Let us read the parable as it reads in the Bible:

“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. . . . 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 soweth them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels” (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-39).

It is not difficult to understand the explanation of Jesus, is it? Let us review it:

a) The wheat represents: The children of God.

b) The sower of the wheat represents: Jesus Christ.

c) The field represents: The world.

d) The tares represent: The wicked (Satan’s children).

e) The sower of the tares represents: The devil.

f) The harvest represents: The end of the world.

g) The harvesters represent: The angels.

In this first application of the parable, God’s children (the wheat) are in this world, and cannot get out of this field before the end, when Jesus comes. The angels will then gather the tares to be burned, and take the wheat to the heavenly garner. The Spirit of Prophecy says:

“The day is just upon us when the righteous shall be bound like precious grain in bundles for the heavenly garner, while the wicked are, like the tares, gathered for the fires of the last great day. But the wheat and tares ‘grow together until the harvest.’ In the discharge of life’s duties the righteous will to the last be brought in contact with the ungodly. The children of light are scattered among the children of darkness, that the contrast may be seen by all. Thus are the children of God to ‘show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.’” 1

We read in the Spirit of Prophecy these statements:

“‘The field,’ Christ said, ‘is the world.’ But we must understand this as signifying the church of Christ in the world.” 2

Here we have another field - the church. In this field there are both wheat and tares:

“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.” 3

“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. . . .

“Christ’s servants are grieved as they see true and false believers mingled in the church. . . .The real character of these pretended believers is not fully manifested. . . .

“The world has no right to doubt the truth of Christianity because there are unworthy members in the church, nor should Christians become disheartened because of these false brethren. How was it with the early church? Ananias and Sapphira joined themselves to the disciples. Simon Magus was baptized. Demas, who forsook Paul, had been counted a believer. Judas Iscariot was numbered with the apostles. . . . [The Redeemer] has said that false brethren will be found in the church till the close of time.” 4

“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. . . . 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.” 5

In this second application of the parable, the picture is changed completely. The wheat and the tares will not remain in this field, the church, until Jesus’ coming. How does the Testimony read? Let us review the above paragraphs:

a) The wheat represents: Converted souls, born of the word of God, true believers.

b) The sower of the wheat represents: Jesus Christ.

c) The field represents: The church.

d) The tares represent: Unconverted members, pretended believers, false brethren, unworthy members.

e) The sower of the tares represents: Satan.

f) The harvest represents: The end of probationary time.

When will be the harvest in this field? When should the tares be rooted out? We must understand that the tares represent those who are not truehearted, and their real character is not revealed. Therefore Jesus said that we must not judge character and motives. But when the fruit is ripe, what is to be done with the tare? Should we still leave the evil plant in the church? Definitely not. It must be rooted up or eradicated. “There is much we will never know; but that which is revealed makes the church responsible and guilty unless they show a determined effort to eradicate the evil. Cleanse the camp, for there is an accursed thing in it.” 6

To eradicate or root out means the same thing. When a person produces bad fruit (open sin), and the fruit matures, he or she must be dealt with promptly. The tare must be harvested, rooted out. The time of the harvest in this case is at any time when such fruit is ripe. We cannot simply leave him or her in the church until the coming of Jesus. The last chance for the harvest, in the church, is the end of probationary time, as mentioned above (COL 72). Even today there is a harvest, both of wheat and tares, according to the following Testimony:

“A train of cars was shown me, going with the speed of lightning. The angel bade me look carefully. I fixed my eyes upon the train. It seemed that the whole world was on board, that there could not be one left. Said the angel, ‘They are binding in bundles ready to burn.’ . . .

“I asked the angel if there were none left. He bade me look in an opposite direction, and I saw a little company traveling a narrow pathway. All seemed to be firmly united, bound together by the truth, in bundles, or companies. Said the angel, ‘The third angel is binding, or sealing, them in bundles for the heavenly garner.’ ” 7

These companies are bound together in bundles, some to be burned and the rest to be taken to the heavenly garner. In common life the harvesting of grain occurs some time before being taken to the barn. The grain is bound in bundles or sheaves and left in the field for awhile. Likewise in the spiritual realm, when Jesus comes, the wheat and the tares are already distinctly bound in their respective bundles; He will then take the wheat to the heavenly garner, the kingdom of the Father, and the tares will be burned up.

