The Kingdom - Good or FAKE?
Luke 17:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 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.
This may sound odd to us in the Western world. As gardeners, we weed our gardens ASAP to let our crops grow. BUT, here's the trick between our crops of corn, beans, etc. versus wheat & tares. See, wheat and tares look the same UNTIL harvest time. You cannot tell the difference very easily, the tares entangle and wrap themselves around the wheat, and lastly, the wheat is good but the tares are extremely poisonous! 1 tare seed can kill you from its toxicity or at least make you horribly ill!
So, in haste, had the gardener jerked up what appeared to be tares, he could've lost his grain and his family starved. Or, he could've left the tares, thinking it's wheat and fed his family poison. Neither is good. Remember the old saying "Haste makes waste"? This applies in the situation.
It isn't until harvest time, that the true nature of the seed is seen. See the seed heads, which is the wheat that we want, is different in color than the tare. The tare tends to be a blackish color while wheat is golden. Very easy to spot the contrast, eh?
Now, let's apply to our lives because what good is God's teaching if we read it and don't apply it? Useless.
How about us? Do we have "tares" in our lives? Are our friends really a good influence to help us grow or are they "tares" which is stunting our growth and potentially lethal? What if our friends "just do a few bad things" and we go along not making a difference between what is and is not acceptable? Say they have the habit of "little white lies"? That can rub off on us as well. What about a negative outlook? What about gossip? What about angry outbursts? What about unwilling to lend a helping hand when possible? Oh, yes, my dear peeps, make no mistake, these are "tares" in your life that need not be if you are to have "wheat" only.
Now, I am not saying be rude, because Christ Jesus tells us to act in love. But, wouldn't a good gardener (friend) lovingly correct the situation so that the friend would realize the "tares" in their lives and change? If they refuse, you need to do some weeding as the "seed" is showing its true color and the danger is very real.
Tares, as any seed, spreads its own kind wherever it is possible. By letting the tare seed remain in your garden of life, yes, you are allowing the very real potential to have it abundant in yourself.
Wheat in Biblical times was the BEST grain life had to offer. Millet or barley was poor man's grain and feed for animals as well.
It's better to get rid of the "tares" whether it is our habits or friendships than to have less "wheat".
For me, one of the "tares" I must continually be alert about is time wasting. How easily the idiot box calls my name for mind numbing relaxation. Oh, don't misunderstand...I choose my shows carefully! Would I want Jesus watching this with me? OH! IF NOT, I SHOULDN'T WATCH EITHER! He sees all I say, do, think, etc.!
Bottom line, peeps, "tares" are what is in your life that is counter-productive to a Christ like life style...our speech, our friends, our hang outs, our activities, etc.
Love & hugs to all.
This may sound odd to us in the Western world. As gardeners, we weed our gardens ASAP to let our crops grow. BUT, here's the trick between our crops of corn, beans, etc. versus wheat & tares. See, wheat and tares look the same UNTIL harvest time. You cannot tell the difference very easily, the tares entangle and wrap themselves around the wheat, and lastly, the wheat is good but the tares are extremely poisonous! 1 tare seed can kill you from its toxicity or at least make you horribly ill!
So, in haste, had the gardener jerked up what appeared to be tares, he could've lost his grain and his family starved. Or, he could've left the tares, thinking it's wheat and fed his family poison. Neither is good. Remember the old saying "Haste makes waste"? This applies in the situation.
It isn't until harvest time, that the true nature of the seed is seen. See the seed heads, which is the wheat that we want, is different in color than the tare. The tare tends to be a blackish color while wheat is golden. Very easy to spot the contrast, eh?
Now, let's apply to our lives because what good is God's teaching if we read it and don't apply it? Useless.
How about us? Do we have "tares" in our lives? Are our friends really a good influence to help us grow or are they "tares" which is stunting our growth and potentially lethal? What if our friends "just do a few bad things" and we go along not making a difference between what is and is not acceptable? Say they have the habit of "little white lies"? That can rub off on us as well. What about a negative outlook? What about gossip? What about angry outbursts? What about unwilling to lend a helping hand when possible? Oh, yes, my dear peeps, make no mistake, these are "tares" in your life that need not be if you are to have "wheat" only.
Now, I am not saying be rude, because Christ Jesus tells us to act in love. But, wouldn't a good gardener (friend) lovingly correct the situation so that the friend would realize the "tares" in their lives and change? If they refuse, you need to do some weeding as the "seed" is showing its true color and the danger is very real.
Tares, as any seed, spreads its own kind wherever it is possible. By letting the tare seed remain in your garden of life, yes, you are allowing the very real potential to have it abundant in yourself.
Wheat in Biblical times was the BEST grain life had to offer. Millet or barley was poor man's grain and feed for animals as well.
It's better to get rid of the "tares" whether it is our habits or friendships than to have less "wheat".
For me, one of the "tares" I must continually be alert about is time wasting. How easily the idiot box calls my name for mind numbing relaxation. Oh, don't misunderstand...I choose my shows carefully! Would I want Jesus watching this with me? OH! IF NOT, I SHOULDN'T WATCH EITHER! He sees all I say, do, think, etc.!
Bottom line, peeps, "tares" are what is in your life that is counter-productive to a Christ like life style...our speech, our friends, our hang outs, our activities, etc.
Love & hugs to all.
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