It was because he hated the owner of the field, and wished to destroy his beautiful harvest.
By and by the seeds began to grow, and the little blades came up green all over the field. Then the servants of the master of the field, looking closely at the crop, saw that some of the blades were of good wheat, but some looked like tares, which were of no use to anyone and only injured the wheat. So they hastened to the owner of the field, and they said, "Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field; how have the tares got there?"
And the owner said, "An enemy has done this."
Then the servants asked if they might root up the tares at once.
I have read that when the little plants are young, the blades of the wheat and the blades of the tares are so much alike that it is difficult to tell them apart.
So the master of the field answered, "No; you had better not try to pull up the tares, lest you should pull up the wheat with them. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and in time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 'Gather together the tares first, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
* * * * *
This is a story, as I said, of "The Kingdom of Heaven." And it is important to all of us, because we all live in that Kingdom. Our hearts ought to be God's throne here, we ought to be growing up as His Good Seed, to be gathered into His eternal Home when the Harvest comes!
You may not always live in England—you may go to Canada, or Australia, or France, or Germany!
But in this Kingdom of Heaven you may always abide, till the Harvest-day comes; and happy for you if you do!