In the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, Jesus Christ provides instruction on dealing with tares within the church, symbolizing counterfeits sown by the enemy, the devil. He recounts how a man sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy sowed tares among the wheat. When the tares appeared alongside the sprouting grain, the servants asked if they should gather them up, but the owner instructed them to let both grow together until harvest to avoid uprooting the wheat. At harvest, the reapers would first gather the tares to be burned and then collect the wheat into the barn. Jesus explains that the field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The tares, sown by the devil, are permitted to grow alongside the wheat within God's church, appearing identical during growth. Only at maturity, when they produce fruit, can they be distinguished—wheat with large, golden berries and tares with small, gray ones. Attempting to uproot tares before maturity risks damaging the wheat, so God allows both to grow together until He Himself separates them at the harvest. The parable highlights that tares, as false members or even ministers, are a reality within the church, spreading destructive attitudes and ideas that can influence the true brethren. Tares may appear religious and devout, with no clear sign identifying them, making it difficult to discern them from the wheat. The high value and life-giving properties of wheat contrast sharply with the harmful, intoxicating nature of tares, yet their similar appearance during growth underscores the challenge of separation. The warnings in the parable urge vigilance against the deception of tares and caution in judging others, as even immature wheat may be mistaken for tares. God alone knows who belongs to Him, and He permits both to grow together. Jesus Christ's own example reinforces this, as He dealt with a tare among His disciples with love and kindness, never revealing the counterfeit to others or risking the uprooting of the true followers. God reserves the task of removing tares for Himself, emphasizing that separation is His responsibility alone.

Jesus spoke the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, revealing the mixed character of the church and the ultimate separation of the wicked from the saints. In this parable, two sowers plant different seeds in the same field, which represents the world, resulting in two harvests, one good and one bad. The first sower is Jesus, the Son of Man and owner of the field, while the other is His enemy, the wicked one, called the devil, who sows tares among the wheat during the night while the servants sleep. This enemy, described as the accuser and deceiver, deliberately plants the wicked among the good to create confusion. The tares, identified as darnel, are nearly indistinguishable from wheat in their early stages, making it impossible for the servants to separate them without damaging the wheat. Only at maturity can the tares be detected, gathered into bundles, and destroyed by fire. These tares represent those under the strong influence of the wicked one, developing his character and becoming his children, destined for destruction. This parable highlights the presence of evil intermingled with good within congregations, mirroring the mix found in nations and communities. The church of God on earth is shown to be imperfect, containing both genuine saints with the Holy Spirit and unconverted individuals who may recognize the truth but lack true conversion. Jesus intends to enlighten the saints about this reality, affirming that God does not sow evil, but the enemy does, and the bad seed will be rooted out when the good seed has matured.

Satan opposes the work of God by sowing counterfeit Christians, encouraging false growth, and introducing false doctrine. In the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, found in Matthew 13:24-30 and explained in verses 36-43, Jesus reveals Satan's role as an imitator, sowing tares among the wheat to disrupt the church. The tares represent those under Satan's influence, appearing similar to true believers until the harvest, when they will be separated and destroyed. In this parable, two sowers are depicted: Jesus, the Son of Man, sows good seed, while His enemy, the wicked one, sows tares among the wheat during the night, exploiting the cover of darkness. The tares, identified as bearded darnel, a toxic grain, are nearly indistinguishable from wheat until maturity, entwining their roots so closely that attempting to remove them prematurely would damage the wheat. Therefore, Jesus instructs to let both grow together until the harvest, when the tares will be gathered and burned. Satan's malicious intent in sowing tares is to cause confusion and problems within the church, disrupting peace. The tares, though not originally from the wicked one, develop character under his influence, becoming his children. Only the Lord of the harvest can ultimately distinguish the superficial from the real, and human attempts to remove tares often fail, fostering pride and hypocrisy. At the end of the age, the separation will occur, with the tares being burned as a final judgment. The presence of tares within the church is a constant challenge, as they are intertwined with the wheat through relationships and responsibilities. God instructs to leave them be, as He will handle the judging and separation at the proper time. The visible church, comprising both wheat and tares, reflects this mix of genuine believers and deceiving unbelievers, highlighting the imperfect nature of the church on earth until the harvest.

