The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares

By Edna Lister

"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." – Matthew 13:24-30.

"Jesus said: The kingdom of the Father is like a man who had [good] seed. His enemy came by night and sowed weeds among the good seed. The man did not allow them to pull up the weeds. He said to them: Lest you go and pull up the weeds, (and) pull up the wheat with it. For on the day of the harvest the weeds will be manifest; they will be pulled up and burned." – Gospel of Thomas, Saying 57.

Release the Indwelling Power

This Edna Lister Bible study transcript is dated January 11, 1933. Scribe: Clarissa A. Watkins. Scriptures: Matthew 13:1-3, 13:24-30, and Revelation 14:6-7.

From Genesis through the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, the Bible unfolds the hidden wisdom of religion.

"The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. And he spake many things unto them in parables." – Matthew 13:1-3.

The parable of the wheat and tares deals with the kingdom of heaven. Earlier, Jesus had gone to the sea shore, where a huge crowd had gathered to hear him. He sat in a boat offshore while the people remained on shore to listen, and he taught them in parables.

"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." – Matthew 13:24-30.

The field Jesus refers to symbolizes the world. The "good seed" represents the highest mystical degree of the substance of creation. The "tares" represent the lower self tendencies, habits and urges. Among the worst of these is misusing the power of the spoken Word in idle words.

The "enemy" represents the world mind, which you tune in from the outside automatically when you worry, doubt, or think about evil. The "harvest" refers to the end of the world, of this age, the Adamic civilization, which some say began 200,000 years ago.

"I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." – Revelation 14:6-7.

You must purify your thoughts before you can speak pure words. The angel described in Revelation 14:6-7 represents pure thoughts. Every time you use the power of love, sending it forth to do something good, you send angels to lift the downtrodden, or to destroy and cast into the fire that which offends.

Every day is the Judgment Day, and you are your own judge. You must judge yourself by every word you utter, for every word you use places you in the scale of evolution. You are destined to be a radiant light, but sometimes you shout loudest when you create a smudge by not living up to your divine heritage.

The kingdom of heaven is right here, right now. Its riches will shine forth when you rightly use your faculties, the mental and soul powers within you, and surrender self to serve the Power of God. He designed you to be the mouthpiece of the Word that produces results, to send Power directly to the need.

Declare, "I am now creating divine harmony and establishing divine activity. I am divinely inspired with ideas. I am divinely sent to the right place, where I am needed, here and now."

Wheat or Tares?

Edna Lister created this sermon outline for February 6, 1938. Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30.

"The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." – Matthew 13:24-30.

Good seeds represent God's children of Light who have remained steadfastly in the Way. The tares are weeds, symbolizing the wicked ones of the world who have abandoned obedience to the law. The devil is darkness.

At the end of the world, the wicked ones will be thrown into a furnace of consuming fire, and they will choose whether it burns out the dross, or burns up their body and soul.

The kingdom of Jesus is eternal life. The wicked, the tares, will be separated from the faithful Elect, the harvest of wheat, and gathered into the Father's granary, the kindgom of God.

The Fiery Furnace

Edna Lister created this sermon outline for November 11, 1962. Scriptures: Matthew 13:24-30 and Matthew 13:49-50.

The Bible opens with a proclamation, "Let there be Light." Throughout the Old Testament the prophets made "proclamations," which are declarations of law. Someone must proclaim it to make a law, to announce it. You can make laws, but if no one knows about them, no action will result. The process requires the one who proclaims and the one who performs.

In the New Testament, Jesus makes proclamations of truth about our inheritance as the sons and daughters of God. He unfolded the truth in story form from simple affairs of daily life, from things they understood.

He unfolded the law behind the proclamation by teaching the necessity for law through parables such as the sower, the good seed, and the tares in the wheat. You cannot pull up the tares until wheat is ripe – they can be separated only when they no longer need their roots. The Word of God is the good seed. The word of self produces weeds and tares, enemies in the world.

