The Harvest of Matthew 13

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INTRODUCTION:

The study on the Harvest of Matt. 13 is to give us a clearer understanding of when the harvest is to take place and what is to happen to the wheat and tares at the time of the harvest. Who are the wheat and the tares? Who does the sowing and who does the reaping?

These questions we need to examine for a better understanding of the harvest.

PRAYER THOUGHT: CSW 28

Precious light is to shine forth from the word of God, and let no one presume to dictate what shall or what shall not be brought before the people in the messages of enlightenment that He shall send, and so quench the Spirit of God. Whatever may be his position of authority, no one has a right to shut away the light from the people. When a message comes in the name of the Lord to His people, no one may excuse himself from an investigation of its claims. No one can afford to stand back in an attitude of indifference and self-confidence, and say: "I know what is truth. I am satisfied with my position. I have set my stakes, and I will not be moved away from my position, whatever may come. I will not listen to the message of this messenger; for I know that it cannot be truth." It is from pursuing this very course that the popular churches were left in partial darkness, and that is why the messages of heaven have not reached them. {CSW 28.1}

Read Matthew 13:24-30

1. The man who sowed good seed. (Matt. 13:37) The Son of man. This is Christ. He is referred to as the Son of man after he was born of a woman. He sowed the good seed after His baptism.

2. The enemy who sowed the tares. (Matt 13:39) The devil. TM 46 shows that “while the Lord brings into the church those who are truly converted, the wheat; Satan at the same time brings persons who are not converted into its fellowship, the tares. While Christ is sowing the good seed, Satan is sowing the tares.”

The church of Christ on earth will be imperfect, but God does not destroy His church because of its imperfection. There have been and will be those who are filled with zeal not according to knowledge, who would purify the church, and uproot the tares from the midst of the wheat. But Christ has given special light as to how to deal with those who are erring, and with those who are unconverted in the church. There is to be no spasmodic, zealous, hasty action taken by church members in cutting off those they may think defective in character. Tares will appear among the wheat; but it would do more harm to weed out the tares, unless in God's appointed way, than to leave them alone. While the Lord brings into the church those who are truly converted, Satan at the same time brings persons who are not converted into its fellowship. While Christ is sowing the good seed, Satan is sowing the tares. There are two opposing influences continually exerted on the members of the church. One influence is working for the purification of the church, and the other for the corrupting of the people of God. {TM 46.1}

3. The field. (Matt. 13:38) Here we see the field to be the world. In COL 70 we read “The field...is the world. But we must understand this as signifying the church in the world.” Please read the rest of that paragraph.

The parable of the seed reveals that God is at work in nature. The seed has in itself a germinating principle, a principle that God Himself has implanted; yet if left to itself the seed would have no power to spring up. Man has his part to act in promoting the growth of the grain. He must prepare and enrich the soil and cast in the seed. He must till the fields. But there is a point beyond which he can accomplish nothing. No strength or wisdom of man can bring forth from the seed the living plant. Let man put forth his efforts to the utmost limit, he must still depend upon One who has connected the sowing and the reaping by wonderful links of His own omnipotent power. {COL 63.1}

There is life in the seed, there is power in the soil; but unless an infinite power is exercised day and night, the seed will yield no returns. The showers of rain must be sent to give moisture to the thirsty fields, the sun must impart heat, electricity must be conveyed to the buried seed. The life which the Creator has implanted, He alone can call forth. Every seed grows, every plant develops, by the power of God. {COL 63.2}

"As the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth." Isa. 61:11. As in the natural, so in the spiritual sowing; the teacher of truth must seek to prepare the soil of the heart; he must sow the seed; but the power that alone can produce life is from God. There is a point beyond which human effort is in vain. While we are to preach the word, we can not impart the power that will quicken the soul, and cause righteousness and praise to spring forth. In the preaching of the word there must be the working of an agency beyond any human power. Only through the divine Spirit will the word be living and powerful to renew the soul unto eternal life. This is what Christ tried to impress upon His disciples. He taught that it was nothing they possessed in themselves which would give success to their labors, but that it is the miracle-working power of God which gives efficiency to His own word. {COL 63.3}

