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The Parable of the Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43

August 22, 2021

First Southern Baptist Church

 

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

 

36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

 

 

INTRODUCTION:

Last week, Jesus used a parable about seeds

         to illustrate the kingdom of heaven

                 is like seed sown into good soil.

 

This week, we deal with weeds.

         If you’ve ever had a garden or flower bed

                 then you know what a weed is

                          and you know they are pesty things.

 

When I was taking the Master Gardener course,

         the instructor said:

                 “A weed is any plant out of place.”

 

The last thing I want to do

         is to present a lecture on botany!

 

What Matthew most likely refers to as weeds

         is darnel or cockle,

                 a noxious weed that closely resembles wheat

                          and is plentiful in Israel.

 

The difference between darnel and real wheat

         is evident only when the plants mature and the ears appear.

 

The ears of the real wheat are heavy and will droop,

         while the ears of the darnel stand up straight.

 

Last week,

         it was the condition of the soil – the heart –

                 that determined the outcome of the harvest.

 

 

This week, the problem is not where the seed is sown,

         not the type of ground –

                 - or the condition of the heart.

 

The problem is than an “enemy”

         has planted weed seeds

                 along with the wheat seeds.

 

Jesus explained the parable like this:

         37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son     of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil         one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The        harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.”

 

There are two sowers in this parable:

         - one who sows wheat seeds

         - the enemy who sows weeds among the wheat.

 

There is no doubt that the one who sowed wheat seeds

         intended to reap a bountiful harvest.

 

The enemy who sowed weed seeds among the wheat

         intended to disrupt that harvest.

 

The problem lies with the actions of the enemy – Satan.

         Jesus is offering a unique perspective on the world

                 versus the Kingdom of God.

 

SOWING THE WEEDS:

Jesus said:

          “While everyone was asleep,”

                 the enemy sows different seed,

                          namely weeds.

 

Scripture has this warning:

         “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls      around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

                 1 Peter 5:8

 

It is when the Christian lets his/her guard down

         that Satan sneaks past our defenses

                 and plants the weeds of sin in our lives.

 

The servants notice the weeds

         and report to the landowner

                 and asks if he wants them to pull the weeds.

 

The landowner said:

         29 “‘No, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until          the harvest. At that time, I will tell the harvesters: First collect       the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

 

Jesus uses polar opposites: wheat and weeds –

         - good and evil –

                 - to illustrate that good and evil

                          exists side by side in the world.

 

We know from personal experience

         there are two types of people in the world –

                 children of the kingdom and children of the evil one –

                          - wheat and weeds.

 

And Jesus clearly says:

         41 “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do         evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 

The good seed represents people who listen to –

         - and respond to - God’s word.

 

These are the people who belong to the Kingdom of God

         and who will go to Heaven at the end of time.

 

On the other hand, the weeds represent those people

         who do not listen to God’s word,

                 they are “sons and daughters of the evil one”

                          who will go to the fiery furnace of Hell

                                  at the end of time.

 

These are the people God will judge

         as causing sin and all who are doing evil.

 

You see, without Jesus as their Savior

         they have no way to receive forgiveness. 

 

Jesus is clearly teaching that on Earth,

         good and bad people will grow and live together.

 

By God’s divine plan, the Kingdom of God

         will be present amongst the evil of the world.

 

At the end of time people will be separated into their eternal destiny.

 

JUDGEMENT:

Notice that Jesus says the landowner

         will delay separating the wheat from the weeds.

 

I think the message here is for us –

         - it is not up to us to judge who might be weeds.

 

Scripture tells us:

         “Do not judge, so that you won't be judged” Matthew 7:1

Judging who is wheat and who is weeds

         is NOT our job!

                 That job belongs to God alone.

 

We are human and apt to make mistakes.

         We are too quick to judge and too slow to forgive.

 

If it was up to us to judge,

         not only would we judge others too harshly,

                 most likely we would be judged by someone else.

 

There may be a second reason for the delay.

 

Perhaps Jesus is saying that God – the landowner –

         - delays judgement to give us time to repent.

 

That certainly sounds like the God I know

         and the God who loves me

                 regardless of how weedy I may be.

 

This world is filled from side to side; top to bottom,

         with temptations that call us from the path of righteousness.

 

Our journey is strewn with sinful choices.

 

If we are not careful,

         the enemy – Satan – slips in unnoticed

                 and plants seeds of doubt and unbelief.

