| Christian Life and Doctrine | October 1950 |
The Harvest and the Reapers
“He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal.” —John 4:36
FULL consecration to the Lord and to the doing of his will implies an appreciation of the privilege of laying down one’s life in his service quite apart from the consideration of reward. On the other hand, the Scriptures make it abundantly clear that every servant of the Lord is richly rewarded for all he does, and the “wages” are always far and beyond anything which he could ask or think. Jesus, the greatest of all servants of God, indicated that he did not seek a reward, for he asked to be glorified with the glory he had with the Father before the world was; yet it was the joy which was set before him by God’s promises that enabled him to endure the cross and despise the shame. By enduring faithfully, he was rewarded with exaltation to the right hand of the throne of God. Surely it is true that he who reapeth receiveth wages!
The great salvation which began to be spoken by our Lord is not something that can be earned. It can be ours only because provision was made for it through the blood of Christ, and we are to rest in his finished work for us. Nevertheless, Jesus and the apostles made it very clear that there was much work for the church to do, that beginning with Pentecost the disciples were to embark on a world-wide mission. They were to be sowers of seed; they were to be reapers of wheat; they were to be fishers of men; they were to be the light of the world. These various expressions—and there are others—all indicate that the church was to be a militant and aggressive body of people in carrying out the divine plan for the Gospel age, and by so doing to be prepared for, and worthy to engage in, the great work of God in the age to come.
One of the illustrations of the church’s work throughout the Gospel age is that of “sowing”—that is, sowing seeds of truth, the glorious Gospel of Christ which is “the power of God unto salvation.” (Rom. 1:16) The faithful disciples of Christ in every part of the age have been “sowers.” “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand,” wrote the prophet, “for thou knowest not which shall prosper, either this or that.” (Eccles. 11:6) This indicates that daily, and in every part of the day, whether in season or out of season to us, we are to be on the alert for opportunities to witness for the truth.
Much of our seed sowing may seem like wasted effort except for the blessing we receive from our efforts—the “wages” of joy which come as we endeavor to show forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. (I Pet. 2:9) Jesus, in the Parable of the Sower, indicated that this would be so. He said that some of the “seed” would fall by the “wayside” and would be snatched away by the “fowls of heaven” before it had a chance to grow. Other seed, he said, would fall on the rocks where the soil had no depth, and while it would try to grow, the sun of persecution would cause it to wither and die.
And some of the seed, Jesus further explained, would fall among thorns, which he said represented the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, and that these influences would hinder the plants from properly maturing and bringing forth “fruit.” Only the seed which falls on “good ground” produces results for which the sower seeks. (Matt. 13:3-9,18-23) In view of the true situation which is so clearly set forth in this parable, no disciple should be discouraged and refrain from the work of sowing simply because great results are not obtained. Our responsibility is to sow, leaving the results with the Lord.
The Wheat and the Tares Parable—Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Jesus’ Parable of the Wheat and Tares also indicates activity for his church, and is an illustration of what occurs progressively throughout the age. In this lesson the sowing is done at the beginning of the age, and the work at the end of the age is represented as harvesting. Another difference between this parable and that of the sower is that the “good seed” sown at the beginning of the age was not the “Word,” not the Gospel, not the truth, but “the children of the kingdom.” And in this parable, the “Sower” is “the Son of Man,” not the whole church.
It is important to recognize these differences if we are to understand the parable correctly. In addition to being a parable, it is also a prophecy of what would occur throughout the age, showing that a great counterfeit of God’s plan would develop, and that not until the end of the age would this be destroyed, and that then the “children of the kingdom,” the “righteous” of the parable, would “shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
The “good seed,” Jesus explained, “are the children of the kingdom.” Through his holy prophets God had many times promised to establish a kingdom of righteousness in the earth, and Jesus had come to be the King in this kingdom. John the Baptist announced to his disciples, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” and Jesus reiterated this same glorious truth. (Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 10:7) There the kingdom promises of God began to be fulfilled. The King had come and had begun to select those who were to be his co-rulers in the kingdom. True, the kingdom was not then established in power and great glory as it eventually will be, but preparation for it began.
