Poisonous Weeds – Fruitful Wheat --- Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 – Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Poisonous Weeds – Fruitful Wheat

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 – Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 ESV

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

 

Wow! Some tough lesson to learn here. Here we deal with the mystery of wickedness. The weed in this parable is poisonous bearded darnel --- “weed.” How does weed get in with the wheat? Jesus tells us that an enemy, Satan, sows the wheat into the field. So what is the field in which Satan sows the weed? The field could be the world, but I think here it is a bit more specific. I think the field is referring to the church on earth. Satan would love to be able to penetrate the church of Jesus’ disciples and lead them away by cunning.

Disciples of the church are always anxious and ready to rid the church of the unfaithful. But how do you tell the unfaithful from the faithful. Weed and wheat are hard to tell apart until both are in the ear. Weed, especially darnel, look just like wheat until you see the fruit that they produce. It would be a disaster to achieve a “pure” church with no sinners. And in this trick of Satan, the disciples of Jesus wish to sort out the good people from the bad as quickly as possible.

But Jesus puts a hold on it. As Christian churches who claim to be all wheat, they convince themselves that they are in a weed less field. Really? That’s just another tricks of Satan. How bold can you be to claim that your own church is perfect? No! There is weed in the church on earth.

First I must look upon myself. I must be ruthless with the evil in me. I must see my evil sin and turn to God. Yet, I need to be cautious in dealing with the evil in another person, even in another disciple of Jesus. My eyes and understanding of another person’s issues lack the eyes and understanding of God. So, I can be ruthless with my own sin, yet cautious to point out, or weed out, the sin of another.

This parable is an allegory of the “Last Judgment.” God doesn’t elect some for the fire. God wants all people to be saved. Yet he doesn’t tolerate rejection forever. There are those who are weed that choose to be weed and want nothing to do with God. There are evil doers who do lawlessness in this world by their own choice on purpose.

Christians are not free from God’s law, but rather they are free in the law, and through the law. The Law points us to turn to God. Sometimes God can make weeds into wheat. Sometimes God can and will change things as we turn to him in our sin. Yet, there will always be those who deny God and gnash their teeth in the famine of the cold outer darkness in anger of how foolish they have been and choose to be.

BUT

Those who turn to God; God will make righteous through Jesus and will shine like the sun coming from behind a cloud.

The earth is full of God’s love. As we live in this world, and in the church, disciples of Jesus hope for what we can’t see. We see a world and a church full of weeds and wheat. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s let God be first and God be last in the world, the church and in ourselves.

So, what now? We live in this world, this church, and tell all of what God has done and will do for those who bear the fruit of God in Christ Jesus, and shine like the sun to all the world… today… tomorrow… and forever. --- Amen