After the crowd left, His disciples asked for further clarification about this parable.
He said: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.”
The title Son of Man refers to Daniel 7:9 where the prophet was given a vision of the coming Messiah. Jesus is the Son of Man. He is the Sower of good seed. The good seeds are His kingdom people. The tares are counterfeit wheat. They look like wheat but are not. They are sons of the wicked one… sons of the devil. The harvest is the end of the age… Judgment Day. Angels are the harvesters. Jesus give His angels authority and ability to separate the useful from the useless. The wheat will enjoy radiance. The tares will experience fire. [2]
“The Son of Man [Jesus] will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” [3]
Jesus went on to compare the kingdom of heaven to three more scenarios:
Treasure hidden in a field – worth all we have.
A pearl of great price - worth of all we have.
Good fish retained in contrast to bad fish discarded.
He reiterated that His angels shall remove the wicked from among the just at the end of the age. [4]
Then, Jesus said to His disciples, “Have you understood all these things?” They replied, “Yes, Lord.” [5]
Jesus taught with the goal of helping people make the right choice. The above parables are no exception. He is telling us point blank what the future holds for both those who receive Him and those who reject Him. To those who consider Him worth all they have… To those who know only He can make something good out of them… eternal happiness with God. To those who try to look like divine produce but are not of Him… the outcome is extremely undesirable.
In any case, a Day is appointed… I pray that we all will be ready.
Jesus said, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." [6]
[1] Matthew 13:24
[2] Matthew 13:37-40
[3] Matthew 14:41-43
[4] Matthew 13:44-49
[5] Matthew 13:51
[6] John 6:37
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