Strength comes from standing strong through life's tests, trials and temptations, the children of the kingdom of evil. People ask, "Why does God allow this evil to go on so long?" Rest assured that God cannot pull out the good while their roots are entangled with evil ones. He must wait until dry rot sets in and loosens evil roots. Today, evil is being separated from the good, establishing two camps. Even the communists are "good" because they are drawing so much evil into the open.

Today's weed killers do not destroy grass seed. You also have creative tools that act as evil killers when you use them in honor, loyalty, and integrity. To "kill" means to change form under love. Honor, loyalty and integrity will put evil to flight and recondition earth itself.

In the first wholesale conversion stories of the Old Testament, they "killed" all enemy families, which has been cited as an example of hate and soul debts. Yet, a far more accurate interpretation is that they changed their form by absorbing all evil from it. To kill the old is to convert it, to change its form.

You can change the outer forms of man, governments and civilization itself by your use of your creative tools. Groups of the Elect are doing so now. When your creative tools of desire, thinking, and imagination are developed greatly enough, the Love-Light of God flows through you and confounds any enemies of Light.

"So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." – Matthew 13:49-50.

What is this "furnace of fire?" When you contact the pure love of God, you live to proclaim and perform as love. Nothing can withstand love's burning power.

Only one Mind, Substance, and Power exist as life. Flaming life as Light burns out dross and consumes evil. The world is wailing and evil is gnashing its teeth. So what?

You need three ingredients in your attitude toward the world — to be receptive, to be flexible, and to be poised in power.

First, you must honor God, laws and principles enough to want to be obedient because you cannot bear to fail. Second, you must maintain loyalty to your vows, ideals and principles. Third, you need integrity of heart, mind and purpose.

Tomorrow is yours! Today's building determines what type of tomorrow you will have. The quality of today's love will determine the quantity of today's rejoicing. The one who proclaims the truth must become the one who performs the truth.

Your Field of Wheat and Tares (a)

Edna Lister created this sermon outline for December 9, 1962. Scriptures: Matthew 13:24-30 and Matthew 13:49-50.

The Bible opens with a proclamation, "In the beginning, God created." Proclamation means "to make a law, to annunciate a law."

Law in itself is powerless. Someone must not only annunciate the law, but someone else must hear it, then obey it to make it effective. The Old Testament is full of proclamations, which the prophets announced by saying, "Thus saith the Lord."

The New Testament records that Jesus came and said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." – Matthew 5:17.

The prophets of old talked about law, but Jesus was the law, because he had become the law. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life." – John 14:6.

The Old Testament prophets followed every proclamation with a warning to "turn again," or they would experience the results of disobedience. Instead of warnings, Jesus taught them beautiful explanations of the law, allegories and parables, simple stories fitted to times to unfold meaning of law. He taught them.

For every proclamation, he told a story about the need for law and how to obey law. He used the parable of the sower, and the parable of the good seed, the wheat and the tares. He explained why you cannot pull up tares at once, how their roots are entwined. They can be separated only when the wheat has ripened and no longer needs its roots.

A man sowed good seed, which means he heard the "Word of God." Then he slept, meaning he became complacent. People say, "Oh, I have it," or "I do pray." These are the "words of self" and the only enemy.

Idle word seeds grow tares. "Ye are Sons of God!" is a proclamation that you are the children of the kingdom (wheat). Your strength comes from standing strong through tests, trials and temptations.

People ask, "Why does this evil one go on so long? Why does God allow it?" Rest assured that the roots of the "evil" one are tangled with the "good ones." You cannot pull out the good, but must wait until dry rot sets in and loosens the "roots of evil."

Today evil is being separated from the good, creating two camps. The dry rot has set in already. For example, with the recent newspaper strikes, the union and management are blaming each other.

Today's weed killers do not destroy the grass with the weeds. You have creative tools — desires, thinking, and imagination, which are "evil" killers when you use them under love. Honor, loyalty and integrity put evil to flight.

