Matthew 13 Missionary Message

Most of us know the story of the wheat and the tares, spoken of in the 13th chapter of Matthew. The wheat are the righteous and the tares are the wicked. The Bible Dictionary tells us that: “The word, tares, denotes darnel grass, a poisonous weed, which, until it comes into ear, is similar in appearance to wheat.”

Further, Matthew 13:37 tells us that the field, where the crop is sown, is the world and the sower of the wheat is the Son of man, meaning the Savior. The sower of the tares is the devil. The JST of that passage says that first the wheat is taken into the barn and that the tares are bound in bundles to burn. D&C 86:7 tells us the same.

What does this have to do with missionary work? As missionaries we search for the righteous in heart; we look for the wheat. Have you ever wondered how God could burn the wicked without injuring the righteous? It is because the righteous are first separated and then the wicked destroyed.

What did God do with the righteous in the days of Noah? Some were on the Ark but most were taken up to the city of Enoch (Moses 7:21) and separated from the wicked before the wicked were drowned in the flood.

All of us are like delicate plants; we have both wheat and tares growing within us. The Savior is kind not to root out all our weaknesses and sins at once, rather with tenderness, he allows us to grow and when we have improved enough we will be separated into righteous places and the wicked will be burned in preparation for the Millennium.


Dr. David Ridges, BYU Education Week instructor and noted LDS author has said: “Perhaps you have noticed that there are wheat and tares in almost every branch and ward in the Church. This will continue to be the case until the Second Coming, when there will be a complete separation of the righteous from the wicked.

In the meantime, through kindness and patience on the part of the missionary minded members and with the help of the Holy Ghost, some tares will be converted and become wheat. We must be a light to all non members everywhere. Therefore, we continue to press forward with faith in carrying the gospel to the entire world.”