The Wheat & The Tares
by Martin Luther (1483-1546)
The following short sermon is taken from volume II of,
The Sermons of Martin Luther, published by Baker Book House (Grand Rapids,
MI). It was originally published in 1906 in english by Lutherans In
All Lands (Minneapolis, MN), in a series titled The Precious and Sacred
Writings of Martin Luther, vol. 11. The original title of this sermon
appears below. This e-text was scanned and edited by Shane Rosenthal
for Reformation Ink ; it is in the public domain and it may be copied
and distributed without restriction.
The Parable of the Tares Which An Enemy Sowed
in the Field:
Matt. 13:24-30: 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.
1. The Saviour himself explained this parable in the
same chapter upon the request of his disciples and says: He that soweth
the good seed is the Son of man; and the field is the world; and the
good seed, these are the children of the kingdom; and the tares are
the sons of the evil one; and the enemy that sowed them is the devil;
and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
These seven points of explanation comprehend and clearly set forth what
Christ meant by this parable. But who could have discovered such an
interpretation, seeing that in this parable he calls people the seed
and the world the field; although in the parable preceding this one
he defines the seed to be the Word of God and the field the people or
the hearts of the people. If Christ himself had not here interpreted
this parable every one would have imitated his explanation of the preceding
parable and considered the seed to be the Word of God, and thus the
Saviour's object and understanding of it would have been lost.
2. Permit me to make an observation here for the benefit
of the wise and learned who study the Scriptures. Imitating or guessing
is not to be allowed in the explanation of Scripture; but one should
and must be sure and firm. Just like Joseph in Gen. 40:12f. interpreted
the two dreams of the butler and baker so differently, although they
resembled each other, and he did not make the one a copy of the other.
True, the danger would not have been great if the seed had been interpreted
to be the Word of God; still had this been the case the parable would
not have been thus understood correctly.
3. Now this Gospel teaches us how the kingdom of God
or Christianity fares in the world, especially on account of its teaching,
namely, that we are not to think that only true Christians and the pure
doctrine of God are to dwell upon the earth; but that there must be
also false Christians and heretics in order that the true Christians
may be approved, as St. Paul says in 1 Cor. 2:19. For this parable treats
not of false Christians, who are so only outwardly in their lives, but
of those who are unchristian in their doctrine and faith under the name
Christian, who beautifully play the hypocrite and work harm. It is a
matter of the conscience and not of the hand. And they must be very
spiritual servants to be able to identify the tares among the wheat.
And the sum of all is that we should not marvel nor be terrified if
there spring up among us many different false teachings and false faiths.
Satan is constantly among the children of God. (Job 1:6).
4. Again this Gospel teaches how we should conduct
ourselves toward these heretics and false teachers. We are not to uproot
nor destroy them. Here he says publicly let both grow together. We have
to do here with God's Word alone; for in this matter he who errs today
may find the truth tomorrow. Who knows when the Word of God may touch
his heart? But if he be burned at the stake, or otherwise destroyed,
it is thereby assured that he can never find the truth; and thus the
Word of God is snatched from him, and he must be lost, who otherwise
might have been saved. Hence the Lord says here, that the wheat also
will be uprooted if we weed out the tares. That is something awful in
the eyes of God and never to be justified.
5. From this observe what raging and furious people
we have been these many years, in that we desired to force others to
believe; the Turks with the sword, heretics with fire, the Jews with
death, and thus outroot the tares by our own power, as if we were the
ones who could reign over hearts and spirits, and make them pious and
right, which God's Word alone must do. But by murder we separate the
people from the Word, so that it cannot possibly work upon them and
we bring thus, with one stroke a double murder upon ourselves, as far
as it lies in our power, namely, in that we murder the body for time
and the soul for eternity, and afterwards say we did God a service by
our actions, and wish to merit something special in heaven.
6. Therefore this passage should in all reason terrify
the grand inquisitors and murderers of the people, where they are not
brazened faced, even if they have to deal with true heretics. But at
present they burn the true saints and are themselves heretics. What
is that but uprooting the wheat, and pretending to exterminate the tares,
like insane people?
7. Today's Gospel also teaches by this parable that our free will amounts
to nothing, since the good seed is sowed only by Christ, and Satan can
sow nothing but evil Seed; as we also see that the field of itself yields
nothing but tares, which the cattle eat, although the field receives
them and they make the field green as if they were wheat. In the same
way the false Christians among the true Christians are of no use but
to feed the world and be food for Satan, and they are so beautifully
green and hypocritical, as if they alone were the saints, and hold the
place in Christendom as if they were lords there, and the government
and highest places belonged to them; and for no other reason than that
they glory that they are Christians and are among Christians in the
church of Christ, although they see and confess that they live unchristian
lives.
8. In that the Saviour pictures here also Satan scattering his seed
while the people sleep and no one sees who did it, he shows how Satan
adorns and disguises himself so that he cannot be taken for Satan. As
we experienced when Christianity was planted in the world Satan thrust
into its midst false teachers. People securely think here God is enthroned
without a rival and Satan is a thousand miles away, and no one sees
anything except how they parade the Word, name and work of God. That
course proves beautifully effective. But when the wheat springs up,
then we see the tares, that is, if we are conscientious with Gods Word
and teach faith, we see that it brings forth fruit, then they go about
and antagonize it, and wish to be masters of the field and fear lest
only wheat grows in the field, and their interests be overlooked.
9. Then the church and pastor marvel; but they are
not allowed to pass judgment, and eagerly wish to interpret all for
the best, since such persons bear the Christian name. But it is apparent
they are tares and evil seed, have strayed from the faith and fallen
to trust in works, and think of rooting out the tares. They lament because
of it before the Lord, in the heartfelt prayer of their spirit. For
the sower of the good seed says again, they should not uproot it, that
is, they should have patience, and suffer such blasphemy, and commend
all to God; for although the tares hinder the wheat, yet they make it
the more beautiful to behold, compared with the tares, as St. Paul also
says in 1 Cor. 2:19: "For there must be false factions among you,
that they that are approved may be made manifest among you." This
is sufficient on today's text.