Let both grow together until the harvest
By "the harvest", is meant "the end of the world", ( Matthew
13:39 ) either of the Jewish world, the dissolution of their
church and state, which was near; or of a man's life, which is
the end of the world to him; or rather of this present world, the
system of the universe, of the material world, as to its present
form and use, and of the inhabitants of it, and of time in it.
Now the end of the world is compared to harvest, because the time
of it is fixed and settled; though it is not known when it will
be, yet it is as certain as the time of harvest; and because as
that is in the summer season, in hot weather, so this will be a
time of wrath, when the day of the Lord will burn like an oven;
and as the harvest time is a time of hurry and labour, so will it
be in the end of the world, especially with the angels, who will
be gathering the elect from the four winds, and all men, to
appear before the judgment seat of Christ; and as at harvest the
corn is cut down, the fields cleared, and all brought home, so it
will be at the end of the world; the sickle will be thrust in,
and the earth reaped, the tares bound in bundles, and cast into
the fire, and the wheat gathered into the garner; and as the
harvest, as it falls out to be good or bad, is matter of joy or
sorrow, so will the end of the world be joy to saints, who will
then enter into the joy of their Lord, and be for ever with him,
and sorrow to the wicked, who will then go into everlasting
punishment. Until this time, wheat and tares are to "grow"
together. The "wheat", or true believers, "grow" in the exercise
of grace, as of faith, hope, love, humility and in spiritual
knowledge of the will of God, of the doctrines of grace, and of
Christ; which growth is owing to the dews of divine grace, to the
sun of righteousness shining upon them, to the gracious
influences of the blessed Spirit, and to the word and ordinances
as means. The "tares", or nominal professors, may "grow" in
riches, in credit, and reputation among men, and in speculative
knowledge; and oftentimes so it is, that they grow worse and
worse, both in doctrinal and practical wickedness: when they are
ordered to "grow together", the meaning is, not that their growth
is equal, or of the same kind, nor in the same way, nor in the
same things; but this only notes the time and duration of their
growth: nor is this suffered and permitted, because of any love
God has unto them, or any delight in, or approbation of them; but
either because they are not fully ripe for ruin; or for the
exercise of the saints, and for their temporal and spiritual
good; for it is entirely a tender regard to the wheat, and not to
the tares, that they are ordered to grow together.
And in the time of harvest, I will say to the
reapers,
the angels, ( Matthew
13:39 )
gather ye together first the tares;
that is, formal professors, hypocrites, and heretics; whom he
will have removed out of his kingdom, his church, his field, in
the world: and this order shows, that the angels will have a
perfect and exact knowledge of these persons; and that their work
will be to separate them from the righteous; when the churches
will be pure, and without spot, or wrinkle: and this will be done
first; that is, these wicked men will be first removed out of the
church, before their more severe punishment takes place:
and bind them in bundles to burn them:
which denotes the power of angels over these persons, the
certainty and inevitableness of their ruin, their association
together, and their destruction in company with one another;
which will be an aggravation of their misery, which is expressed
by "burning" with fire; not material, but metaphorical; the wrath
of God, which will be a consuming fire, and be everlasting and
unquenchable.
But gather the wheat into my barn;
meaning the kingdom of heaven, which is as a garner or
repository, in which none but wheat is put, and where it is safe,
and lies together: so none but righteous, pure, and undefiled
persons, are admitted into heaven; and being there, they are
safe, and out of the reach of all enemies; and what adds to their
happiness is, that they are together, enjoying all satiety and
fulness; and are in Christ's barn, or garner, which he has made,
and prepared for their reception. The gathering of them into it
designs the introduction of the saints into heaven by angels, as
their souls at death, and both souls and bodies, at the last day,
when their happiness will be perfect and complete.