Matthew 13:39. The end of the world— Of the age, literally, a Hebraism, frequently used in the New Testament. Comp. the next verse, and Hebrews 1:2. What follows is an allusion to Joel 3:13. See also Revelation 14:15. read more
39. The enemy that sowed them is the devil—emphatically "His enemy" ( :-). (See Genesis 3:15; 1 John 3:8). By "tares" is meant, not what in our husbandry is so called, but some noxious plant, probably darnel. "The tares are the children of the wicked one"; and by their being sown "among the wheat" is meant their being deposited within the territory of the visible Church. As they resemble the children of the kingdom, so they are produced, it seems, by a similar process of "sowing"—the seeds of... read more
C. Adaptations because of Israel’s rejection of Jesus 13:1-53"The die is cast. The religious leaders have openly declared their opposition to their Messiah. The people of Israel are amazed at the power of Jesus and His speech, but they fail to recognize Him as their King. Not seeing the Messiahship of Jesus in His words and works, they have separated the fruit from the tree. Because of this opposition and spiritual apathy, the King adapts His teaching method and the doctrine concerning the... read more
IV. THE OPPOSITION TO THE KING 11:2-13:53Chapters 11-13 record Israel’s rejection of her Messiah and its consequences. Opposition continued to build, but Jesus announced new revelation in view of hardened unbelief."The Evangelist has carefully presented the credentials of the king in relationship to His birth, His baptism, His temptation, His righteous doctrine, and His supernatural power. Israel has heard the message of the nearness of the kingdom from John the Baptist, the King Himself, and... read more
3. The function of these parables 13:34-43This section, like the other two interludes in the discourse (Matthew 13:10-23; Matthew 13:49-51), has two parts. The first is an explanation about parables generally (Matthew 13:34-35), and the second is an explanation of one parable in particular (Matthew 13:36-43). read more
The explanation of the parable of the weeds 13:36-43Matthew separated the explanation of this parable from its telling in the text (Matthew 13:24-30). He evidently did this to separate more clearly for the reader the parables Jesus spoke to the multitudes from the parables He told His disciples. read more
Jesus identified Himself as both the sower and the director of the harvest. He took these Old Testament figures for God and applied them to Himself. [Note: See Philip B. Payne, "Jesus’ Implicit Claim to Deity in His Parables," Trinity Journal 2NS:1 (Spring 1981):3-23.] The field is the world where the sowing takes place, but the wheat and the tares represent true and only professing believers."This brief statement presupposes a mission beyond Israel (cf. Matthew 10:16-18; Matthew 28:18-20) and... read more
The unbelievers who are born in Jesus’ messianic (millennial) kingdom, which will begin when He returns to earth at His second coming, will continue to live in that earthly kingdom. I put the word "millennial" in parentheses because God did not reveal the 1,000-year length of the kingdom until Revelation 20. However at the end of the kingdom, at the end of the 1,000-year reign, Jesus will separate the unbelievers from the believers (cf. Zephaniah 1:3). The unbelievers will then perish eternally... read more
A Day of Parables1-3a. Teaching by parables begun (Mark 4:1; Luke 8:4). This chapter introduces a new type of teaching, that by parables. St. Matthew gives us a group of seven, the first four of which (the Sower, the Tares, the Mustard Seed, the Leaven) were addressed to the multitudes, and the last three (the Hid Treasure, the Pearl, and the Draw-net) to the disciples. St. Mark gives only four parables on this occasion, St. Luke only two. St. Matthew’s group of seven forms ’a great whole,... read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Matthew 13:40
As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned with fire; so shall it be in the end of the world.The fire into which the tares will be cast is hell, the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20; 21:8; Mark 9:44; Matthew 25:41ff). The ultimate fate of the wicked is a doom so intolerable and overwhelming that Christ came down from heaven and endured the pangs of suffering and death to deliver men from such a fate. Only a fool could set aside such warnings, delivered at such cost, and authenticated in... read more