Thoughts on Matthew 13:38

Thoughts on Matthew 13:38 by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

"The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one."

"The tares are the sons of the wicked one." Satan has sons too? In John 8:44, Jesus tells those listening to Him, "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning..."  Satan has sons!

He not only has sons, he has servants, ministers, even apostles (see II Corinthians 11:13-15). This parable says that Satan has secret agents! He has spies, moles, and plants right in the church!

We just saw them -- ministers, apostles, servants, sons -- smack-dab amongst us, and they are so cleverly disguised that we cannot tell the difference between them and true Christians. They are so well disguised that even they do not know who they are!

They look converted, talk converted, and often seem pure and righteous but Paul tells us in II Corinthians 11:15 that they "transform themselves into ministers of righteousness."

They look good, they say the right things, they serve, and they teach just like the good seed. But they are evil! These scriptures reveal to us just how subtle Satan is! (see Genesis 3:1)

These evil, enemy agents, as good as they look, as sincere as they appear to be in their faith, are actually working to destroy the good seed as spoken of in the Parable of the Tares. If Satan fails to get us immediately, He has his plants try to dissuade us from the right way, while we are in church, in our own neighborhoods, at our own workplace, even in our own homes!

When we are feeling relaxed among friends and brethren it is difficult to imagine his mischief, but even in the security of the places where we think he is not--he can be!

Jesus tells His angels (His servants or messengers) to simply leave them there until harvest time. The Bible says that those agents help to prove who the truly good seed are (see I Corinthians 11:19; I John 2:19).

We must ask the Lord to help us resist the secret agents, for we cannot do what he desires us to do for the Kingdom of Christ if we are overcome by the foe we cannot recognize.