From this point forward throughout the centuries the kingdom of heaven has occupied the “field,” the world, and will continue to do so until the will of God is done on earth even as it is in heaven. Appropriately, therefore, Jesus described the “good seed” which he sowed as “the children of the kingdom.” The reference here is primarily to the apostles and their associates who were with Jesus personally, and who from his teachings and miracles became imbued with the kingdom hope. At Pentecost, and as a direct result of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring in fulfillment of the Master’s promise, this number was increased, and thus was the original sowing, or planting, of the kingdom accomplished.
The parable states that “while men slept” an enemy sowed “tares.” This is an evident reference to what occurred after the apostles—the watchmen of the Early Church—died. These tares are described, not as false doctrines, but as “children of the wicked one.” History indicates that false teachers did enter in among the true, and on such a large scale that eventually the original wheat field took on the appearance of a tare field.
Tares are an imitation, or counterfeit, of wheat. Since the wheat are said by Jesus to be the children of the kingdom, we should expect to find in history something which would indicate an attempt to set up a counterfeit kingdom arrangement in the name of Christ; and this is exactly what did occur. Underlying all of God’s kingdom promises is the blessed assurance that their fulfillment does not depend upon human efforts. The “government shall be upon his shoulder,” states the prophet; and “the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this,” we are assured.—Isaiah 9:6,7
But the tare element changed this viewpoint. By uniting with the state they set up their own kingdom. They called it “Christendom,” and the corrupting influence of this counterfeit arrangement is still blinding the nominal churches to the real hope of the kingdom. Even in America, where Protestants vociferously condemn church-state unionism, they are still laboring under the false idea that God wants them to bring in his kingdom. Here, basically, we have the great error with which the children of the wicked one are begotten. Satan himself proposed just such a plan to Jesus when he offered him all the kingdoms of this world.
“Let Both Grow Together”
The great apostasy was of rapid development, but as shown in the parable, it was not the divine will that anything be done to remove the tares from the field until the end of the age. “Let both grow together until the harvest,” are the instructions of the parable. This also became historically true. History indicates that although the tare element dominated the field, some wheat continued to grow, that in every century there have been some who have held to the real hope of the kingdom, who knew that God’s kingdom promises could not and would not be fulfilled until the King returned, and that if faithful, they would then live and reign with him.
But at the end of the age—the harvest time—this situation was to be changed. The tares were to be bundled and burned in the great “time of trouble” such as never was since there was a nation, and the wheat were to be gathered into the barn, representing, as Jesus explained, their shining forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The remarkable manner in which we now see this harvest feature of the parable being fulfilled is convincing evidence that we are at the end of the age when the harvesting of both the wheat and the tares is being accomplished.
The parable indicates that this work was to be done by the “angels.” This is a translation of a Greek word meaning “messengers.” Often this word is applied to the heavenly messengers of God whom we speak of as “angels,” but it is also employed in the Scriptures to describe other messengers, both animate and inanimate. For example, Paul refers to his partial blindness as a “messenger” of Satan to buffet him.—II Cor. 12:7
So the angels of the parable are all those agencies which the Chief Reaper deems necessary to use in order to accomplish the work of bundling and burning the tares, as well as to gather the wheat into the “barn.” The Lord’s own people, the “children of the kingdom,” are primarily the messengers used to accomplish the harvesting of the wheat. Some have asked if “wheat” can harvest “wheat,” but we should remember that these terms are but illustrations, that actually individuals are involved, and that the general and conclusive testimony of the Scriptures is that the children of the kingdom, the members of the body of Christ, the church, do work together to prepare themselves for their ultimate position in the kingdom.
It was during the “harvest” at the end of the Jewish age that Jesus said to his disciples, “The fields … are white already to the harvest,” and then commissioned them to enter into the harvest work. (John 4:35,38) The disciples themselves were among the ripe wheat at that time, yet Jesus sent them out to reap other wheat, and that is the situation we have pictured for us in the parable pertaining to the harvest time of the Gospel age.
