Vines can use other plants for climbing support and can spread so much that they can strangle and kill the other plants. In the parable of the tares Jesus said the plants were left to grow together and could only to be separated at the end of time. But as we are growing together with the tares one can be affected if the tare entangles with him/her as a healthy plant and affect their fruitfulness. The only way the angels will be able to separate the tares from the healthy plants will be by the fruit. But one thing you have to note is that a tare can corrupt the plants health and frustrate its ability to produce fruit. We are in the world and the different cultures in the world can corrupt a believer and affect how they produce fruit. The Bible gives examples of righteous Lot who was corrupted by the Sodomites and was vexed to compromise.
When growing vines not only kill plants, but also corrupt the nature of the plants they are entangled with. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:14 (KJV) Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? Apostle Paul encouraged believers not to be entangled/yoked to unbelievers because he understood that it is easy for one to be changed or corrupted by another.
When you look at plants and how easily they can die and be affected or corrupted by other plants, you learn how it is easy for a believer to be affected by the company they keep. When individuals are entangled the one with the stronger nature dominates the other. Plants affect each other positively and negatively. Paul understood it is hard to fight this battle and win so he encouraged us to just stay away and not be yoked to unbelievers because he understood like a vine, unbelievers can kill or corrupt the faithful.
This is the most complicated subject because we are in the world and we communion with those in the world on a daily basis. In the early years of Christianity believers would build small cities so that they would not be in the company of those in the world. That is contrary to what the Word says. We have to understand that we are sent to world. But as we are in the world our role is to impact the world, not the other way round. The master will come demanding fruit and our fruitfulness is dependent on how we interact with those in the world. Are we impacting or we being impacted. We can be engraved into worldy systems and cause them to produce fruit that pleases the Lord. Even in marriage when one is married to an unbeliever the Bible says the children are sanctified by the one who believes. So in that same way we should cause those in the world to produce fruits that please Jesus. The tares will grow together with the healthy plants. But the issue is not to be entangled to the tares because the moment you become unfruitful it will be hard for angels to see if you are a healthy plant in the Lord’s field or a tare. Though we are in the world let’s impact the world positively.
Remember Paul’s admonishen “don’t be unequally yoked together with unbelievers”.
God bless you
- Humphrey Mtandwa is an anointed minister of the gospel and teacher of the Word based in South Africa. He has written several books including The Enoch Generation, Truthfulness and Theophany. He blogs at mtandwa.blogspot.com and can be contacted via e-mail or WhatsApp on +27 610286350.
