THE PARABLE OF THE TARES AND THE DRAGNET

By Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry Jr

The Parable of the Tares (Mt 13:24–30, 36–43) and the Parable of the Dragnet (Mt 13:47–50). In the first of these parables the Lord points out that he will widely distribute the kingdom by spreading the “good seed.” According to his interpretation, this means that “the Son of Man” (13:37) will sovereignly spread the “sons of the kingdom” (Christians) throughout “the world” (13:24, 38).
Thus, instead of the kingdom being for Israel alone, it is for the “world” at large, just as Matthew’s Gospel anticipates throughout (Mt 2:3; 5:14; 24:14; 26:13; 28:18–20).¹ He leaves absolutely no impression that God’s plan includes elevating the Jews above the Gentiles and to a special status in his kingdom (cp. Mt 8:10–12; 12:41–42; 21:45). He presents only good seed and bad seed, saved and lost — not Jewish dominance or leadership. As we learn later from his servant Paul (Ac 9:15–16; Ro 1:1; Tit 1:1), the Lord teaches that “there is neither Jew nor Greek . . . for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28; cp. Ro 10:12; Col 3:11).
But Christ adds that though Satan cannot totally hinder the kingdom’s reception among men (see previous parable), he will infiltrate the kingdom by mixing the unrighteous within its borders. Christ’s kingdom will never be perfect and pure on the earth. Contrary to some, postmil-lennialism does not teach a perfected earthly kingdom (see below on pp. 262–64). Nevertheless, we should note that he presents the world as a wheat field through the sowing of the seed; it is not a tare field.
In both of these parables we learn that God will not sort out this intermixture of the legitimate kingdom members from the false ones until the end of history (Mt 13:40, 49). On Judgment Day God will remove the lost first (contrary to the dispensational scheme, 13:41–42, 49–50), then he will bring the saved into the eternal kingdom where they will shine forth in perfection (13:41–43). This occurs “at the end of the age” (13:40), not 1000 years prior to the end (contrary to all forms of premillennialism).

Notes

1. The OT expects this, Ge 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; Ps 67:2; 72:11, 17; 86:9; Isa 2:2–4; 19:23–24.