Sabbath, July 8, 2023

Lesson 2 – Wheat and Tares

THE EXISTENCE OF EVIL

1.What question has been asked throughout all time? Why did Christ come to this earth?

Matthew 13:27. 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?

Ecclesiastes 7:29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

1 John 3:8. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

“‘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.’” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 70.

2.What is the enemy’s favorite field for sowing tares? What is the result of his evil planting?

 Matthew 13:25. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

Romans 2:19-24. And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, 20An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. 21Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 22Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? 23Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? 24For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

Matthew 23:13. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

“In the East, men sometimes took revenge upon an enemy by strewing his newly sown fields with the seeds of some noxious weed that, while growing, closely resembled wheat. Springing up with the wheat, it injured the crop and brought trouble and loss to the owner of the field. So it is from enmity to Christ that Satan scatters his evil seed among the good grain of the kingdom. The fruit of his sowing he attributes to the Son of God. By bringing into the church those who bear Christ’s name while they deny His character, the wicked one causes that God shall be dishonored, the work of salvation misrepresented, and souls imperiled.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 71.

3.What is Satan’s purpose in sowing tares? Whom does he use as tares?

2 Timothy 3:5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Titus 1:16. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

“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 jus- tice 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.

“The world has no right to doubt the truth of Christianity because there are unworthy members in the church, nor should Christians become disheart- ened 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. Ju- das Iscariot was numbered with the apostles.

“The Redeemer does not want to lose one soul; His experience with Judas is recorded to show His long patience with perverse human nature; and He bids us bear with it as He has borne. He has said that false brethren will be found in the church till the close of time.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 72.

DESIRES OF FAITHFUL BELIEVERS

4.What do many faithful believers want to do when they see tares in the church? What instruction did Jesus give concerning this?

Matthew 13:28, 29. He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

“Christ’s servants are grieved as they see true and false believers mingled in the church. They long to do something to cleanse the church. Like the servants of the householder, they are ready to uproot the tares. But Christ says to them, ‘Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.’

“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 manifest- ed. Were they to be separated from the church, others might be caused to stumble, who but for this would have remained steadfast…. 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.” –Christ’s Object Les- sons, pp. 71, 72.

HUMAN VS. DIVINE ACTION

5.How should open sin be dealt with? But what limit has God placed on man because of the tares and open sin?

1 Timothy 5:24, 25. Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. 25Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are other- wise cannot be hid.

“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.”–Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 71.

6.What will secular Christianity do at the end of time? What will keep one from being a tare?

John 16:2, 4; 15:4, 7. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever kil- leth you will think that he doeth God service…. 4But these things have    I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, be- cause I was with you…. 15:4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch can- not bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me…. 7If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

“Notwithstanding Christ’s warning, men have sought to uproot the tares. To punish those who were supposed to be evildoers, the church has had recourse to the civil power. Those who differed from the established doc- trines have been imprisoned, put to torture and to death, at the instigation of men who claimed to be acting under the sanction of Christ. But it is the spirit of Satan, not the Spirit of Christ, that inspires such acts. This is Satan’s own method of bringing the world under his dominion. God has been misrepresented through the church by this way of dealing with those supposed to be heretics.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 74.

THE DIFFERENCE

7.When will the difference between the tares and the wheat become evident? What should one do every day to be faithful?

Matthew 13:40-42; 26:41. As there- fore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. 41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gath- er out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; 42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnash- ing of teeth…. 26:41Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

“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.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 74.

For Additional Study

“The Saviour does not point forward to a time when all the tares become wheat. The wheat and tares grow together until the harvest, the end of the world. Then the tares are bound in bundles to be burned, and the wheat is gathered into the garner of God. ‘Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.’ Then ‘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.’” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 75.