To kill means to change form, to recondition. In the Old Testament stories about the first wholesale conversion, the Lord told Joshua to kill the inhabitants of Canaan, every man and family. Beyond ending life, to kill means to absorb all hate, all soul debts, to change all thoughts and emotions through love. Love can change outer forms, men, government and civilization into itself.

The Elect are doing this now when their tools of desire, thinking and imagination are great enough in love and joy. When Light of God flows through you, it confounds any enemies of Light.

"So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." – Matthew 13:49-50.

What is this "furnace of fire?" It is the pure love of God. Proclaim love and perform all your vows by love. Live your Life in the midst of the flaming furnace. It burns out dross, and consumes evil. Nothing can withstand the rays of love. Darkness is as nothing. Nothing from nothing leaves nothing but "wailing and gnashing of teeth." So what?

To live by honor, loyalty, and integrity, which are the three necessary ingredients, requires you to be receptive, flexible ,and poised under the Power and Light. Honor God, be obedient to principles, to proclamations, loyal to your own vows, your ideals and your plan. You need integrity of heart, mind and purpose to be receptive, flexible and poised in the Power of Love if you are not to go to sleep and allow your only enemy creep in to fill your field with tares.

Idle Words are tares growing in your consciousness. When you have an open mind, nothing stands still. Listen to every word. Don't push anything away until you are sure nothing is in it for you. Treat every word spoken to you as a precious gift from God, especially the words that hurt.

If you were to remodel a room, you would begin by moving the furniture out, and cleaning the ceiling and walls. Then you paint, leaving the woodwork for last, finally cleaning the floor. How far along is your remodeling in your room of Light? Have you splattered any paint? Have you cleaned up all the drips? Lack of faith is lack of confidence and no trust. When you have no little inspiration, you feel tired and discouraged before you begin.

Tomorrow is yours. It arrives unused, untarnished, just waiting to become. What? Today's successful remodeling of consciousness depends on the quality and quantity of yesterday's love. Today's rejoicing determines tomorrow quantity and quality of love. You must proclaim your truth. Then you must become the truth by living the truth.

Your Field of Wheat and Tares (b)

This Edna Lister sermon transcript is dated December 9, 1962. Scribes: Ruth Johnson and Irene White. Scriptures: Matthew 13:24-30 and Matthew 13:49-50.

The Bible opens with the proclamation, "In the beginning, God created." A proclamation is a public announcement of a law that you must obey, news of concern to many, meant to reach the minds and hearts of men. You can find dozens of proclamations throughout the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments.

Prophets proclaim law in two ways. In the Old Testament, the prophets first said, "Thus says the Lord," because they were talking about law. When Jesus proclaimed, "I am the way, the truth, and the light," he might well have said, "I am the law."

Those who proclaim, favor the proclamation, while those who hear it might not like it or obey. You must heed your own proclamations. If you speak from the teeth out only, you can forget your words. This is the problem with adept healers, who depend on persuasion and enticement.

Instant healing occurs when you lift the body's vibration. The vibration of healing words can do this, if you speak on the fifth breath. You cannot sublimate ice into steam, for it must become water first. Healing can take place under the Power released by the healer's faith. However, if the one healed was not touched in his heart and soul, the healing will not last.

Jesus could teach mystical truth in parables without giving offense. Jesus, in stories, allegories and parables, gave people the pathway to escape their maze of troubles. He never debited his truth or life in little drips and drabs, but gave people the full law. He gave them the reasons for the way law works, which he explained in parables. They would have forgotten the law if he had not taught them this way.

"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." – Matthew 13:24-30.

The man had planted good seed, then his servant told him about the tares. You are like this. You plant good seeds. "While men slept" the enemy came and planted tares. When you say, "I have prayed," or "I have all the truth I need," you go to sleep and the tares come up. Your enemies are self-satisfaction and complacency. You never have "the last word." Someone else can always add more.

