Bible Parables S1E11: The Parable Of The Wheat And The Tares

This is a live session recording where we delve into the timeless wisdom of The Parable Of The Wheat And The Tares and its practical application in our daily lives. This session is part of an ongoing series where we explore how biblical teachings can guide us in living fulfilling lives.
In this session, we will explore the deeper meaning behind the parable and offer practical insights for bringing more compassion and connection into our daily lives.

This session includes a guided reflective meditation which will gently lead you through a journey of inner reflection and healing.

Come prepared to reflect on your own journey, engage with thought-provoking ideas, and leave inspired to create a life filled with purpose and abundance. This session is welcoming to all, regardless of religious background or familiarity with the Bible.

Transcript

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares Another parable he put forth to them,

Saying,

The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

But while men slept,

His enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.

But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop,

Then the tares also appeared.

So the servants of the owner came to him and said,

Sir,

Did you not sow good seed in your field?

How then does it have tares?

He said to them,

An enemy has done this.

The servants said to him,

Do you want us then to go and gather them up?

But he said,

No,

Lest,

While you gather up the tares,

You also uproot the wheat with them.

Let them both grow together until the harvest.

And at the time of the harvest,

I will say to the reapers,

First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them,

But gather the wheat into my barn.

And that's the parable of the wheat and the tares.

The traditional interpretation of this parable has always been interpreted as the coexistence of good and evil in the world.

And traditional interpretations talk of the final judgment when God will separate the righteous from the wicked.

So what we will do now is we will start exploring the parable verse by verse from a more spiritual,

From a more mystical perspective,

Simply trying to look for deeper personal insight,

Trying to look for guidance in each of the sentences.

And the parable starts,

The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

The man,

The man represents our higher self.

The man represents the divine part of our consciousness,

The good part of our consciousness,

The wiser part of our consciousness.

The good seed symbolizes pure intentions,

Positive thoughts,

Virtuous actions,

Kind acts,

Kind deeds that we have sown throughout our life.

We all have the ability to create harmony and beauty within the field of our existence.

The field of our existence is simply our inner world and our outer world,

Our thoughts,

Our relationships,

Our environment,

The people that we interact with every day.

That's our field.

So we need to,

Or what we can get from this sentence is that we need to be mindful of the seeds that we plant in our heart and in our mind.

What thoughts are you cultivating today?

What intentions are you cultivating today?

And we always have the choice.

We always have the choice to choose which seeds we want to plant.

And of course,

We always want to plant good seeds in our life.

So every day try to choose to sow seeds of kindness,

Sow seeds of compassion,

Sow seeds of love,

Sow seeds of empathy.

Not only in the outer world,

But also in the inner world,

In our mind,

In the kind of thoughts that we entertain in our mind,

We can choose to sow good seeds.

But while men slept,

The enemy came and sowed tarrys among the wheat and went his way.

While men slept,

And this can symbolize moments where we are spiritually unaware or when we are inattentive to life.

You can think of it as if you're used to doing regular journaling or you're used to doing regular self-reflection,

What journaling and self-reflection does is it gives us an insight into how we behave.

It gives us an insight into our patterns of thought.

It gives us an insight into our patterns of behavior and using those insights,

We can change our patterns to more useful patterns.

Sometimes we feel lazy to journal or we skip on the self-reflection.

This can be compared to the phrase,

While men slept,

Because in those moments of time,

We start to become spiritually unaware.

We start to become unaware of how we are behaving,

How we are reacting.

The enemy can represent our shadow side,

The negativity,

External influences that can infiltrate our spiritual garden and the tarrys,

The weeds signify our doubts,

Our fears,

Our harmful patterns that creep in unnoticed that grow alongside the good.

So we need to kind of always be vigilant.

We need to understand that especially in moments of spiritual unawareness,

When we are not attentive,

Negativity can take root.

So we need to be vigilant.

We need to always live an aware life,

Always make sure we are cultivating awareness so that we recognize when doubts or negative thoughts start infiltrating our mind and at the same time,

We should also remember not to be harsh with ourselves.

Awareness is the first step that we take towards mastery.

But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop,

Then the tarrys also appeared.

As our intentions and spiritual efforts begin to manifest,

At the same time challenges and obstacles also show up.

The tarrys becoming visible when the wheat sprouts simply means that the more you shine your light,

The more shadows you might start to become aware of.

The more you shine your light,

The more shadows you may start to become aware of.

Both the good and the bad grow together.

When you start to grow spiritually or when you are pursuing a meaningful goal,

Always expect resistance,

Always be prepared for resistance because challenges and obstacles,

They often accompany growth.

