying The Very Devil Through Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures Abraham — Father of the Faithful Wrestling Jacob He is Risen Indeed Genesis 1-2-3-4 Hezekiah the Great (with The Songs of Degrees, by George Booker) Passover Reformation Samuel, Saul, and David Seven Short Epistles Joseph the Saviour Word Studies Judges and Ruth The Gifts of the Holy Spirit The Letters of Peter Seven Short Epistles Jude

Cowper wrote, “Wisdom and knowledge far from being one, have ofttimes no connection.”

The poet was trying to express the truth that wisdom is superior to knowledge, but in his statement of the difference he went too far. There is bound to be a connection, for although it is possible for men to have knowledge without wisdom, no one can be wise without possessing knowledge. Wisdom makes use of knowledge as mind makes use of matter. It is superior because it is comprehensive. A new-born babe begins life without knowing anything of the world he has entered and without any of the qualities that may come with experience. He cannot possibly be wise until he has knowledge — knowledge of the difference between good and evil, knowledge of the God who has called him into being, and knowledge of the way of life. Wisdom is revealed in the proper use of that which is known. The One who is perfect in wisdom has also the perfection of knowledge.

Wisdom is always good, but there is such a thing as the knowledge of evil. It can never be an advantage to lack wisdom in anything, but there are matters in which it is a blessing not to know.

The apostle Paul wrote, “knowledge puffeth up” (1Co 8:1). He was not condemning knowledge, but simply stating a truth. Knowledge of the right kind is excellent, but even it may tend to inflate the individual who possesses it. Men may be puffed up even by their knowledge of the Scriptures, especially if their reading has been ill-balanced. Much charity is needed to guard against this evil and to make knowledge lead to edification.

There are people who will say that it is only the dangerous “little knowledge” that puffs men up, while those who have studied deeply are truly humble and never boast. This thought has been stated often, but it is not true. Indeed it would be difficult to define the words of such a saying. All the knowledge of mankind is only little. The most ignorant and the most cultured are only separated by a few degrees. It is quite true that intelligent people perceive the ugliness and folly of blatant boasting and so if they boast they do it more skilfully. Or it is possible for a man to feel himself so superior to the common run of humanity that he finds no pleasure in the admiration of the multitude. His detachment is a form of pride, and he may fall into the worst of errors by being puffed up against God.

For all ordinary people it is most natural to find a certain pleasure in the possession of knowledge that is denied to others. The child’s open triumph with the delighted affirmation “I know, I know!” is only the natural expression of a pride which we conceal in later life. Men and women do not feel such keen pleasure in little triumphs, and they may be so self-deceived as to imagine that they are completely above such childish weakness. Often, however, circumstances conspire to reveal the inflation that is there even in those who would claim to be quite free from it. Even in dealing with the oldest and most dignified of men, a diplomatist remembers this human vanity.

An active business man once told us that in early days he made this discovery by accident. He was trying to sell certain articles to engineers, and was finding it very hard work. One day, aside from his business he thought of a very interesting engineering problem which baffled all friends to whom he put it. One of these friends suggested that there was probably one man in the country who could solve the problem, the head of a very large firm, why not write to him? The young man hesitated to be so bold, but at last he wrote, stating his problem. He was invited to make a call. The big man received the youth quite graciously in his office and explained the interesting difficulty. Then having given full satisfaction by his superior knowledge and ability, he began to question the youth as to what he was doing in life, and ended by giving him a good order. There is a sequel to this story which illustrates a worldly wisdom, hardly falling within our subject. The young salesman having found by accident that exalted men were children at heart, changed his method of approach and played on this human weakness. He took advantage of this nattering thought of superior knowledge, the truth noted by the apostle that “knowledge puffeth up.”

In some measure all men are subject to this weakness, but if they are instructed in the knowledge and wisdom that has been divinely revealed, they are aware of human vanity and so are on their guard. Knowledge and ignorance are only relative terms. It is said that in rural England a century ago, a man who could read and write was accounted a scholar, although in other circles the same man would have appeared as an ignoramus. In the same way the man with the greatest reputation for learning in all the world might seem deplorably ignorant to the angels. It is possible even that some of those with the greatest reputation would appear more foolish than their less capable fellows, just as we have noticed when we have chanced to overhear the conversation of children, the cleverest boy talks the worst nonsense, for there is no one to check him, or call in question his assertions.

