Parables of The Kingdom
Passage: Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43 - Parable of the Weeds
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.’”
Recap: Sermon 9-25-11 – Parables of the Kingdom – An Enemy Did This
The week before this sermon I had a terrible case of poison ivy, and I had wondered where it came from. I had not been in the woods (in fact had just gotten back from Disney). I had mowed the lawn, so I looked around to see if I might have brushed against poison ivy, but did not see any. Finally, one of our members, Andy T. who is a naturalist, solved the mystery suggesting I might have gotten it from a pet. I remembered as soon as I got back from vacation petting and holding under my arms (where the p. ivy was the worst) our cat Donut. I had this horrible itching caused by a weed, and it had been a question about where it had come from.
Jesus told a parable and the key question is where did these weeds come from? A man sows his field with wheat seeds, but unbeknownst to anyone else an enemy sows weeds in the middle of the night (The specific weed is called Zizania in Greek, but scholars think it is darnel, also called false wheat because it resembles wheat up until the grain has fully come in). When it comes up the servants ask where the weeds had come from, and the master figures out that an “enemy did this.” He decides not to have his harvesters pull up the weeds for fear it would also pull up the wheat before it is fully grown. Instead he announces that he will wait until the harvest, then his workers will gather the wheat into his barns and bundle the weeds to be burned.
Now Jesus was not giving a lesson on weeds but it is a parable about how God’s Kingdom was coming into the world. Neither the crowds nor the disciples understood it, so Jesus explained it later to his followers:
· The field = the world
· The farmer = the Son of Man
· The good seed = the sons of the kingdom
· The Zizania weeds = the sons of the evil one
· The enemy = the devil
· The harvesters = the angels
· The harvest = the end of the age
So in the current age God does not immediately deal with sin and evil, but allows them to coexist with the good, until the day of the harvest when there will be a full reckoning. Then the angels will be sent by the Son of Man to sort out those who do wrong from those who have been included in the Kingdom of God.
I find this parable helpful for understanding God’s response to sin and evil. Here are 7 points to consider:
One – The wages of sin are not paid immediately.
a Romans 6:23 tells us the wages of sin is death, and that is true. But out of mercy God has withheld an immediate response to our sin. Those wages must someday be paid, either at the end of the age, or by the one who paid our debt of sin for us.
Two – God is bringing his kingdom into this world
b Because sin is left temporarily unpunished and evil seems to flourish, some conclude that God does not exist, or is an impersonal force, or simply does not care about what we do to one another. They might say within this parable, “If God is all-powerful and if God is good, why has he not gotten rid of these weeds.”
b God is at work and has a plan to deal with the sin/evil entrenched in this world. God is bringing into this world His Kingdom, and those who become part of God’s Kingdom learn to live by the values of the King.
Three – God’s Kingdom is slowly but surely invading our planet.
g I enjoy alien invasion movies. There are 2 types of them. First is the all-out invasion, such as War of the Worlds, Independence Day, or a recent one, Battle: L.A. There is also the stealth invasion such as in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, where the aliens take over people one by one.
g The Jews of Jesus time were expecting the Messiah to do the all-out invasion and gather an army to overthrow the Roman oppressors. Instead the Son of Man came sowing seeds of the gospel, and seeks to win people one by one into His Kingdom.
g When someone hears the message of the gospel and believes it, they are received as a son or daughter of the kingdom, and grow to learn the ways and values of that kingdom. They in turn by their life, words, worship, and service produce more seeds that others would join the kingdom as well.
Four- God tolerates evil for a time.
d 2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
d God is giving time for the seeds to grow. If he came now and judged evil, he would cut off opportunities for people to yet respond to his grace. If God pulls out the weeds, if he deals with sin now, the wheat would also be pulled up, and people would no longer be able to repent and find forgiveness.
Five – We are not able to judge between the wheat and the weeds
e The similarity between wheat and the darnel is so extensive it is often called ‘false wheat.’ Only when the ear appears near harvest time can the difference be seen. The ears on the real wheat are so heavy it makes the entire plant droop downward, but the false wheat stands up straight.
e We are not always able to distinguish between wheat and weeds. For one we are biased judges. It is easier to see the wrongness of sin in others yet find reasons why our sin is excusable.
e Second some good behavior might be more the result of good upbringing and motivated by a desire to appear respectable while inwardly the heart is full of junk. While someone who grows up in a dysfunctional family may have sketchy outward behavior, but the seed of the gospel may be taking root in their life. We cannot see the work God is doing within.
Six – Living in a weed-filled world allows true faith to be shown.
z If God immediately judged right and wrong and we could see immediate consequences for sin or doing right, then it would not take faith to follow God. It would just be common sense to not ever sin. But because the effects of it are delayed, it requires faith to trust that God will one day set things right.
z We do see the consequences of a righteous vs. and unrighteous life showing itself over time.
Seven – The kingdom of God grows amidst the weeds.
h In the parable the weeds and wheat are intertwined with one another, rather than in separate sections. God has put Christians within this world. We don’t and can’t completely separate ourselves from non-believers. We have to live out our faith, and spread the seeds of the gospel in a broken and hurting land.
h Conversely there are weeds growing in the midst of the wheat. We need to be cautious about having an idealistic view of the church, thinking there will never be conflict and everyone will be perfect and loving. Some Christians may exhibit weed-like behavior as they are learning to follow Christ. In addition not all who gather with the church have been transformed into wheat. Rather than trying to figure who is wheat and who are weeds we are called to offer God’s grace and teach and share the seeds of the gospel.
Further Thoughts: The Cure Amidst the Weeds
I hate poison ivy and if God consulted me I would suggest getting rid of the weed completely. Alas God has chosen a different way. My naturalist friends have pointed out that right next to poison ivy grows another plant with little orange flowers, jewelweed. Poison Ivy produces urushiol oil, which gets on our skin and makes us itch. Jewelweed has a sap in its stem and leaves that neutralizes the urushiol oil. So rather than eliminate the weed God chose to place the cure for poison ivy right in the midst of it. In the same way, God does not relieve us of all suffering and evil, instead he offers us the cure through Jesus Christ. Jesus entered into our midst and he has decisively dealt with sin on the cross and now offers the cure of eternal life for all who put their faith in Him.
Further in the Scriptures:
Read Matthew 13 – the parables + 2 Peter 3:1-10 – God’s patience yet eventual return.
Take and Seal It - An e-mail follow-up to Sunday morning’s message
By Pastor Mitch Reed - Immanuel UCC, Zanesville – Ohio
e-mail: cowcountry94@yahoo.com