So when you are on a journey of growth,

Expect challenges,

Expect obstacles and see them as an invitation to deepen your wisdom,

To strengthen yourself.

So the servants of the owner came and said to him,

Sir,

Did you not sow good seed in your field?

How then does it have tarrys?

The servants can be your inner voice.

The servants can be your spiritual guides,

Your spiritual guides who are questioning why difficulties arise despite your best efforts because sometimes we do that,

Right?

We do our best but for some reason we feel that life is against us and this is a very human experience of feeling confused,

Especially when life doesn't go as planned and even more so when we are striving to do good but things seem to be going against us.

So it's normal to question why hardships occur.

It's normal to question why hardships occur even when you've acted with integrity.

We should try to embrace these moments of doubt,

Embrace the moments of doubt that we have as opportunities to ask deeper questions,

To gain further insight,

Simply trusting that there is a higher wisdom that is at work.

And he said to them,

An enemy has done this.

The servants said to him,

Do you want us then to go and gather them up?

The enemy.

The enemy is not an external force alone.

The enemy can also be the unresolved parts of our psyche.

The enemy can also be our conditioning.

The enemy can also be our past traumas that sabotage us.

And the instinct to remove the tarries,

The instinct to remove the weeds,

It immediately deflects our desire to eliminate suffering or negativity without fully understanding the consequences.

And that's,

That's essentially how we as humans,

Right,

We always feel that there's the need to fix something.

And we always try to rush to fix something without taking the time to understand what is going on.

Possibly the reason why we try to fix things quickly is because we feel that need for immediate gratification.

We,

We sometimes can't sit back and wait for the results.

We have that need for immediate gratification.

So the sentence is kind of a reminder for us to be patient with ourselves,

Be patient for the journey that we are on,

To resist the urge to forcefully uproot our struggles,

To forcefully uproot our shadow aspects hastily.

Because sometimes when we do this,

It might also disturb the good things that are growing within us.

It's important to remember that healing takes time and practicing gentle compassion for yourself becomes the key.

But he said,

No less when you gather up the tarries,

You also uproot the wheat with them.

Sometimes there's wisdom in allowing both the wheat,

Which is your virtues and the tarries,

Which are your struggles to coexist temporarily.

Sometimes removing negativity too abruptly can damage the growth of your spirit.

True transformation,

It's a process of integration.

It's a process of integrating the darkness and the light is the process of integrating the shadow with your wise self.

It is not a process of violent elimination.

Try to learn to coexist with imperfections.

Try to learn to coexist with unresolved issues.

We don't have to be perfect to be growing.

Is it possible for us to trust that in time healing will come,

Clarity will come?

And can we try to focus on nurturing what is good in our lives?

What is good in our spirit while at the same time being compassionate for what we perceive as our flaws?

Let both grow together until the harvest.

And at the time of the harvest,

I will say to the reapers,

First gather together the tarries and bind them in bundles to burn them.

But gather the wheat into my barn.

And the harvest,

It represents those moments of spiritual awakening.

The harvest can also represent the significant life transitions when that clarity arrives.

It is in divine timing that the separation between what serves your highest good,

The wheat,

And what needs to be released,

The tarries,

Becomes clear.

I'll repeat that again.

It is in divine timing that the separation between what serves your highest good and what needs to be released becomes clear.

The burning of the tarries,

The burning of the weeds,

Symbolizes purification.

It symbolizes release.

While the wheat being gathered into the barn signifies preserving your spiritual essence.

Trust in divine timing.

Trust that when the time is right,

You will have the clarity and the strength to release what no longer serves you.

Practice patience,

Practice self-love,

Knowing that every experience that we have,

In some way it contributes to our spiritual evolution.

Let go of what needs to go when you are ready and cherish whatever good remains.

So in summary,

The parable of the wheat and the tarries,

It teaches us about spiritual patience,

It teaches us about awareness,

It teaches us about the co-existence of both the light and the shadow on our journey.

So every day,

Focus on what nourishes your soul while having compassion for your struggles.

Trusting that in time,

With divine grace,

You will be able to release what hinders your growth and embrace the fruits of your spiritual efforts.

And now we will take it a bit deeper by going into a reflective guided meditation on the theme of the parable,

The wheat and the tarries.

So settle into a comfortable position.

If you are seated,

Simply get comfortable in the chair that is supporting you.

And if you are sleeping,

Simply let go of all efforts and feel supported by the surface you are resting on,

Whether it's the bed or whether it's your yoga mat,

Doesn't matter.

Let your hands rest on your lap or to your sides,

Close your eyes softly and take a deep breath in,

Feeling the air fill your lungs and exhale slowly,

Releasing any tension you may be holding on to.