Let us remember that in the early Christian church there were tares, and the Spirit of Prophecy mentions a few of them by name: Ananias, Sapphira, Simon Magus, Demas, Judas. Opportunities were given them to repent and change their lives, and they would become precious wheat. But because they loved self and this world more than God, they were separated from the church. The Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy do not say that all tares will be converted:

“The Saviour does not point forward to a time when all the tares become wheat.” 8

Even in the world not all the wicked (tares) will be converted, but some will leave the ranks of Satan and become children of the kingdom of God.

Besides the world and the church there is still another field, according to the following:

“If faithfulness and vigilance had been preserved, if there had been no sleeping or negligence upon the part of any, the enemy would not have had so favorable an opportunity to sow tares among the wheat. Satan never sleeps. He is watching, and he improves every opportunity to set his agents to scatter error, which finds good soil in many unsanctified hearts.” 9

“‘The sower soweth the word.’ Christ came to sow the world with truth. Ever since the fall of man, Satan has been sowing the seeds of error. . . . Ever since the fall of man, Christ had been the Revealer of truth to the world. By Him the incorruptible seed, ‘the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever,’ is communicated to men (1 Peter 1:23).” 10

“The seed sown by the wayside represents the word of God as it falls upon the heart of an inattentive hearer.” 11

Here we have another field - the heart. Let us review again the above statements:

a) The wheat represents: The word of God; the truth.

b) The sower of the wheat represents: Jesus Christ.

c) The field represents: The heart.

d) The tares represent: Error.

e) The sower of the tares represents: Satan.

When will the harvest take place in this field? Should the tares (error) be left in this field until Jesus comes at the end of the world? Certainly not! If the tares (error, sin, and the like) are left in men’s hearts until the close of probationary time, they will be lost forever. When should these evils be uprooted? Without any doubt, they should be harvested precisely now, before the close of probation.

“Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: ‘The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me’ (John 14:30). Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.” 12

Another important point which should be considered in the parable of the wheat and tares is the tolerance that we must have with those whom we suspect to be tares. We cannot judge the motives and know the hearts. Even if we are convinced that a member should be disciplined, we must be cautious because there will be those who sympathize with the person, instead of standing for the right. The Spirit of Prophecy tells us:

“If persons are as deserving of being separated from the church as Satan was of being cast out of heaven, they will have sympathizers. There is always a class who are more influenced by individuals than they are by the Spirit of God and sound principles; and, in their unconsecrated state, these are ever ready to take sides with the wrong and give their pity and sympathy to the very ones who least deserve it. These sympathizers have a powerful influence with others; things are seen in a perverted light, great harm is done, and many souls are ruined.” 13

On the other hand, if the church knows that a member is in open sin and does not take decided measures to root out the evil, the church itself becomes guilty before God:

“He would teach His people that disobedience and sin are exceedingly offensive to Him and are not to be lightly regarded. He shows us that when His people are found in sin they should at once take decided measures to put that sin from them, that His frown may not rest upon them all. But if the sins of the people are passed over by those in responsible positions, His frown will be upon them, and the people of God, as a body, will be held responsible for those sins. In His dealings with His people in the past the Lord shows the necessity of purifying the church from wrongs. One sinner may diffuse darkness that will exclude the light of God from the entire congregation. . . .

“God holds His people, as a body, responsible for the sins existing in individuals among them. If the leaders of the church neglect to diligently search out the sins which bring the displeasure of God upon the body, they become responsible for these sins.” 14

To use the parable of the wheat and tares to justify sin and sinners in the church is improper, wrong and deceiving. Let us not be lulled in the cradle of a wrong interpretation of this parable.