The “children of the kingdom” have no direct part in the bundling and burning of the tares. In the Lord’s providences, this work is accomplished by other agencies, other messengers. To note what is being done along this line, however, strengthens our faith in the fact that we are in the harvest time, the time when the presence of the Chief Reaper would be due. Never before have the people of Christendom been so effectively bound together in denominational groups; and already, in certain sections of the world, the “field,” these bundles are being “burned.”
The burning of the tares does not imply their destruction as individuals, but merely the destroying of their status as tares. In large sections of Europe this is effectively being done in the experience of millions. These millions were once a part of the counterfeit kingdom setup of Europe. They were called Christians, and to the extent that they gave it any thought, they believed that they belonged to Christ. But for millions this has been changed. The fire of God’s day of vengeance is destroying the false kingdom of which they were a part, and its adherents are becoming merely a part of the world, no longer attempting to look like “wheat.”
In the harvest time of the parable, the tares were “first” to be dealt with. We need not understand from this that the tares would be completely bundled and fully burned before the wheat harvest even began. The thought is, rather, that the work would begin with the tares, and that all the tares would be burned before all the wheat was gathered into the heavenly barn—the condition which is interpreted by Jesus as the righteous shining forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. And this is the way it will be, for not until the fires of the time of trouble have completely destroyed the counterfeit systems of Christendom, will the genuine kingdom manifest itself to the world as the “sun,” and Jesus and his followers be recognized as the divinely appointed rulers of earth.
Sent Forth to Reap
It is most faith strengthening to note the marvelously accurate manner in which this parable outlined the development of both the true church and the false church throughout the age, and what is now occurring in the experiences of both. But the parable is also a commission of service, for by it the Lord is bidding us to engage in the reaping work. Indeed, one of the important objects of the parable is to reveal the Lord’s will for his own people at the end of the age. Primarily Jesus himself did the sowing work of the parable in the beginning of the age, while these “children of the kingdom” passed on the kingdom message to other “faithful men,” as explained by Paul. But the wheat and the tares were to grow together until the end of the age, when the harvest work was to be done. Thus is indicated that the beginning and the end of the age were to be periods of intense activity. And what a privilege is ours of living in the harvest time of the parable, and of joining in the work of reaping!
The complete picture of harvest includes the glorification of the church, but there is a gathering and preparation for this which is accomplished by the power of the truth; and it is the dissemination of the truth for this purpose that we are commissioned to do. It was thus that the harvest work was begun seventy-five years ago when the proclamation of present truth was first made. There the kingdom message of restitution was restored and made a vital part of the Gospel as it originally was preached in the beginning of the age. Without restitution there is no kingdom message, no genuine Gospel within the meaning of these terms as they are employed in the Word of God.
With the proclamation of this glorious Gospel message, the wheat class began to respond and to separate themselves from the tares. Throughout the age the individuals who were begotten with the kingdom hope stood alone, but with the beginning of the harvest it soon became possible to identify them as a group, a class. Their hope of the kingdom brought them together and inspired them to labor together in the dissemination of the kingdom message. Thus that phase of the harvest work which is accomplished by the proclamation of the truth got under way, and is continuing. In the Lord’s providence, the kingdom message is still proclaimed, and wheat continues to be separated from the tares and made to rejoice in the glorious fact that the government shall rest upon his “shoulder,” and that the coming of peace on earth does not depend upon the frail, imperfect efforts of men.
Receiving Wages
“He that reapeth receiveth wages,” our text declares, “and gathereth fruit unto life eternal.” These words of encouragement were first spoken to the disciples who participated in the Jewish age harvest, but they are just as true of those who labor in the present harvest work. These wages might well represent both the present and future rewards of service. How rich and satisfying are the “wages” which we receive even this side of the veil as a reward for faithfulness in doing what we can to proclaim the glad tidings of the kingdom! The truth itself becomes more sweet and precious as we tell it to others, and a greater inspiration of joy in our own lives.
And it is a heavenly joy that fills our souls when as a result of our efforts, we learn that others are beginning to appreciate the truth, that the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ is finding its way into their hearts and they are beginning to rejoice therein. The truth reveals God’s ultimate purpose to enlighten all mankind, to fill the earth with a knowledge of his glory. If we rejoice in this purpose of God, we will find joy indeed in the fact that even now one here and one there is being enlightened, and especially so if we realize that the Lord has used us in even a small way to bring the joyful message to others.
