Neil McIver - The Reward of The Fruitful and The Unfruitful

Neil McIver , reminding us that Jesus taught valuable spiritual principles through parables, focuses on the parables related to fruit bearing, or lack of fruit bearing—and the consequences. Some parables suggest that when a tree makes a pretense of producing fruit but remains barren, it will be destroyed. Plowing, cultivating, and selecting good seed are all necessary for a productive crop. The tares in the parables could symbolize anything that was not planted intentionally, often mimicking the good plant. The effects of ingesting the tare or darnel prove toxic and poisonous to livestock, as the effects of ingesting false doctrine are equally toxic or fatal. It is hard to see the difference initially between darnel and wheat, but as it grows to maturity, the differences will be apparent. Because of its lack of fruit, darnel does not bow down, but arrogantly displays its lack of true fruitfulness. However, the true wheat is bowed down, seemingly in humility, bearing abundant fruit. The fruitful wheat will be harvested, but the unfruitful tare or darnel will be burned up.  We can bear fruit if we are connected to the True Vine, or Jesus Christ, submitting to the pruning and tending. Unfruitful branches will be lopped off and destroyed.

Charmer * Cheater * Clean fields * Darnel * Enemy sowing tares * Herbicide * John 15:1-6 * Light of the world * Matthew 3:11-12; 5:13-16; 7:22-27; 13:24-30 * Rye grass * Salt of the earth * Tares * Trickster * Weeds * Who are the tares?