Sermon Blog: The Wheat and the Tares – How to Avoid Becoming a Tare
Scripture Focus: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
It was a privilege to be with the congregation in Middleton, Idaho, surrounded by the stunning beauty of God’s creation. As we look at our world today—seeing the fusion of religion and politics, the rise of cancel culture, and the shadows of coming crisis—the words of Jesus feel more urgent than ever.
In this first of two interrelated sermons, we delve into the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. The central question we must ask ourselves is: How do we avoid becoming part of the tares?
The Two Signs of Christ’s Coming
We often focus on the mission sign from Matthew 24:14: the gospel must be preached to all nations. This makes us a mission-minded people.
But there is a second, equally important sign from Mark 4:29: “But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle because the harvest has come.” This points to a harvest of righteousness among God’s people. Before Jesus returns, there will be a final flourishing of both good and evil—the wheat and the tares.
The Parable Explained
In Matthew 13, Jesus tells a story about a farmer who sowed good wheat in his field. Under cover of darkness, an enemy sowed tares (a poisonous weed called darnel) among the wheat. As both grew together, the servants asked if they should pull the weeds. The master said no, for fear of uprooting the good wheat. He commanded, “Let both grow together until the harvest.”
Jesus later explains the parable:
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The Sower: Christ
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The Good Seed (Wheat): The children of God
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The Enemy: Satan
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The Tares: The children of the evil one
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The Harvest: The end of the age
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The Harvesters: The angels
The key insight is that the tares are sown within the field, representing the church. For a long time, wheat and tares look almost identical. It’s only at harvest, when the wheat bows low with grain and the tares stand proud and upright with poisonous seeds, that the difference becomes clear.
The Unforgivable Sin: Rejecting the Holy Spirit
This brings us to a sobering question: What causes someone to mature as a tare instead of wheat? The answer is deeply connected to the work of the Holy Spirit and the “unforgivable sin.”
Jesus says in Luke 12:10, “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
First, be assured: if you are worried you have committed this sin, you haven’t. Your concern is evidence that the Holy Spirit is still active in your heart.
So, what is the unforgivable sin? It is the persistent, willful, and final rejection of the Holy Spirit’s work. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, guides us into truth, and transforms us into Christ’s image. To continually harden our hearts against His promptings is to reject the only power that can save us.
Biblical Examples of the Unforgivable Sin:
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The Antediluvians: They rejected 120 years of Noah’s preaching.
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King Saul: The Spirit departed from him after persistent disobedience (1 Samuel 16:14).
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Herod: After executing John the Baptist, Christ had nothing to say to him (Luke 23:9).
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Judas: After rejecting Christ’s final appeal, “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27).
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The Jewish Leaders: After witnessing Jesus raise Lazarus, they plotted to kill Him.
The terrifying pattern is this: when the Holy Spirit is finally rejected and departs, a person yields control of their mind to demonic influences. This can happen to anyone, even religious leaders and church members.
The Close of Probation and the Final Harvest
The “harvest” in the parable is not the Second Coming, but the close of probation. This is the moment when every person’s destiny is eternally fixed.
Before the seven last plagues fall—which only affect the wicked—God must complete the pre-advent judgment. The separation of wheat and tares happens in the heavenly courtroom first. When probation closes, there is no more mediation for the tares, and no possibility for the wheat to fall away.
What happens after probation closes?
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For the Tares (the wicked): They are given over to their choices. They curse God during the plagues, confirming the justice of His judgment (Revelation 16).
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For the Wheat (the righteous): They enter “the time of trouble for Jacob” (Jeremiah 30:7). They face the most bitter persecution, often led by former brethren who have yielded to Satan’s control. Yet, they are sustained by the promise in Jude 1:24-25: God is “able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.”
In this final crisis, the character difference is stark:
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The Wheat are controlled by the Holy Spirit, radiate agape love, and uphold liberty of conscience.
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The Tares are controlled by demons, radiate selfishness, and impose coercion and cancel culture.
Conclusion: A Call to Be Holy
The appeal of Leviticus 20:26 rings down through the ages: “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.”
God is looking for a peculiar people, set apart for Him. You cannot assume your place in the church guarantees your place in God’s kingdom. The journey to becoming wheat is one of daily, intentional surrender.
How do we ensure we are wheat and not tares?
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Yield Daily: Every morning, consciously yield your heart and mind to the Holy Spirit.
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Seek the Spirit: Ask God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. He has promised to give Him to those who ask (Luke 11:13).
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Look to Jesus: Don’t focus on your own brokenness. Look to Christ, who began a good work in you and will carry it to completion (Philippians 1:6).
Don’t cherish sin. Don’t harden your heart. Don’t yield to the unforgivable sin of rejecting the Spirit’s voice. Instead, trust in the one who is “able to keep you from falling.” Surrender anything in your life that cannot be offered as a holy gift to a holy God.
When the angels are sent to gather the final harvest, may they find us among the wheat—those who have the Father’s name written on their foreheads, ready to be gathered into His eternal barn.