Undoubtedly the greatest joy results from personal witness work, but we are happy also in the privilege of co-operating with others, realizing that the work of God’s people as a whole is being blessed by him. When the Apostle Paul was imprisoned in Rome, he wrote to the Philippian brethren saying, “I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the Gospel.” (Phil. 1:12) Paul wrote thus because he knew that it would be a great encouragement to the brethren to learn that his imprisonment had not resulted in hindering the spread of the glorious Gospel of Christ. He knew that the brethren at Philippi would rejoice, that it would be present “wages” to them to learn that their support of Paul by their prayers and in other ways as they were able was contributing to the general effort of the church to carry the kingdom message to all mankind.
Are we today receiving our share of the “wages” which the Lord is granting to all who are faithfully reaping? If we are laboring and sacrificing for the truth only because we feel it is our duty, then it is possible that we are not receiving the joy which might be ours. But if we are so imbued with the kingdom message that we are not happy unless we are doing all we can to tell others about it; if we are making every effort to proclaim the glad tidings, whether individually, or in co-operation with our brethren in a general proclamation of the message, then our cup of joy is sure to be overflowing—not only because of the blessed privilege we have of showing forth the praises of the Lord, but also in the fact that others are having an opportunity, as a result of our sacrifices, to become better acquainted with our loving Heavenly Father.
When we get the proper viewpoint of our relationship to the Lord as his servants, we will realize that we will always be indebted to him for the mercies and blessings which he bestows upon us. We have been bought with a price, even the precious blood of Christ. Realizing this, we know that we do not belong to ourselves, that we owe everything we have, even life itself, to him who loved us and died for us. Because of this, we present our all to the Lord, and endeavor to serve him as faithfully as possible; but instead of this in any way canceling the debt of gratitude we owe to him, we become more than ever his debtor, for the wages he pays are of far greater value than anything we can possibly do for him. How wonderful indeed is our God!
“As the Sun”
But over and above the “wages” which we receive daily as we lay down our lives in divine service, is the glorious future reward which he has promised, for we are gathering fruit unto life eternal. To the rich young ruler Jesus spoke of this as laying up treasures in heaven. It is described by Paul as “glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.” (Rom. 2:7) It is also presented as the glorious privilege of living and reigning with Christ; as partaking of the divine nature, and as an abundant entrance into the “everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”—II Pet. 1:11
And in the parable this glorious future reward is described as shining “forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Matt. 13:43) This reminds us of the Old Testament promise concerning the “Sun of Righteousness” which will arise with healing in His wings. (Mal. 4:2) And, oh glorious hope! we can look forward to being a part of that “Sun,” to shine forth with Him. Thus will the “children of the kingdom” fulfill the purpose of their calling.
As we have already seen, the preparation of the kingdom began with the first advent. There the children of the kingdom began to be prepared for their future shining forth as the Sun. Being planted as wheat in the field which is the world, the embryo kingdom remains, and at the end of the age expands into the kingdom of power and great glory. Temporarily the “tares” may have seemed to displace the “wheat,” but not so. By divine permission they remained in the field for a time. But the parable shows that at the end of the age it is the tares that are rooted out and destroyed, that these offending counterfeits are gathered out of the kingdom, while the wheat remains, and in the resurrected glory “shines forth” with Jesus for the enlightenment and blessing of all mankind.
And now that there are so many evidences that we have reached the end of the age, that the harvest of both the wheat and the tares is progressing and rapidly reaching a consummation, shall we not look up and lift up our heads in joyful realization of the fact that the time to shine forth as the sun is near? Our rejoicing in this fact should be reflected in redoubling our efforts to be faithful reapers, to thrust in the sickle of truth more energetically than ever, rejoicing in our daily wages now, and strengthened to continue in the narrow way of sacrifice by the joy set before us—the future glorious privilege of sharing with Jesus in the work of blessing all the families of the earth.