The germination of the seed represents the beginning of spiritual life, and the development of the plant is a beautiful figure of Christian growth. As in nature, so in grace; there can be no life without growth. The plant must either grow or die. As its growth is silent and imperceptible, but continuous, so is the development of the Christian life. At every stage of development our life may be perfect; yet if God's purpose for us is fulfilled, there will be continual advancement. Sanctification is the work of a lifetime. As our opportunities multiply, our experience will enlarge, and our knowledge increase. We shall become strong to bear responsibility, and our maturity will be in proportion to our privileges. {COL 65.2}

"Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also." {COL 70.1}

"The field," Christ said, "is the world." But we must understand this as signifying the church of Christ in the world. The parable is a description of that which pertains to the kingdom of God, His work of salvation of men; and this work is accomplished through the church. True, the Holy Spirit has gone out into all the world; everywhere it is moving upon the hearts of men; but it is in the church that we are to grow and ripen for the garner of God. {COL 70.2}

"He that sowed the good seed is the Son of man. . . . The good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one." The good seed represents those who are born of the word of God, the truth. The tares represent a class who are the fruit or embodiment of error, of false principles. "The enemy that sowed them is the devil." Neither God nor His angels ever sowed a seed that would produce a tare. The tares are always sown by Satan, the enemy of God and man. {COL 70.3}

4. The reapers. (Matt. 13:39) The angels. TM 47 shows “The time of harvest will fully determine the character of the two classes specified under the figure of the tares and the wheat. The work of separation is given to the angels of God and is not committed into the hands of any man.

Finite man is likely to misjudge character, but God does not leave the work of judgment and pronouncing upon character to those who are not fitted for it. We are not to say what constitutes the wheat, and what the tares. The time of the harvest will fully determine the character of the two classes specified under the figure of the tares and the wheat. The work of separation is given to the angels of God, and not committed into the hands of any man. {TM 47.2}

5. The time of harvest. (Matt. 13:39) The end of the world. This does not necessarily mean Christ second coming. COL 72 puts the harvest at the end of probationary time. Heb 9:24-26 puts the end of the world at the time Christ entered into the most holy place to “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

Christ has plainly taught that those who persist in open sin must be separated from the church, but He has not committed to us the work of judging character and motive. He knows our nature too well to entrust this work to us. Should we try to uproot from the church those whom we suppose to be spurious Christians, we should be sure to make mistakes. Often we regard as hopeless subjects the very ones whom Christ is drawing to Himself. Were we to deal with these souls according to our imperfect judgment, it would perhaps extinguish their last hope. Many who think themselves Christians will at last be found wanting. Many will be in heaven who their neighbors supposed would never enter there. Man judges from appearance, but God judges the heart. The tares and the wheat are to grow together until the harvest; and the harvest is the end of probationary time. {COL 71.3}

There is in the Saviour's words another lesson, a lesson of wonderful forbearance and tender love. As the tares have their roots closely intertwined with those of the good grain, so false brethren in the church may be closely linked with true disciples. The real character of these pretended believers is not fully manifested. Were they to be separated from the church, others might be caused to stumble, who but for this would have remained steadfast. {COL 72.1}

The teaching of this parable is illustrated in God's own dealing with men and angels. Satan is a deceiver. When he sinned in heaven, even the loyal angels did not fully discern his character. This was why God did not at once destroy Satan. Had He done so, the holy angels would not have perceived the justice and love of God. A doubt of God's goodness would have been as evil seed that would yield the bitter fruit of sin and woe. Therefore the author of evil was spared, fully to develop his character. Through long ages God has borne the anguish of beholding the work of evil, He has given the infinite Gift of Calvary, rather than leave any to be deceived by the misrepresentations of the wicked one; for the tares could not be plucked up without danger of uprooting the precious grain. And shall we not be as forbearing toward our fellow men as the Lord of heaven and earth is toward Satan? {COL 72.2}