Wisdom is needed to guide our steps, or knowledge will only bring increase of sorrow and a greater capacity for folly. Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord and it ends with obedience to all His commandments. It can make use of knowledge on this mortal, material plane, while recognizing that there are other planes unknowable to us now. “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom, and with all thy getting get understanding” (Pro 4:7).

In the first chapter of the book of Proverbs we are told that “wisdom crieth aloud in the streets, she uttereth her voice in the broad places, she crieth in the chief place of concourse, at the entering in of the gates” (1:20,21, RV).

Considered as a “dark saying of the wise”, this is provocative of thought. We very rarely have a literal shouting of words of wisdom in the streets of a city, or in the broad places of human activity, but when we remember that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, we can see a definite meaning in the saying. In ancient Israel and in the modern world the idea of God is before men all the while even though human thoughts fail to turn to Him. In our time we can hardly live for a single day without Christ being brought before our minds, and through Christ, the Father who was manifest in him. Even the daily newspaper utters the call of wisdom in spite of its low aim and its native foolishness. The date it gives is from the birth of Christ, the record of human vanity confirms the teaching of Christ, while often, especially in these latter days, there is an item of news which shouts of the purpose of God to those who can understand.

Even apart from these matters the call of wisdom can surely be heard in the ordered wonders of the universe in which we live. Man’s cheerful acceptance of the earth as his home proclaims that in his heart he recognizes that there is a Creator. Would he feel comfortable on a ship with no captain? A hundred thousand tons of metal and wood driving through unknown seas at thirty miles an hour and no one in control? How then should he feel when he realizes that he is all through life on a vessel weighing millions of tons and going through space at sixty thousand miles an hour? Of course men believe that someone is in control. The stability of the earth and its long continuance, the facts of human consciousness and human ideals, the wonders of chemistry and the wonders of life all combine to prove that there is a mind far above that of man. Human intelligence is just sufficient to contemplate these things and to make some response. Wisdom is thus calling to the sons of men in the streets, in the broad places and at the entering in of the gate.

The Proverbs, however, do not suggest that it is easy for men to secure wisdom even though the first call is so loud and insistent. We have to incline our hearts to understanding, to cry after discernment and to seek for wisdom as for hid treasure; then may a man understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Then wisdom may be a tree of life to us (Pro 2:1-5).

There is much food for thought in this contrast between the first loud call of wisdom to the sons of men, and the diligent search which is necessary before we can find the real treasures that wisdom can yield. The study of nature will not carry men far. “The mysterious universe” offers new complexities as men advance in knowledge. The investigations of men are like the attempt to reach a goal which is moving from them faster than they can run.

God can only be known as far as He has chosen to reveal Himself. He has revealed that He is “a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. Just as there are treasures and stores of wealth in the material world to reward the diligent labours of men, so there are spiritual treasures for those who search diligently in the Scriptures that have been handed down to us. In the only way possible or desirable in this mortal condition we shall find God if we search for Him with all the heart.

In the book of Proverbs there are many contrasts drawn between wisdom and foolishness, most of them easy to understand. From the many passages we choose one because it contains hidden depths and may arouse helpful thoughts.

“Every wise woman buildeth her house, but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands” (Pro 14:1).

Perhaps this has a meaning even on the most material plane. Some women take steps to improve their houses as time goes on, while others let everything go to ruin. We have even heard of people breaking up some of the woodwork of their houses and burning it through foolish indolence or still more foolish anger. On a slightly less material plane we have noticed the extraordinary difference between the woman who builds a home of confidence, unselfishness and love and the one who pulls a home to pieces by suspicion, jealousy and a generally negative attitude. On a higher plane still, the saying is true of the corporate woman formed through the ages. Those who desire to be constituent members of the bride to be, must be wise. They must build the house and not pull it down.

(PrPr)