Are You a Tare? God’s Fearful Warning To Tares in the Church.
Are You A Tare or true wheat? Discover the fearful warning behind the Parables of the Tares for Fake Christians. Heed the warning. Act before it’s too late.
Are You a Tare? The Parables of the Tares and God’s Final Warning
Pastors have long wrestled with the troubling presence of ‘tares’ within the Church. It is a difficult truth to face, but these individuals often sow discord and cause genuine suffering within the body of the “ekklesia.”
As the end of the age draws near, the presence of tares increases within the church, bringing a vital, personal question to the forefront: are you a tare or not? Your answer determines exactly where you stand as this age draws to a close.”
Are You a Tare? What Is a Tare?
The modern name for a tare is darnel. Its scientific name is Lolium temulentum. In the Greek New Testament, this plant is called ζιζάνιον (zizánion). That word carried a strong meaning for first-century listeners.
Plainly speaking, a tare is a harmful weed. It looks like wheat when it is young. But it is not wheat. It produces no good grain. And its grain is poisonous. In modern botany, Lolium temulentum, or darnel, is known as a toxic grass that grows among wheat fields and damages the harvest.
Lolium Temulentum What does it Mean
The literal meaning of Lolium Temulentum tells a story. Lolium means ryegrass or darnel. Temulentum means drunk, intoxicated, or causing dizziness. So taken literally: Lolium temulentum means “intoxicating ryegrass.”
In Christians they are like drunkards. They do not know what they do.
Consider this example: two members of the church—the body of Christ—clashed publicly on three separate occasions, shouting at one another giving disgrace to themselves. Despite receiving correction, or asking themselves, are we tares or not, they refused to change.
Ultimately, both individuals turned their frustration outward, labeling their pastor as ‘unfit.’ This is exactly the point: tares are often blind to their own nature; they do not know what they do. But we are advised not to remove tares in the church, Matthew 13:29.
Why It Was Given This Name
This plant was named temulentum for a reason. First, it looks almost identical to wheat while growing. Second, its seeds can cause dizziness, nausea, confusion, and poisoning. Third, ancient people observed that eating it could make a person feel as if they were drunk.
It deceived by appearance and harmed by consumption. And it could not be used for food. That is why Jesus used it to describe false brethren in the church. Honestly, are you a tare or not?
A Spiritual Warning-Are You A Tare
A tare is not obviously evil. It grows in the same field. It looks right. But it carries poison. Scripture warns us about this influence. I Cor. 15:33, we are reminded that evil company corrupts good habits. The people you grow with shape who you become.
Christ taught that the tares are planted by the enemy, the devil, and they are sown while men sleep—while pastors and brethren are inattentive, prayerless, or spiritually careless. He also warned us not to uproot them prematurely. Not because tares are harmless, but because they are dangerous in subtle ways.
Tares often appear self-righteous, excellent at justifying sin and can sound spiritual while resisting obedience. More than that, tares are often influential. If removed too quickly, they may pull sincere brethren with them, confusing the weak and scattering the flock.
Tares lack Bible study, prayers, fasting and sincere application. They lack fruits of the Spirit, Gal. 5:22-23.
For this reason, Christ taught patience, discernment, and vigilance— because the final separation belongs to God, not to us.
Even the Ancients Noticed the Danger: Ask- Are You A Tare
Theophrastus, known as the Father of Botany, and a student of Aristotle, observed something troubling. In his work De Causis Plantarum (8:7 §1), he noted that fields sown with wheat were often harvested as darnels.
In other words tares and wheat grows along side in the Church. What grows beside you affects what you become. You must be careful not to be influenced by them or you will become like them.
Paul cautioned Timothy, 2 Tim. 3:1-5 “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away.”
Turn away from them. Make a complete about face. Flee away from them.
A Modern Voice Echoes the Same Truth: Are You A Tare
Even today, the principle remains. Warren Buffett once said:
“It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.”
A tare does not begin looking poisonous. It begins looking just like wheat. That is the warning. And that is the question. Are you wheat — or are you a tare?
Plain-language Meaning
In simple language:
Lolium temulentum is a poisonous fake wheat that can make people sick or disoriented.
This literal meaning explains why it became the perfect symbol in Jesus’ parable:
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It deceives by appearance and harms when consumed. Tares cannot be harvested as food. It is destroyed at harvest
That literal meaning is exactly why it was feared in ancient agriculture and used as a warning image in Scripture.
Why it matters in the Bible To Ask: Are You A Tare?
In Matthew 13, when Jesus speaks of tares, the Greek word used is zizania (the plural of zizanion).
To first-century listeners, this meant: A deceptive plant and dangerous imitation. It is something that looks right but is destructive
Simple one-line meaning
Lolium temulentum = is a false wheat that looks good, grows with the real crop, but is harmful and fit only to be burned.
This is why Jesus used it as a warning. Tare was not just a weed. It was a symbol of deception. This question does not attack faith. Instead, it examines our faith whether we are in the right path, 2 Cor.3:5. This examination must be asked from Christ.
Jer.17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
So the question of tares, the pretender in the church, Jesus Himself raised this issue through one of His most unsettling teachings: the Parables of the Tares.
Why the Question “Are You a Tare?” Matters
At first, the question sounds harsh. However, Jesus never softened it. The Parables of the Tares were not designed to comfort. Instead, it was meant to warn. The tares are exposed by their false confidence. Fake
Fake Christians are revealed as hidden danger in the flock of God. They are separated from true appearance from reality they do not bear righteous fruits, Gal. 5: 19-26. Most importantly, the parable of the tares challenged people who believed they were safe.