Let your shoulders relax.

Let your jaw soften and let your body simply sink into the surface that is supporting you.

With each breath,

Let your mind drift into a calm,

A centered space.

A calm centered space where all that matters is this moment.

Now picture yourself standing at the edge of a washed golden field.

A washed golden field.

The horizon stretches endlessly,

Kissed by the warm,

Gentle light of the morning sun.

You can hear the soft rustle of the wind moving through the stalks of wheat.

And you can feel the earth beneath your feet,

Solid and nurturing.

This field represents your consciousness,

The field of your consciousness and an endless expanse of possibility where every thought,

Every belief takes root.

With a deep breath in,

Allow yourself to step forward and become one with this serene landscape.

As you breathe out,

Feel the energy of the earth grounding you,

Connecting you to the divine intelligence that holds everything in perfect balance.

Now look down at your hands.

Notice that they are full of golden seeds.

Each seed shimmers with radiant light.

Each seed is infused with your highest intentions,

Your deepest desires.

These seeds are your positive thoughts,

Your affirmations of love,

Peace,

Health,

Abundance and spiritual truth.

Slowly walk into the field,

Feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin and begin to scatter these seeds with loving intention.

As you sow each seed,

Say an affirmation in your mind or whisper it aloud.

I am worthy of infinite love.

I am a beacon of peace.

I am guided by divine wisdom.

See the seeds sinking into the soil,

Vibrating with life,

Ready to grow.

Feel the joy and hope of planting these seeds knowing they will sprout into beautiful manifestations.

Take a moment to breathe in this feeling of creation.

As you continue to walk,

You notice something else growing among the young shoots of wheat.

Scattered across the field are dark,

Twisted weeds,

Tarries that have sprouted without your intention.

These tarries represent the doubts,

Fears,

The limiting beliefs that have taken root in your subconscious,

Sometimes without your awareness.

They are old habits of thought planted,

Perhaps by past experiences,

Societal conditioning or moments of spiritual unawareness.

Feel the contrast between the golden wheat and the dark tarries.

Notice any emotions that arise as you observe these unwanted weeds.

There is no need to judge or fear them.

Simply acknowledge their presence.

And take a moment to bring to mind what limiting beliefs,

What fears have rooted themselves in your life.

Gently breathe in and as you exhale release any tension these realizations bring.

Trust that the presence of the tarries does not diminish the beauty of the wheat.

You have the power to transform your inner landscape.

A soft compassionate voice rises from within your heart.

A voice that feels ancient,

A voice that sounds wise.

A voice like the whisper of the universe itself.

It tells you,

Let both the wheat and the tarries grow together for now.

Let both the wheat and the tarries grow together for now.

Feel the deep wisdom in this.

You understand that struggling against the tarries with force or fear could disrupt the growth of your wheat.

Instead,

Acceptance and gentle transformation are needed.

Stand tall in your field and breathe deeply.

Visualize yourself radiating love and understanding.

And as you do,

The energy of the field seems to shift,

Becoming brighter,

More peaceful.

The wheat continues to grow strong,

Nourished by your focus,

Nourished by your trust.

Take a moment to reflect on how you can embrace both your strengths and your challenges with grace.

Breathe in the energy of acceptance and breathe out any need for resistance or struggle.

Now in your mind's eye,

Fast forward to a time of harvest.

The field has matured,

Golden and full of life.

The wheat stands tall,

Ready to be gathered.

The tarries,

No longer hidden,

Are bundled together,

Waiting to be released.

Feel the sense of accomplishment,

The culmination of your patience and intentional cultivation.

See divine helpers,

Spiritual reapers of light and love,

Arriving to assist you.

With gentle hands,

They gather the tarries and carry them to a sacred fire,

Where those weeds are transformed into pure radiant energy that turned to the universe as light.

As the tarries burn away,

A sense of deep release washes over you,

Freeing you from past limitations.

Then see the wheat gathered into your barn,

A place of spiritual nourishment and fulfilment.

Each golden stalk represents a manifested blessing,

The love you have cultivated,

The peace you have grown,

The abundance that is yours.

Take a few moments to reflect on what blessings have come to fruition in your life and breathe in gratitude for the good that has come from your conscious efforts.

Feel the richness of your spiritual harvest and stand in your golden,

Beautiful field one last time.

Place your hand over your heart,

Feeling the warmth and fullness of this moment.

Whisper a prayer of gratitude.

Thank you divine spirit for the wisdom and love that guide me.

I trust in the timing of the universe.