Reasons why uprooting of the tares is not committed in the hands of men

1. Unfit to judge TM 47

2. Sinners misjudge the character, COL 71

3. Imperfect judgment

4. Roots closely intertwined, COL 72

5. Tares closely resembles wheat, COL 74

The tares closely resembled the wheat while the blades were green; but when the field was white for the harvest, the worthless weeds bore no likeness to the wheat that bowed under the weight of its full, ripe heads. Sinners who make a pretension of piety mingle for a time with the true followers of Christ, and the semblance of Christianity is calculated to deceive many; but in the harvest of the world there will be no likeness between good and evil. Then those who have joined the church, but who have not joined Christ, will be manifest. {COL 74.3}

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE WHEAT AND TARES AT THE TIME OF HARVEST

1. Matt. 13:30 The wheat and tares are to grow together until the time of harvest. Then the tares will be gathered together first in bundles to be burned, then the wheat gathered into the barn. At the time of harvest the tares are removed first. For further understanding of how this is done refer to the study on Rev. 7.

2. Harvest is in two phases... first fruits of the Harvest gathered in when the tares are removed then the sickle can be put to the grain and the rest of the Harvest takes place. First fruits are the first ripened grain to be harvested. See DA 785, 786

Christ arose from the dead as the first fruits of those that slept. He was the antitype of the wave sheaf, and His resurrection took place on the very day when the wave sheaf was to be presented before the Lord. For more than a thousand years this symbolic ceremony had been performed. From the harvest fields the first heads of ripened grain were gathered, and when the people went up to Jerusalem to the Passover, the sheaf of first fruits was waved as a thank offering before the Lord. Not until this was presented could the sickle be put to the grain, and it be gathered into sheaves. The sheaf dedicated to God represented the harvest. So Christ the first fruits represented the great spiritual harvest to be gathered for the kingdom of God. His resurrection is the type and pledge of the resurrection of all the righteous dead. "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." 1 Thess. 4:14.{DA 785.4}

3. Thus we see that there will be two reapings also. One of the first fruits, then one for the second fruits. See Rev. 14:14-16. In these verses we see the Son of man reaping in a harvest. This could not be His second coming as He only has a crown and a sickle in his hand. Compare this with Rev. 19:11, 12, 15

4. Rev. 14:17-19 we see another angel doing another reaping, 9T 97 tells us to know the time of our visitation. “The time of God’s destructive judgments is the time of mercy for those who have had no opportunity to learn what is truth.” While the door is closed to us as SDA’s because we have had great light the door is still opened for those who have never had the opportunity to know the truth.

HARVEST IS A PERIOD OF TIME.

1. See Jer. 8:20. After the harvest, probation is closed and the people can no longer be saved.

SUMMARY: Here we can clearly see in this study that the wheat and tares are to grow together until the time of Harvest. Once the Harvest has begun, the tares are the first to be removed then the wheat gathered into the barn, or God’s kingdom. It is then that the great multitude of Rev.7:9 is brought in by the 144,000. We clearly see two reapings, one for the gathering of the firstfruits, and one for the gathering of the second fruits. Once the harvest is over, then probation is closed and one can no longer be saved. Then it is that Christ will throw down the censer and say“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he thatis righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

The Harvest – Matthew 13 – Important Points for Consideration

A. 1. The Sower – Mk 4:14; Matt. 13:37 -Christ

2. The Good Seed – Matt. 13:39; COL 37 – The Word of God/Divine Principles

3. The Field –

a) The heart – Matt. 13:22; COL 37, 56, 58, 63;

b) The world – Matt. 13:37-38

4. The Growing Period

B. 1. The Enemy – Satan as sower – Matt. 13:39

2. Sowing while men slept – Matt. 13:24-30; COL 37

3. Sowing tares – Errors/False principles – COL 37

4. Tares –Resemblance to the Wheat – COL 74

5. Tares or Bad seed –first to be harvested – Matt 13:30

6. Harvest – The End of the World – Matt. 13:38-39