Topical Bible: The Devil: Compared to a Sower of Tares

◄ The Devil: Compared to a Sower of Tares ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In the New Testament, the Devil is often depicted as an adversary and deceiver, actively working against the purposes of God. One of the most illustrative comparisons made by Jesus is that of the Devil as a "sower of tares" in the parable of the wheat and the tares, found in the Gospel of Matthew.

Biblical Context

The parable is recorded in Matthew 13:24-30, where Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as being like a man who sowed good seed in his field. However, while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, the tares also appeared. The servants of the landowner asked if they should pull up the tares, but the landowner instructed them to let both grow together until the harvest. At that time, the reapers would gather the tares first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into the barn.

Interpretation and Symbolism

In Matthew 13:36-43, Jesus provides an explanation of the parable to His disciples. He identifies the sower of the good seed as the Son of Man, the field as the world, the good seed as the sons of the kingdom, and the tares as the sons of the evil one. The enemy who sows the tares is explicitly identified as the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

This parable highlights several key aspects of the Devil's work:

1. Deception and Corruption: The Devil's act of sowing tares among the wheat symbolizes his efforts to introduce falsehood and corruption into the world. Just as tares resemble wheat but are ultimately worthless and harmful, the Devil's deceptions can appear similar to truth but lead to spiritual ruin.

2. Coexistence of Good and Evil: The parable illustrates the reality that good and evil coexist in the world until the end of the age. The Devil's influence is pervasive, and his followers are intermingled with the righteous, creating challenges for discernment and purity within the kingdom of God.

3. Divine Patience and Judgment: The landowner's decision to allow the wheat and tares to grow together until the harvest reflects God's patience and His ultimate plan for judgment. The final separation of wheat and tares signifies the eventual triumph of righteousness and the eradication of evil.

4. Spiritual Warfare: The parable underscores the ongoing spiritual battle between the kingdom of God and the forces of darkness. The Devil's sowing of tares is an act of warfare against God's purposes, seeking to undermine the growth and fruitfulness of the kingdom.

Theological Implications

The comparison of the Devil to a sower of tares serves as a sobering reminder of the reality of evil and the necessity for vigilance among believers. It calls for discernment in recognizing the Devil's schemes and a steadfast commitment to the truth of the Gospel. The parable also reassures believers of God's sovereign control and the certainty of His ultimate victory over evil.

Related Scriptures

Other passages in the New Testament echo the themes found in this parable. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, Paul warns that "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light," highlighting the deceptive nature of the Devil. Ephesians 6:11-12 urges believers to "put on the full armor of God" to stand against the Devil's schemes, emphasizing the need for spiritual preparedness in the face of his attacks.

The imagery of the Devil as a sower of tares provides a vivid portrayal of his role as an adversary, working to thwart God's kingdom and deceive humanity. Through this parable, Jesus offers both a warning and a promise: a warning of the Devil's insidious influence and a promise of God's ultimate justice and redemption.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Matthew 13:25,28
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Index of Subjects.
... dealt with, [777]288; meant by the tares, [778]287 ... Lust, a possession of the Devil,
[1064]193; leads to ... Luxury, why compared to thorns, [1070]283; in feasting ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/index of subjects.htm

The Prodigal Son.
... sower is the only one that can be compared with it ... are in a great measure separated:
the sower is almost ... and indentured as a slave in the devil's service, the ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/xxiv the prodigal son.htm

On the Great Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria.
... of that servant [3337] of the wicked one, that sower of tares ... And only one honour
can be compared with it by Athanasius himself ... [3325] Envy, ie, of the devil. ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/oration xxi on the great.htm

Book I.
... of God; in evil works we are prompted by the devil. ... of a possibility, but one
impossibility is compared with another ... and that when we know not, a sower by night ...
//christianbookshelf.org/jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book i.htm

The Draw-Net.
... interpretation; in other cases, such as the sower, he gave ... in the preceding example
it was compared to a ... into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/vii the draw-net.htm

Scriptural Types.
... like seed that springs up and grows the sower knows not ... Egypt between Pharaoh on
the side of the devil, and the ... Exod.25:16 compared with 1 Kings 8:9. This was ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxxvii scriptural types.htm

Sermons on Selected Lessons of the Gospels.
... turn all hindrances into their cross, [787]409, [788]410; dignity of, compared with
unregenerate ... to Son in the Father, [912]411; kept in store for Devil at end ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of.htm

Index i. Of Subjects
... the charge that He had a devil and Satanic power, 543, 575, 576, 609 ... the sower,
586-588, 594, 595 ... differences as compared with the Epistle to the Hebrews, 49, 50 ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/index i of subjects.htm

Answer to Eunomius' Second Book .
... what soars aloft on wings is not less widely removed from heaven than from the animals
that are on the earth; so, too, the strength of angels compared with our ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/answer to eunomius second book.htm

Book ii. Jerome Answers the Second, Third, and Fourth Propositions ...
... Jews: [4837] "Ye are of your father the devil, and the ... Then, again, as regards the
parable of the sower in the ... How is it then that tares and wheat grow side by ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/book ii jerome answers the.htm