A Hearing Test
I was at my fraternity’s national convention this past week. There were many of my fraternity brothers who attended and are older. Some of them are beginning to have trouble hearing, even when you you are close by them they fail to hear unless you focus their attention that you are speaking to them. Jesus’ Parable of the Weeds (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43) was a warning to those who reject Him and a reinforcement to the people of the kingdom of God. While the people who have followed Satan in this world may continue to grow and even thrive, Jesus makes it clear what their end will be. I pray this week that you will continue to grow and thrive in kingdom living and not be overcome by the weeds of this world. Amen.
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
“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?’
“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 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.’” (Matt. 13:24-30)
Jesus told another parable about sowing seeds (having previously told the Parable of the Sower). But there are two sowers In this parable. One good and one evil. Good seed was sown in a field by its owner, for the purpose of growing wheat. However, in the dark of night, an enemy (evil sower) came and sowed seeds that would grow weeds in the same field. When the weeds began to appear among the growing wheat, the owner’s servants questioned the him about the veracity of the seed he had used. And they immediately wanted to correct the problem by pulling up the weeds. But the owner wouldn’t allow them, lest they mistakenly pull up some of the wheat while pulling the weeds. The owner’s solution was to allow the wheat and the weeds to grow together and at the time of the harvest, to gather the weeds together to be burned while the wheat is gathered into the safekeeping of the owner’s barn.
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.”
He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 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, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. (Matt. 13:36-39) Jesus straight forwardly explained every element of the parable to His disciples upon their request of Him to do so. What was revealed in Jesus explanation was the battle between good and evil in the world, and the only two types of people there are in the world, kingdom people (good seed) and people of the evil one (bad seed).
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 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. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. (Matt. 13:40-43) Jesus went on to explain that at the end times (time of the harvest) the angels will act as harvesters, weeding out all sin and the people of the evil one will be thrown into a blazing fire. Once again, Jesus ended His parable saying that those who actually desired to hear and understand should seek to hear and understand the eternal implications of His message.
Because of the opposition to Jesus from unbelievers in general as well as the Pharisees who constantly followed, questioned and sought to entrap Him, He began to teach about the kingdom of God using parables. For those who didn’t diligently desire to understand the deeper meaning of His parables, they were simple stories about everyday life that was familiar to His audience. But for those who had a kingdom mindset (“had ears to hear”), these simple stories were like keys to the kingdom that unlocked wisdom about how the kingdom and its citizens operated. From Jesus’ Parable of the Weeds, we learn that ultimately there are only two kinds of people in the world, kingdom people and people and those who are considered to be people of the evil one (satan). There is no middle lane and no safety there in being agnostic. If you’re not a kingdom citizen, you are like weeds in the eyes of the Lord and your fate will be the agony of being thrown into the fire at the time of the His judgement. If you are a kingdom citizen, you will enter into the safety and salvation of the Lord. As a child of God who sees the weeds in this world, you may wonder why He has allowed the weeds to continue and even thrive around His people. Jesus has told us ….don’t despair, Jesus because their time of judgement is coming. Additionally, as much as we may be tempted to, we are not to take matters into our own hands to eradicate the weeds. The Lord will do that in His perfect timing. In the meantime we are to continue to grow strong and healthy in the Lord, keeping the faith so that the weeds do not overcome us lest we fall away before the harvest. Jesus ending to His parable was perfection, so I offer it to you here at the end of this message. Let those who have ears, hear … with all wisdom and understanding! Amen
Blessings, Rev. Glenn