Repetition is a biblical tool for emphasis, and I use it now to underscore a critical warning. I ask you again: ‘Are you a tare or not?’ I am not here to judge you. The burden of that judgment lies with you—examine your own heart.
The Long View of God’s Purpose
The Bible presents history as deliberate, not random. God allowed humanity a defined period to choose its own way. According to Scripture, this period spans six thousand years. During this time, God restrained direct rule.
As a result, humanity experienced the outcome of self-rule. War followed war. Injustice became normal. Anxiety spread across nations. These conditions did not come from God’s cruelty. Instead, they came from human rejection of His ways.
Romans 8:7 states: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.”
Because of this resistance, forced obedience would never transform the heart. God allowed humanity to learn through experience.
The Message Jesus Actually Preached: Are You A Tare?
When Jesus appeared, He did not preach a vague spirituality. Instead, He preached a message with authority and structure. Mark 1:14–15 records:
“Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.’”
This gospel was not about church membership and not about emotional belief alone. It was about a coming government and the coming the Kingdom of God. Over time, many replaced this message. The Church became the Kingdom in popular teaching. Yet Jesus never said that.
Why Jesus Spoke in Parables
Many assume parables clarify truth. Jesus said otherwise. Mark 4:11–12 explains:
“To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’”
Parables concealed truth from the careless. They protected it from misuse. Understanding required humility.
It required willingness to obey.
The Parables of the Tares Explained
One parable stands out for its severity. It appears in Matthew 13:24–30 states: “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 and said to him, “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 both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of 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.’”’
Both plants grow together and look similar at first but in the harvest time they are revealed, their differences are known.
In simplicity, tares in the church are those who practice lawlessness. Are you a tare or not?
What the Parable Does Not Say
Many believe this parable describes the Church age as the Kingdom. However, the text challenges that idea. If this were the Kingdom in full, why allow deception? Why permit corruption to flourish? The answer lies in timing. This parable describes a period before the Kingdom arrives.
When the Harvest Actually Comes
Jesus explained the harvest clearly. Matthew 13:39 states: “The harvest is the end of the age.” This harvest is not today and not at the start of the Church. It comes later, much later.
A Kingdom Delayed, Not Cancelled
Jesus addressed false expectations directly. Luke 19:11 says: “Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.”
He then explained the delay. Luke 19:12: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.” Jesus went to heaven. The Kingdom arrives when He returns.
Authority Comes from Heaven
Daniel foresaw this moment. Daniel 7:13–14 says: “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”
This Kingdom governs nations and rules the earth. It does not exist yet. Tares will not rule in the Millennium.
Why Satan Still Rules This World
The Bible names the current ruler of this age. 2 Corinthians 4:4 calls Satan “the god of this age.” His authority remains temporary. God allows it for a purpose. Jesus resisted Satan where Adam failed. He qualified to rule.
Yet He did not take power immediately. The six-thousand-year plan continued.
Entering the Kingdom Requires Birth- Excluded if You do not understand: Are You A Tare or Not.
Jesus explained this to Nicodemus. John 3:6–7 says: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” Flesh cannot inherit the Kingdom.
1 Corinthians 15:50 states: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption.” The Church prepares believers. It is not the Kingdom itself.
The destiny of a tare is fixed: they will not inherit a glorified body. They miss the promise of being ‘born of the spirit’ into an eternal form that does not rot. Scripture shows us the power of this future state through Christ and the angelic visitors of old—beings who could consume food yet transcend physical barriers (Gen. 18:1-6, Luke 24:41-43, John 20:19). The tares have no part in this inheritance.”
The Return of the Nobleman
Luke continues the warning. Luke 19:15 states: “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.” Faithfulness matters. Growth matters.
Luke 19:17 adds: “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’” The reward involves real authority but tares are excluded.
The Saints Reign
Revelation 20:4 confirms this future rule. It states: “And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Satan is restrained during this time. Verse 5 says: “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.” Only after this comes final judgment.
The Burning of the Tares
The parable ends with fire. So does Revelation. Revelation 20:14–15 states: “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” The tares are not saved. They are destroyed. This occurs after knowledge. After opportunity and time.
The Warning Still Stands for “Are You A Tare or Not”?
The wheat and the tares still grow together and the harvest has not yet come. Yet it will. Jesus closed this teaching with a blessing.
Matthew 13:16 says: “But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear.”
Seeing requires honesty. Hearing requires obedience. The question remains. Are you a tare?
FAQ About Are You A Tare
1. What is a tare in the Bible?
A tare is a counterfeit plant that resembles wheat but produces no valuable fruit. Spiritually, it represents fake Christians. It is now called poison darnel. Its fruits are sharp and intoxicating.
2. Can tares exist inside churches?
Yes. The parable shows tares and wheat growing together in the same field until the harvest. Be careful with them. Tares can influence badly the true wheat.
3. Do tares know they are tares?
Often, they do not. That is why the warning is so serious. Most fake Christians are known by their sharp deeds (Jer.16:9) but they would not accept it, and instead of repenting, they rationalize their sins putting themselves deeper and deeper into the pit.
4. Is the Church the Kingdom of God?
No. The Church prepares people for the Kingdom, which arrives at Christ’s return.
5. When does the harvest occur?
Jesus said the harvest occurs at “the end of the age,” not during the Church age.
6. Can a tare repent?
Yes, but only before the harvest. After that, separation is final. It is paramount now for the tares to repent, To repent tares should ask the kindness of God, Rom. 2:4.
7. How can someone know they are wheat?
Wheat bears fruit, obeys God, repents, and grows in truth rather than appearance. Tares do not.
Read also Are You A Godly Christian, Or Just Playing Church?
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