Introduction
“Let both grow together until the harvest.” — Matthew 13:30
This past Lord’s Day we considered Jesus’ Parable of the Wheat and the Tares and were reminded that the kingdom of God advances in the midst of opposition. Jesus revealed who the opposition is—the devil himself; how he opposes the kingdom—by sowing tares among the wheat; and the opposition’s ultimate fate—certain destruction at the final harvest. While the end of the story is certain, the present often leaves us with an important question.
If Christ knows who belongs to Him and who belongs to the evil one, why does He allow the wheat and the tares to grow together? Why not remove the wicked immediately? Why permit His people to continue living alongside those who oppose Him and His kingdom?
Jesus’ answer reveals the wisdom of our King. The Lord delays the final harvest not because He is indifferent to evil or unable to judge it, but because His purposes are greater than immediate judgment. In His wisdom He accomplishes three things: Protection for His people, Patience toward sinners, and Purity in His church before executing perfect justice.
1. Protection — God Protects His People
The Master’s first concern is the safety of the wheat.
“Lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.” (Matthew 13:29)
In the early stages of growth, wheat and tares look remarkably similar. A premature separation would inevitably damage the crop the Master intends to preserve.
The same is true in God’s kingdom. His people often live closely intertwined with unbelievers—in families, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and even within the visible church. Were God to execute final judgment immediately, many of His own would suffer unnecessary harm.
Our Lord is never careless with His people. He is the Good Shepherd who guards His flock, and His timing is always aimed at their ultimate good. What may appear to us as delay is often divine protection.
2. Patience — God Is Patient Toward Sinners
God’s delay is not weakness—it is mercy.
Throughout Scripture, the Lord reveals Himself as “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Exodus 34:6). His patience provides opportunity for sinners to repent before the day of judgment arrives.
Some who presently oppose Christ will one day belong to Him.
The apostle Paul is perhaps the greatest example. Once a persecutor of the church, he became one of its greatest missionaries after the risen Christ transformed him by grace. Had God judged Saul immediately, the church would have lost one of its greatest servants.
Every day the final harvest is postponed is another day that God gathers His elect from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. His patience is accomplishing His redemptive purpose.
As Peter reminds us,
“The Lord is not slow concerning His promise… but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
The delay of judgment is not evidence that God has forgotten justice. It is evidence that He delights to show mercy.
3. Purity — God Preserves the Purity of His Church
Time has a way of exposing reality.
When wheat and tares first emerge, they can be difficult to distinguish. But as they mature, their true nature becomes unmistakable. Wheat bears grain. Tares remain barren.
So it is in the kingdom. While some tares remain hidden until the final judgment, others are exposed during the course of history. False teachers eventually reveal their doctrine. Hypocrites expose themselves through unrepentant sin. Those who once professed faith abandon Christ altogether, demonstrating that they never truly belonged to Him.
This should not be understood as a prohibition against church discipline. Jesus is not forbidding the church from addressing open, confirmed, and unrepentant sin. Elsewhere He commands it (Matthew 18:15–20), and the apostles require it (1 Corinthians 5). Rather, He forbids premature judgment where the distinction between wheat and tares is not yet evident. Even when discipline becomes necessary, it must be exercised patiently, humbly, and with the hope of repentance and restoration, remembering that the final and perfect separation belongs to the Lord of the harvest.
The Lord’s delay allows this distinction to become increasingly evident. Through the passing of time, the fruit of a person’s life, and the faithful discipline of the church, what is genuine is often revealed. In this way, God preserves the purity of His visible church while reserving the final and perfect separation for the last day.
Waiting with Confidence
The existence of evil should never cause us to doubt Christ’s reign.
The wheat and the tares grow together only because the King has ordained it for a season. Evil is not advancing outside His control, nor has judgment been forgotten. The harvest has already been appointed.
Until that day, we need not become impatient or fearful. Instead, we trust our King. He provides protection for His people. He extends patience toward sinners, calling them to repentance. And He preserves the purity of His church while reserving the final and perfect separation for the last day.
The field may appear mixed today, but the harvest will not be.
The King has not lost control of His kingdom. He is patiently preparing His kingdom for the day when “the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).