📖 Biblical Definition
Christ's parable about the kingdom of heaven: a man sows good seed in his field; an enemy comes by night and sows tares (a noxious weed that looks like wheat in early growth) among the wheat. When the servants ask whether to pull up the tares, the householder answers no — lest they uproot the wheat with them. Both grow together until harvest, when the reapers separate them. Christ's interpretation: the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the tares are the children of the wicked one; the harvest is the end of the age.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Mt 13: wheat and tares grow together until harvest; final separation.
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Christ's parable about the kingdom of heaven (Matt 13:24-30, with interpretation 13:36-43). A man sows good seed in his field; while men slept, an enemy came and sowed zizania (tares, darnel-grass) among the wheat. Tares look like wheat in early growth but produce no edible grain. The servants ask whether to pull up the tares; the householder says no — "lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest." At harvest, reapers gather the tares first, bundle them, burn them; then gather the wheat into the barn. Christ's interpretation: the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age; the reapers are the angels. The parable refuses two errors: (1) trying to purge the church of all tares now (impossible without rooting up wheat); (2) accepting the tares as legitimate forever (the harvest will separate).
📖 Key Scripture
Matthew 13:30 — "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 13:39-40 — "The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world."
Matthew 13:43 — "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Either weaponized to refuse all church discipline ("don't judge anyone, let them grow") or to demand purity-now (root them all up); the parable's actual force is patient eschatological waiting.
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Two opposite misreadings: (1) no-discipline-ever ("let them all grow!"); (2) purity-now ("we must purge every tare from the church"). The parable's actual force is more nuanced: don't try to purge ALL tares now (you'll uproot wheat with them) AND don't accept that the tares are legitimate forever (the harvest will separate). The church does practice discipline (Matt 18, 1 Cor 5) but cannot achieve perfect purity in this age; the eschaton will.
Recover the patience: tare-and-wheat coexistence is temporary. Christ Himself will sort at the end. Until then, exercise the discipline Scripture commands while not pretending to be the eschatological reaper.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek sitos kai zizania.
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['Greek', 'G4621', 'sitos', 'wheat, grain']
['Greek', 'G2215', 'zizanion', 'tares, darnel']
Usage
"Wheat and tares grow together until harvest."
"Final separation at the end of the age."
"Patient eschatological waiting; not full purity now."