 

It happened to Adam and Eve –

         - and every person born after that.

 

God has given us to ability to make our own choices –

         - to be responsible for our own actions.

 

And, sadly, some of us make the wrong choice.

         we fail to hear Jesus’ proclamation of the Gospel.

 

The “children of the evil one”

         those who do not accept Jesus

                  are not nameless opponents

                          may be members of our household

                          may be our neighbors

                          may be those who serve us

 

Think of the worst person you can imagine.

         not just someone you don’t like,

                 someone you think is evil incarnate.

 

That person – believe it or not –

         - is a child of God

                 and is loved by God

                          and God hopes for – and offers them their salvation.

 

So, the parable which first appeared to describe

         a “them versus us” situation,

                 changes into a cautionary parable.

 

We are cautioned not to be too quick and too tempted

         to decide who are the evildoers

                 and who the children of the kingdom.

 

Perhaps it is a parable intended to offer us encouragement.

 

Jesus said the landowner was willing to allow

         the weeds and the wheat to grow together.

 

The owner of the field understands

         that once they are together,

                 the weeds and wheat must grow together.

The landowner understands

         the destruction of one

                 can lead to the demise of the other.

 

Likewise, our tendency to split our world into two -

         - “believer or nonbeliever” - “sinners or saints” -

                 - is not what we are called to do.  

 

Perhaps there were some overzealous “weeders”

         among the disciples who wanted to purify the community

                 by rooting out the bad seed.

 

This seems to be a temptation for followers of Jesus in every age.

 

In our zeal to build a perfect church

         we cross the line and take on the responsibility

                 of judging who is wheat and who is weed.

 

Jesus says that the reapers will take care of this at harvest time.         “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect all    causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into        the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing       of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the     kingdom of their Father” (13:41-43).

 

It is the angels - not any human beings –

         - who are authorized to pluck out the weeds from the wheat.

 

We are in this world together,

         whether this world is the planet,

                 our country, our community, or our congregations.

 

We have all seen churches

         where there was a great divide over music,

                 the style of worship,

Or bitter disagreements over a particular doctrine.

 

These are situations

         that cause a “we versus them” atmosphere.

 

How much greater is that divide in our communities?

 

Take the recent decision to become a city.

         That quickly became a “we vs. them” situation.

 

And there has been – and continues to be –

         a “we vs. them” attitude towards other denominations.

 

There are also those who pronounce judgment

         on people outside the church –

                 - on people of other faiths, for instance.

 

Whether judgment is focused within the church or without,

         it does serious damage to the church and its mission.

 

God calls us to grow together and allow the Great Judge,

         God, to do the separating in God’s own time.

 

CONCLUSION:

Why would God allow “weeds” and “wheat” to exist side by side?

 

Who among us has not questioned

         why God allows evil to grow and thrive?

 

Who among us has not wanted to take matters into our own hands       and root out the evil in our midst?

 

The master stops the slaves from doing anything of the sort.

 

 

For one thing, it is not so easy to tell the weeds from the wheat,

         and for another, their roots are intertwined below the ground.

 

Rooting out the weeds would uproot the wheat as well,

         doing more damage to the crop than leaving the weeds to grow.

 

We need to remember –

         we are responsible for our own salvation.

 

It is our primary responsibility to get right with God;

         to give our lives to Jesus Christ –

                 - to follow Him as closely as we can.

 

Jesus makes clear that we simply cannot be certain

         who is “in” or who is “out.”

 

Thank God it is not up to us!

         We can leave the weeding to the angels,

                 and get on with the mission Jesus has given us —                                            proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.

 

God, in His infinite wisdom,

         is allowing evil to exist alongside good.

 

In doing so,

         God has given us the opportunity to reach the lost.

 

Think of it this way . . .

         you can get the best rod and reel,

                 the latest lure,

                          the finest boat with all the electronics.

 

But until you fish where there are fish . . .

         . . . you can’t expect a favorable outcome.

 

This world – this community –

         - is filled with lost folks

                 with folks who say they are Christians

                          but are not attending a church.

 

God has given us the best news possible!

         And I am doing my best to equip you to become

                 fishers of the lost.

 

God is calling us to heed and obey the Great Commandment:

            ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing     them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy     Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have      commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very      end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

 

Again, Jesus ends the parable with the words:

         “Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

 

Are you beginning to see the message?

 

PRAYER:

 

LORD’S PRAYER:

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.

   Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses,

         As we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,  But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.