Wednesday Word Study - Tares – Episode 11
Key Takeaways
- The biblical meaning of tares comes from the Greek word zizanion, referring to darnel, a worthless plant that closely resembles wheat during its early growth stages.
- In a figurative sense, tares represent pseudo-believers or false Christians who appear to be part of the faith but live a fruitless life without true faith from God.
- Matthew 13:30 instructs to let both the wheat and the tares grow together until the harvest, when they will finally be separated.
- A deeper examination of tares reveals the enemy's strategy to infiltrate the church camp with individuals who profess to be Christians but are actually under deception.
- True believers are encouraged to continually re-evaluate their Christian walk, ensuring they are led by the Holy Spirit rather than falling into personal deception.
Originally written October19, 2011
posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/19/wednesday-word-study-tares/
Tares
Transliteration: zizanion
Phonetic Spelling: (dziz-an'-ee-on)
Definition: spurious wheat, darnel; a plant that grows in Palestine which resembles wheat in many ways but is worthless.
2215 zizánion (plural, tares/zizania) – a tare (darnel); (figuratively) a pseudo-believer (false Christian); a fruitless person living without faith from God and therefore is "all show and no go!"
On our Monday Meditation this week, we read the scripture Matthew 13:30:
Matthew 13:30
Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.
For years, when hearing this passage taught, I saw the people of the world who were obviously on the enemy’s side mixed in with those of us who called ourselves Christians. I thought they were not removed to give them time to learn about Jesus and how He has died just so that they too could have abundant life. To give them time to learn just how much He loved them.
But when I began to study this deeper, I learned that the word tares means a fake or false Christian, a fruitless person living without faith from God. Wow! Mostly, wouldn’t those people be nearly indistinguishable from true Christians?
But doesn’t it make sense for the enemy to really undermine us in every way possible? He would need to infiltrate our camp with those who profess to be Christians? People we would interact with on a daily basis because they profess to be Christians?
Once while praying for a person who I knew was deceived based on their behavior at that time, God spoke to me and said this to me:
A person who is operating under deception believes they are on God’s side while all the while under complete control of the enemy.
This got my attention and made me stop and think hard. It has been my prayer ever since that He would help me not to fall into deception of any kind. Because once you do, you do not know. You believe you are right, but you are not.
Take a minute to re-evaluate your Christian walk. Does it align with the word of God? Do you rely totally on God for all things pertaining to your life? Do you believe you will one day be revealed as a child of God? Are you led by the Holy Spirit or by your own desires? Just how much do you trust God with your life?
Make sure that what you believe is real. Make sure today that you lean on, rely on, and trust with your whole heart Jehovah God.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the biblical meaning of tares?
The biblical meaning of tares, derived from the Greek word zizanion, refers to darnel—a plant that looks nearly identical to wheat in its early stages but is ultimately worthless, figuratively representing a false Christian.
What scripture discusses wheat and tares?
Matthew 13:30 is the primary scripture that speaks about allowing both the wheat and the tares to grow together until the harvest, at which point the tares are gathered to be burned and the wheat is gathered into the barn.
How can someone recognize a tare in a spiritual context?
Tares are generally indistinguishable from true wheat during their growth phase, but they are spiritually characterized as fruitless individuals living without faith from God and often operating under severe deception.
What does it mean to operate under spiritual deception?
Operating under spiritual deception means a person genuinely believes they are on God's side and walking in the right, while actually being under the complete control of the enemy.
Wednesday Word Study - Tares – Episode 11
Originally written October19, 2011
posted here: https://forthesakeofthetruth.com/2011/10/19/wednesday-word-study-tares/
Tares
Transliteration: zizanion
Phonetic Spelling: (dziz-an'-ee-on)
Definition: spurious wheat, darnel; a plant that grows in Palestine which resembles wheat in many ways but is worthless.
2215 zizánion (plural, tares/zizania) – a tare (darnel); (figuratively) a pseudo-believer (false Christian); a fruitless person living without faith from God and therefore is "all show and no go!"
On our Monday Meditation this week, we read the scripture Matthew 13:30:
Matthew 13:30
Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.
For years, when hearing this passage taught, I saw the people of the world who were obviously on the enemy’s side mixed in with those of us who called ourselves Christians. I thought they were not removed to give them time to learn about Jesus and how He has died just so that they too could have abundant life. To give them time to learn just how much He loved them.
But when I began to study this deeper, I learned that the word tares means a fake or false Christian, a fruitless person living without faith from God. Wow! Mostly, wouldn’t those people be nearly indistinguishable from true Christians?
But doesn’t it make sense for the enemy to really undermine us in every way possible? He would need to infiltrate our camp with those who profess to be Christians? People we would interact with on a daily basis because they profess to be Christians?
Once while praying for a person who I knew was deceived based on their behavior at that time, God spoke to me and said this to me:
A person who is operating under deception believes they are on God’s side while all the while under complete control of the enemy.
This got my attention and made me stop and think hard. It has been my prayer ever since that He would help me not to fall into deception of any kind. Because once you do, you do not know. You believe you are right, but you are not.
Take a minute to re-evaluate your Christian walk. Does it align with the word of God? Do you rely totally on God for all things pertaining to your life? Do you believe you will one day be revealed as a child of God? Are you led by the Holy Spirit or by your own desires? Just how much do you trust God with your life?
Make sure that what you believe is real. Make sure today that you lean on, rely on, and trust with your whole heart Jehovah God.
Each Wednesday I will be posting a Wednesday Word Study to further elaborate on a significant word from the previous Monday’s Meditation episode. On Mondays I focus on one verse to meditate on for the week. On the Wednesday after I drill down to look at one specific word to gain further information and knowledge. Then on the following Friday I will post a teaching pulling it all together. Each week will provide a thorough study into a verse, a word, and then the overall concept.
Shop all versions of my novels here: Shop Here
My Media Website: NancyJacksonPodcast.com
Check out my website: NancyJacksonAuthor.com
Follow me here:
Substack: https://nancyjackson.substack.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NancyJacksonAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NAJackson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/najackson/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nancyannjackson
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NancyJackson
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