ARE YOU WHEAT? OR ARE YOU Darnel?
Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable He put before them, saying, “The reign of the heavens has become like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat and went away. And when the blade sprouted and bore fruit, then the darnel also appeared. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? From where then does it have the darnel?’ And he said to them, ‘A man, an enemy did this.’ And the servants said to him, ‘Do you wish then, that we go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the darnel you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I shall say to the reapers, “First gather the darnel and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my granary.”
Have you ever wondered why The Master chose to use the comparison of Wheat and Darnel in this parable? I have. Perhaps a look at the traits of both would be helpful;
Wheat
Wheat has been proven to help provide the body with energy, is effective in patients with metabolic disorders, helps prevent chronic inflammation, helps prevent gallstones, improves metabolism, helps reduce nausea, constipation, promotes woman’s health, helps prevent childhood asthma, is a good liver detoxifier, protects against heart disease, improves gut health, improves skin health, improves eye health, has anti-cancer properties, is a mood enhancer, and more! (From an internet search on “Health benefits of wheat”)
Darnel
For many centuries, perhaps for as long as humans have cultivated cereal grains, wheat’s evil twin has insinuated itself into our crops. In a large enough dose, this grass, darnel, can kill a person, and farmers would have to take care to separate it out from their true harvest—unless they were planning to use darnel in achieving varying levels of intoxication. When its seeds are consumed, the affects are dizziness, imbalance, nausea, and impaired vision and speech. Its official name, L. temulentum, comes from a Latin word for “drunk.” (From an internet search on “Dangers of Darnel”)
Looking at the comparison above, it appears that wheat is a metaphor representing fruitful lives of true believers who love and obey HIS Word. Darnel is a metaphor representing the the fruitless lives of counterfeit believers, who reject the Truth of HIS Word while they practice lawlessness like they are in a drunken stupor! They stumble over Truth and become stumbling blocks to others![1]
The Master's explanation of the parable...
Mat 13:36-37 Then, having sent the crowds away, Yahshua went into the house. And His taught ones came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel of the field. And He answering, said to them, “He who is sowing the good seed is the Son of Adam.
The sower is identified as the Son of, or a descendant of Adam. Yahshua (The Seed)[2], came, “born of a woman“ to reverse the results of disobedience that occurred in Genesis 3. HE is sowing Truth, “the good seed” which has the potential of producing good fruit, and ongoing good seed in and through those who believe, receive and walk in Truth.
Mat 13:38 “...and the field is the world. And the good seed, these are the sons of the reign, but the darnel are the sons of the wicked one,”
Adam was created from the dust of the earth. We all, through our first birth inherit Adam's traits; a proneness to idolatry and a rebellion to The Truth, resulting in death. When The Truth, “the good seed”, is believed and obeyed, the recipient confirms that he/she is born again! When The Truth is heard by a religious unbeliever, the hearer continues in a lifestyle of copying and imitating “the sons of the reign.” These imitators are darnel, “the sons of the wicked one.”
Mat 13:39-43 “...and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. And the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the messengers. As the darnel, then, is gathered and burned in the fire, so it shall be at the end of this age. The Son of Adam shall send out His messengers, and they shall gather out of His reign all the stumbling-blocks, and those doing lawlessness, and shall throw them into the furnace of fire – there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the reign of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
There is a faithless harlot, symbolized as Darnel in covenant with the man of lawlessness; anti-messiah, having a righteous outward appearance but no lasting power...
2Thess.2:3-4 “Let no one deceive you in any way, because the falling away (from Truth)[3] is to come first, and the man of lawlessness (substitute messiah) is to be revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called Elohim or that is worshiped, so that he sits as Elohim in the Dwelling Place of Elohim, showing himself that he is Elohim.”
2Tim 3:1,5 “Know this...in the last days...men will be lovers of themselves...having an appearance of godliness but denying its power. And turn away from these!”
There is a Faithful Bride, symbolized as Wheat in Covenant with Yahshua!
Rev 19:7-8 “...for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”[4]
There are those thinking that they are properly clothed...but are not!
Mat 22:11-13 “And when the sovereign came in to view the guests, he saw there a man who had not put on a wedding garment, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not having a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the sovereign said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him out into the outer darkness – there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’[5]
Consider the following verses describing the judgment of the harlot (the false bride who imitates the True Bride) in light of the darnel on those who are under it's influence, causing impaired vision and speech as one who is drunk!
Rev 17:1-2 And one of the seven messengers who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying to me, “Come, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot sitting on many waters, with whom the sovereigns of the earth committed whoring, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her harlotry.”
Rev 17:15 And he said to me, “The waters which you saw, where the harlot sits, are peoples, and crowds, and nations, and tongues.”
Rev 18:3 “...because all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her harlotry, and the sovereigns of the earth have committed harlotry with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the power of her riotous / luxurious living.”
What religious entity is large enough to affect all nations, peoples, crowds, and tongues? Which one claims to be in the “New Covenant” with her “husband”, even though she is not keeping the vows?(ie. HIS Word / Commands)
The World's 7 Largest Belief Systems (Based on a Population of 7 Billion)
Buddhism (6.9% or 483M)
Christianity (31.2% or 2.18B) (Includes Roman Catholicism)
Folk Religions (5.7% or 399M)
Hinduism (15% or 1.05B)
Islam (24.1% or 1.68B)
Judaism (0.2% or 14M)
None (Secularism) (16% or 1.12B)
Sikhism (0.29% or 20M 300K)
What Will Matter In The End...
Rev 22:14 “Blessed are those doing His commands, so that the authority shall be theirs unto the tree of life, and to enter through the gates into the city.”
Footnotes: Long before the books were compiled to form “The New Testament,” Rev. 22:14 was quoted, as it is here given, by Tertullian (CE 208), and by Cyprian (CE 251) – see the well-known Antenicene Fathers.
Mat 7:22-23 “Many shall say to Me in that day, Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name? And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!”
Rev 18:4 “And I heard another voice from the heaven saying, “Come out of her, [Come out of the harlot] my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.”
DO YOU HEAR HIM CALLING?
[1]Matthew 24:10; Those who stumble at HIS Word, when facing persecution, turn on those who walk in Truth.
[2]Galatians 3:16; Messiah and HIS True Followers continue “the Seed.”
[3]Matthew 24:12-13; Love of The Truth will grow cold...but those who endure in Truth will be saved.
[4]Revelation 14:12 – Those who endure are guarding the commands of Yahweh and following His Son; Yahshua.
[5]Romans 13:14 – True believers are being clothed with Messiah, as HE, by HIS Spirit prepares them for HIS wedding.