Of course, we all know Jesus'
parable of the Wheat and the Tares. Tares are plants that look just like
wheat until Harvest time - when it turns out that they were counterfeit.
Awhile ago I learnt some facts about Tares that truly shocked and surprised
me.
When you look up the word "Tares" on Wikipedia, it comes back
with the equivalent plant named "Darnel." This is exactly correct
according to most Biblical authorities. The Tares are almost always considered
to be the weed Darnel - also known as "false wheat" which grows
plentifully in the whole region around Israel. Here is what Wikipedia says
about it:
"It bears a close resemblance to wheat until the ear appears… It
parasitizes wheat fields. The French word for darnel is "ivraie"… which
expresses that weed's characteristic of making one feel poisoned with drunkenness,
and can cause death. This characteristic is also alluded to in the scientific
name (Latin temulentus = drunk)… The plant is mentioned in… the
Parable of the Tares in the Gospel of Matthew."
So is this identification of Tares with "drunkenness" noted
elsewhere? Yes - many Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias say exactly
the same thing. In fact, the Faussett Bible Cyclopedia states that "when
mixed with wheat flour [it] causes dizziness, intoxication, and paralysis" and
says that bearded darnel is known as "the only deleterious grain" among
all the grasses.
On the giant website "Botanical.com" we read: "It is
recorded to have produced all the symptoms of drunkenness: a general
trembling, followed by inability to walk, hindered speech and vomiting.
For this reason the French call Darnel: 'Ivraie', from Ivre
(drunkenness)."
Out of all the weed-type grasses, Tares are seemingly the only ones
that produce this deadly "drunken" effect. Isn't that
amazing? In the parable of the Wheat and the Tares in Matt 13, Jesus
states that his "enemy" sows tares amongst the true wheat.
Then He says:
"Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the
time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the
tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into
my barn" (Mt 13:30).
I guess I don't need to point out the possible parallels with today's "Drunkenness"/
River movement. What an alarming insight - if it does have relevance
to what we have seen in those circles!!
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