Matthew 13 The Great Separation
Matthew 13 The Great Separation Why would God allow this sowing of tares among the wheat to happen to the kingdom between Christ's first coming and His second coming? Why does God permit the "mystery of lawlessness" to work its way through the church (2 Thes. 2:7)? Like the dutiful workers in the master's field (Matt. 13:28), we're understandably anxious to jerk out every one of the evildoers, confront every devious act, and put a stop to every attempt to thwart and harass the work of God. Yet the parables seem to suggest that such a spread of wickedness and deceit among the people of God is inevitable. When Jesus finally got out of the boat, made His way through the crowd, and returned to the house in Capernaum where He was staying, His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field" (13:36). Notice that they didn't ask about the mustard seed or the leaven. They were troubled by the fact that God...