I release what no longer serves me and I welcome divine harmony.

And feel your heart expand with love and light.

Let this energy envelope you and now slowly bring your awareness back to your physical surroundings.

Wiggle your fingers,

Wiggle your toes.

And when you feel ready,

You can gently open your eyes.

The parable of the wheat and the tares.

So action,

What action can we take based on the parable,

Based on how we've interpreted the parable and based on the meditation.

So we need to remind ourselves that our mind is like a fertile field.

It's constantly receiving seeds,

Either it's receiving it consciously or it's receiving it unconsciously.

These seeds come in through the society we live in.

These seeds come in through the media that we look at.

These seeds come in through television.

They come in through our Instagram feeds.

They come in through the newspapers.

So we need to be aware that our mind is like a fertile field.

It's constantly receiving this information as seeds.

And it's important that we remind ourselves that we have the power to choose what we plant,

What we nurture,

What we allow to grow in the field of our mind.

So action steps,

Firstly,

Becoming a conscious gardener of our minds.

Being mindful of our thoughts,

Being mindful of our beliefs,

Being mindful of the intentions that we are planting.

Are we planting seeds of love,

Peace and abundance,

Or are they like the tares of fear?

The tares of doubt,

The tares of limitation?

Because every moment,

Every moment of our life,

It offers us an opportunity to plant good seeds,

Affirmations,

Intentions,

Positive beliefs.

And we get to make this choice every moment of our lives.

Secondly,

We need to embrace both the wheat and the tares.

We need to understand that life is a balance of growth and challenge.

So instead of resisting the tares,

Resisting the limiting beliefs or difficulties,

Accept them as part of our journey,

Simply because these are not permanent.

These can be transformed with awareness,

Patience and love.

And we need to trust that the good that we are planting will eventually overpower any negative growth.

What comes to mind when we talk about embracing both the wheat and the tares,

Embracing both the good and the bad,

Is that sometimes when something bad happens,

We rush to fix it.

We rush to cover a situation.

We rush to close a situation.

We don't take time to understand anything about that situation or why that situation or why we are in that situation in the first place.

We try to fix things.

And the problem with fixing things without understanding is the more we try to fix things,

The worse it gets.

So with our negative feelings,

With our negative beliefs,

With our negative programming,

With any negativity that we experience,

Try to understand what that is about.

Because what we understand,

It drops automatically.

What we resist consumes us.

Thirdly,

Commit to daily action because life happens every day.

Life does not take a break.

We don't do life once a week.

Life is happening at every moment of every day.

So commit to daily action.

Taking a few minutes each day,

Just a few minutes,

To reflect on the seeds that you are planting.

You can do this in your daily meditation.

You can do this while journaling or you can use affirmations to help you reconnect with your inner field.

Asking yourself,

What thoughts am I nurturing today?

Asking yourself how you can align your thoughts with divine wisdom and love.

And asking yourself,

What limiting beliefs am I ready to release?

So committing to daily deflection.

And then releasing what no longer serves you.

Because as you commit to daily deflection,

You will start to become aware.

You will start living in awareness.

So use this awareness to gently uproot old thought patterns,

To uproot doubt,

To uproot fears.

Let go of anything that hinders your growth and replace what no longer serves you with thoughts of possibility,

With thoughts of abundance,

With thoughts of divine harmony.

And finally,

Trust in the divine process.

Trusting that the harvest will come in divine timing.

Keep planting good seeds.

Remain patient.

Let the universe guide your growth.

And simply be grateful for the wisdom in both your successes and your challenges.

And this is a good affirmation that you can use in your day.

I am a conscious creator of my life.

I plant seeds of love,

Peace and abundance.

I trust in the divine process of growth.

I release what no longer serves me and embrace the blessings that are unfolding.

And simply by taking these steps,

By becoming conscious of what's going on in your mind,

That's being a conscious gardener of your mind,

By embracing both the wheat and the tarrys,

By embracing both the light and the darkness,

The good and the bad,

By committing to daily reflection in order to cultivate awareness.

And once I become aware,

I start to release what no longer serves me and I trust in the divine process.

And taking these steps,

We can cultivate a field of consciousness that reflects divine harmony.

So the parable of the wheat and the tarrys,

The wheat and the weeds.

What little action or what action can you take today to become aware of what seeds are growing in the field of your mind?

Any action,

Any action,

No matter how small,

In time it gives big rewards.

Thank you everyone for being here.

Love,

Light,

Blessings,

Namaste.

Reviews

What a phenomenal talk! Thank you so much. I love that there is a guided meditation at the end, too. My husband and I really enjoyed listening to it together. Namaste 🙏