26. What's the Harvest All About? -The Harvest of Matt. 13

What’s the Harvest All About?

When God Reaps

Understanding the Divine Plan in Matthew 13

Prayer Thought: 

"Co-Laborers in God’s Harvest Field"

Today in his great harvest-field God has need of both sowers and reapers. Let those who go forth into the work, some to sow and some to reap, remember that they are never to take to themselves the glory of the success of their work. God's appointed agencies have been before them, preparing the way for the sowing of the seed and the reaping of the harvest. 

"I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor," Christ said; "other men labored, and ye are entered into their labors."  {ST, December 4, 1901 par. 5}  

PURPOSE  - To understand the divine plan of the harvest as revealed in Matthew 13 - The Parable of the Wheat and Tares.

INTRODUCTION:

The harvest represents the culmination of God's work, separating the righteous from the wicked.

EGW Insight: 'The work of separation is given into the hands of the angels, and not committed to any man.' (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 71)

For all the activity of a farmer, the target is to gather in a good HARVEST. At harvest time, he/she only needs the cobs for his barn but destroys the tares or weeds. Let us now read:  

The Wheat and Tares:
The Harvest of Matthew 13 

Matthew 13:24-30 

“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. 

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? 

He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 

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 13:36-43 

“Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. 

He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked [one]; 

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. 

The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast 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. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” 

MEANING OF THE PARABLE:  Wheat and Tares

COL 70-71 “ The tares represent a class who are the fruit or embodiment of error, of false principles….Neither God nor His angels ever sowed a seed that would produce a tare. Tares are always sworn by Satan” 

Sowing the Good Seed

Matt. 13:24 - SOWER - ‘Son of Man’ is Jesus planting the seed during His 3.5 years ministry (Matt 13 37-38/6BC1055), 27-31AD.  

GOOD SEED - Converted or born again Christians. 

TARE/WEEDS - Unconverted sinners in the Church, planted by Satan to manipulate, control, hinder God’s communications, messages, works and progress of the Church.   

The sower (Christ) plants good seed (children of the kingdom).

EGW Insight: 'Christ’s servants are grieved as they see true and false believers mingled in the church.' (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 70)

Application: Recognize the presence of both righteous and wicked in the church.

The Enemy’s Work

Matthew 13:25: The enemy (Satan) sows tares (children of the wicked one).

EGW Insight: 'Satan works to introduce false elements into the church.' (Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 396)

Application: Be vigilant against deception and counterfeit influences.

G.C. 384 – 385 “What was the origin of the great apostasy? How did the Church first depart from the simplicity of the gospel? By conforming to the practices of paganism, to facilitate the acceptance of Christianity by the heathen….During the lives of the Apostles the church remained comparatively pure. But ‘towards the latter end of the second century most of the churches assumed a new form; the first simplicity disappeared ….as the old disciples retired to their graves, their children, along with new converts….came forward and new-modeled the cause’….To secure converts, the exalted standards of the Christian faith was lowered, and as a result ‘a pagan flood, flowing in the church, carried with it its customs, practices, and idols’….Has not the same process been repeated in nearly every church calling itself Protestant ?” 

Coexistence Until the Harvest

- Matthew 13:26–30: Wheat and tares grow together until the harvest.

- EGW Insight: 'In mercy to the church, the Lord does not at once separate the tares from the wheat.' (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 72)

- Application: Trust God’s timing; refrain from premature judgment.

Jesus Explains the Parable

The Field and the Sower (Matthew 13:37–38)

- EGW Insight: 'The world is the field, and the good seed represents those born into the kingdom of heaven.'

• The End-Time Harvest (Matthew 13:39)

- EGW Insight: 'The harvest is a time of judgment, both for the righteous and the wicked.' (The Great Controversy, p. 485)

• The Separation (Matthew 13:40–43)

- EGW Insight: 'At the close of probation, there will be no more repentance.' (Early Writings, p. 281)

WHEAT AND TARES IN THE CHURCH

COL 70– “The field, Christ said, is the world, but we  must understand this as signifying the church of Christ in the world…. It is in the church that we are to grow and ripen for the garner of God.” 

TM 46 – “ 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 corrupting of the people of God.” 

6T. 371 – “The Lord does not now work to bring many souls into the Truth because of the church members who have never been converted and those who were once converted but who have backslidden. What influence would these unconsecrated members have on the new converts ? Would they not make of no effect the God-given message which His people are to bear?” 

EMBODIMENT OF ERROR

TM 47-48 “ False doctrines is one of the satanic influences that work in the Church and bring into it those who are  unconverted at heart…” 

REVIEW & HERALDS, MAY 21, 1901 “Too much hasty work is done in adding names to the Church. Those who admit them say, ‘we will first get them into the church and then reform them.’ But this is a mistake…. Do not allow them to unite with God’s people in the church relationship until they have decided evidences that the Spirit of God is working upon their hearts. 

Many whose names are registered on the church books are not Christians.”

The HARVEST and the JUDGMENT

Jer. 8:20 – “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” 

7T. 16 – “At the day of Judgment, there came to the lost a full realization of the meaning of the sacrifice made on Calvary…. But it is too late. The last call has been made. The wail is heard (Jer. 8:20 quoted),” 

NOTE : As the harvest is the target and last solemn activity of the farmer, likewise the Judgment is the goal and last crucial  part of all the works of the Gospel -- the last part of Probationary time. In the Judgment of the living, we are told that The Eternal Farmer is FIRST to gather and destroy the TARES (Matt. 13).  Then the wheat gathered into the Barn.

The time of the judgment of the living

MATT. 13: 40 “In the end of this world” not after the end. 

G.C. 490, 436 – “The judgment (i.e. of the dead) is now passing in the sanctuary above, for many years this work has been in progress. Soon – none know how soon – it will  pass to the cases of the living….The work of Judgment which began in 1844 must continue until the cases of all the cases of all are decided, both the living and the dead; hence it will extend to the close of human probation” 

MATT. 13:39-40 - Judgment is “In the end of the world” 

COL 72 “The harvest is the end of probationary time” 

GC 436 “…it will extend to the close of human probation” 

NOTE  

The Judgment is in two parts – Of the Dead, since 1844, it will soon end at a point. Then will the Judgment Of the Living begin, which ends at the close of world probation.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

TM 46 – “The bottles of God’s wrath (i.e. 7 plagues) cannot be poured out… until the people  of God have been judged, and the cases of the living as well as the dead are decided” 

G. C. 422 – “The cleansing of the sanctuary, therefore involves a work of investigation – a work of judgment. This work must be performed prior to the coming of Christ to redeem His people, for when He comes, His reward is with Him to give to every man according to his work.” 

** The harvest is from the end of the Judgment of the Dead to the close of world Probation.

Conclusion: Harvest or Judgment Starts with US S.D.A.

1PET. 4:17 “For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God…” 

EZEK. 9:6 -- “…begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.” 

5 T. 211 “Here we see that the Church – the Lord’s sanctuary was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of God” 

7BC 979 “ The time of God’s destructive judgment is the time of mercy for those who have no opportunity to learn what it is truth… while the door is closed to those who would not enter, large numbers ( i. e. the Great multitude – Rev. 7: 9) will be admitted who in the last days hear the Truth for the first time.”