The servants in this parable represent the servants of God. They asked the sower what he would do about the tares. He said, "I'll have to wait until dry rot sets in the roots of the weeds, then tear them out."

Thus, you must dig out your faults, but you do so by ascending into Light, which dries up the roots of weeds, which are your taints. You often cannot root out the enemy because he has contaminated many others, whom you must help to see what the enemy of self is doing, and repent.

For instance, God cannot remove evil leaders until we have prayed enough for each. Cursing a leader only curses the good people who may follow him, for instance, those who follow Communism or dark union leaders. Someone must save these people.

You harvest the wheat, put it in the barn and burn the tares. God destroys only evil in the minds and hearts of humanity, and the use of evil.

Substitute "spiritual debt" for the "wrath of God" in the Bible. "God pours out wrath" means He pours darkened soul substance from the black clouds created by mankind's misuse of Power. Some faction of darkness is always doing its best to enslave the will of God's creations. Now the evil ones are showing themselves.

For example, evil often motivates union strikes or certain internationalists, who try to wreck a country's economy. Yet some in every group stand up and object, separating the chaff from the wheat. Those who would destroy capitalism and enslave us, seek to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. So the Elect are now separating wheat from tares.

If you interpret "kill" as changing form, you can better understand the full meaning of "killing" evil. God told the Israelites to destroy the cities and kill the heathen tribes in the Promised Land. Killing, metaphysically, is converting or changing people, cleaning up their minds and hearts. In the Bible, killing inhabitants means they were to change the people's minds and hearts to cleanse and sanitize the cities.

Tares include every negative idea you have. The negative tares in subconscious mind grow with your wheat. How are you to "uproot" your tares? You can liken the subconscious to a room you plan to refurbish. First you remove the furniture, saving the good, and haul out the trash. You tear off the dirty wallpaper, fill cracks in the ceiling first, then clean the walls and woodwork. Then you hang paper and paint.

Last, you do the floor. If you see that someone has dirtied the floor, check the subconscious mess that you thought you had cleaned up. Chances are that those footprints are your own idle words or thoughts. Go back and clean your room again.

"So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth." – Matthew 13:49-50.

The "end of the age" means the end of something that was detrimental. Uproot and bundle your life's tares and others', and burn them in the fiery furnace of God's Love. The ceiling means inspiration. Some clean it last. When you say, "I'm discouraged," or "I get nothing out of a religious service," you are killing inspiration.

It takes millions of years to blaze a habit track for faith in the brain. When you say, "I can't take it anymore," you really get it. Most people clutter their own rooms of life. Sever the wicked and dross and throw it in the fiery furnace, your purifier and purger. Wailing, gnashing your teeth and biting your tongue is good because it is the way to start. Now is the end of the age of evil.

You can contact this illimitable Power that is ready to use you. This is your way to freedom. It is perfect, pure, undefiled. What are your plans for tomorrow? Keep your ceiling clean so that you can hear God's Voice of inspiration. It takes a flat, smooth surface for the Voice of God to reach you.

The best thing you can learn is how not to do the wrong thing. Then you can warn others. Your answer might come from anywhere or anyone. Keep your ears open. Listening is always good discipline. The greatest flattery you can use is to listen to other fellow. Let him empty his heart, then perhaps you can get in the right word. When you use the word "kill" as meaning change, make your proclamations then listen and separate the tares from your wheat and cast them into the furnace of love.

Meet tomorrow in soul exaltation, with more love, joy, with receptive flexibility and poise. Be prepared to listen and gather in the vibration of truth. Be flexible without opinions and the floor you cleaned will stay that way. Don't doubt this. Until you try loving enough, how do you know it will not work?

Be gracious toward all. You cannot be uppity, prideful and gracious. You are not a doormat, but must be receptive to the Power and Word of God that guides you in large and small ways. Have the integrity that goes with honor and loyalty. Light is winning, and the age of darkness is no more. Pray, proclaim yourself the way, truth and Light of God acting on earth.