Matthew 13, verses 24-30 and 37-43 is the parable of the wheat and tares and the explanation of its meaning. In essence, the parable cautions the field workers about attempting to separate the wheat from tares before the harvest. Jesus then clarifies that this particular parable describes the “end of the age” (Matthew 13:40) and makes it clear that separation of wheat and tares is the responsibility of Christ and His angels.
“The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all the things that cause people to sin and all the people who are far from Torah; and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.” (Matthew 13:41-43, Complete Jewish Bible)
The message is clear: We may not be able to correctly identify if a person is considered ‘wheat’ or ‘tares’, and it is not our responsibility to make that determination. It centers around understanding conditions of the heart. “For who knows the inner workings of a person except the person’s own spirit inside him? So too no one knows the inner workings of God except God’s Spirit.” (I Corinthians 2:11, Complete Jewish Bible)
While the Bible gives clear guidelines for recognizing false prophets, these same guidelines can be used to judge. It’s important to rely on guidelines in the Bible to guard our hearts, although it is just as important to resist applying those same guidelines to judge others. I believe at the end of the age there will be those who appear to be tares that are actually wheat. God knows. It’s important to remain focused on our own relationship with God rather than spending our time and energy identifying those we believe are tares.
God does not see us as others see us. It doesn’t matter if everyone is convinced we are ‘tares’, Christ and His angels will know.