And when the work-men on the farm saw this, they went at once to the man of the house, and said to him, Didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? Where then have these tares come from?
He said to them, A foe has done this.
The work-men said, Shall we go out, then, and pull them up by the roots?
And he said, No, lest while you pull up the tares you pull up the wheat with them. Let both grow till it is time to reap the grain; and then I will say to the reap-ers, Pull up the tares first and bind them in stacks to burn. But put the wheat in my barn.
Je-sus told the twelve what he meant by this talk of the tares of the field.
The field is the world. He who owns the field and sows the seed, is Je-sus him-self. The wheat that grows up means those who hear his words, and do as he has taught them.
The tares are bad men, who have no love for Je-sus.
The foe that sows them is Sa-tan.
The time to reap the grain is on the last great day. The reap-ers are the an-gels.
Je-sus will let the good and the bad live in the world till the last great day. Then he will send his an-gels to take the good to their home on high, but the bad will be cast out in-to the fire that is to burn up the world.