In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the field is the world, and the audience was the great multitudes, so the scope reaches beyond the church. The good seed are the sons of the kingdom, planted by the Son of Man, and the tares are the sons of the wicked one. Both God and Satan have had sons since the beginning: Abel, Seth, Enoch, and Noah belonged to the good seed, while Cain bore the image of Satan (John 8:44). The Pharisees, called a brood of vipers and children of the Devil, were tares even before the church existed, and Jesus says every plant His Father has not planted will be uprooted (Matthew 15:13). The enemy sowed while men slept. Sleep symbolizes inattention, and Israel's appointed watchmen were rebuked in Isaiah 56:10-11 for slumbering while ungodly elements took root in the nation. The owner commands that the tares be left in place until the harvest, when the reapers will bundle and burn them, and the righteous will shine like the sun (Matthew 13:43; Daniel 12:3). That harvest includes all who died in faith, from Abel onward, who will be perfected together (Hebrews 11:40). The parable can apply to false brethren in the church, but its principle is broader: not everyone who appears to be under God's dominion is actually of God.

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares, found in Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43, illustrates a critical truth about the nature of God's church in its visible, physical form: it will always contain a mixture of true and false members until the final separation at harvest. Jesus described two sowers of opposite character—Himself, the Son of Man and householder, who sows only good seed, and His enemy, the Devil (diabolos, meaning accuser and liar), who sows tares while the servants sleep at night, exploiting the darkness for his deceptive work. Significantly, Satan does not sow weeds among weeds but among the good seed, revealing his intent to create confusion within the church itself rather than merely opposing it from outside. Tares are identified as darnel, a weed nearly indistinguishable from wheat while both are growing upright; only at maturity can the difference be detected, at which point the tares are bound in bundles and destroyed by fire. This natural detail illuminates the spiritual reality that many who attend church, pray, and read Scripture resemble true Christians outwardly, yet remain merely religious hobbyists—children of the wicked one, not through original origin but through character developed under Satan's influence. The servants' inability to distinguish the seeds early on reflects how the presence of evil within the congregation is often mysterious to human perception, though God is never to blame for it, since He does not sow evil. This intermingling of good and evil is not unique to the church but is Satan's consistent method of operation, evident also in nations, communities, and homes, where efforts to legislate away wrongdoing never fully succeed. Within the church specifically, the parable warns and prepares the saints rather than exposing hypocrites prematurely; God will reveal the counterfeit only once the genuine has matured. The good seed—the wheat—represents baptized members indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the true children of the Kingdom produced by receiving and obeying God's Word. This teaching connects directly to the broader theme of unity: because the true, spiritual church consists only of the genuinely converted united by God's Spirit, it remains perfectly unified even though the visible, physical church is not, since it contains both wheat and tares together. Jesus' warning to Simon Peter that he would be "sifted by Satan" extends to all believers, urging vigilance against tares taking root in one's own heart—such as bitterness, complaining, or spiritual laziness. Understanding this parable thus reinforces why sound doctrine matters: it explains the coexistence of true and false members within the visible church while affirming that authentic spiritual unity exists only among those truly indwelt by God's Spirit.

The tares in the second parable are not God's planting. Their origin is satanic rather than divine, and they threaten to diminish the harvest. When Jesus spoke the parable, the tares were embodied in the Pharisees and other religious leaders who oppressed those with whom God was working. Jesus rebuked them in Matthew 23:13 for shutting up the kingdom of heaven against men, neither entering themselves nor allowing those who were entering to go in. Their active opposition to the good seed resulted directly from their corrupt, leavened beliefs about righteousness. The symbolism of leavening explains the dismaying presence of the tares among the wheat: false beliefs lead people away from God and toward perdition. Jesus plainly classified those who opposed Him as Satan's children (John 8:44), and John the Baptist called them a brood of vipers when they claimed Abraham as their father. Not every Pharisee, Sadducee, or common Jew was demon-possessed, but the nation had become an environment hospitable to demons. The Parable of the Tares is one of the first four parables, spoken to the multitudes, and it presents a problem that the Parable of the Leaven explains at its root. The hidden treasure of God-given faith is the solution to that problem.