Sermon Text: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
What Is a Christian?
Someone Who Recognizes the Reality of Life!
24Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When 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 root up the wheat with them. 30Let 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.’ ”
36Then 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.”
37He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39and 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. 41The 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. 42They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” (NIV1984)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Have you ever gotten the impression that the church is “losing ground”? Just one or two generations ago the major social issues that are dominating the news and dividing the country were not nearly as “in your face” as they are now. There was a common understanding that what is best for a child is to be raised in a household that consisted of both a mother and a father who are married to each other. There was a common understanding that there are only two genders— male and female. There was a common understanding that there is a “right” and there is a “wrong” and if you do something “wrong” you need to bear the consequences for that “wrong.”
On the surface it can easily appear as though the church is indeed “losing ground.” How do we react to this? While we might react with horror, while we might react with indignation, we should never react with surprise. Why? Because this is exactly what our God warned us would happen more and more often as we get closer and closer to the end of all things! As we continue our sermon series What Is a Christian? today let’s see how Jesus reminds us that a Christian is: Someone Who Recognizes the Reality of Life!
While the Parable of the Weeds is relatively easy to understand, applying it to our own hearts and our own lives may not always be so easy. Look at the first part of this parable. Jesus says, “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.” Pretty easy to understand, right? Now listen to how Jesus applies these words, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil.”
As the “owner” of the field, as the One who has “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18) Jesus carefully and lovingly plants only “good seed” in this world. This means that everyone who believes and trusts in Jesus— including you and me!— are seen as “wheat” in God’s eyes. Unfortunately, Jesus’ “enemy” is also our “enemy,” and that “enemy” is the devil— a powerful, evil, fallen angel. Satan makes his presence known in this world by sowing “weeds” among the “wheat.” At first the “weeds” and the “wheat” look very much alike— until they both “sprout” and produce “heads.” That’s when the difference between the “wheat” and the “weeds” becomes obvious. That’s when the “weeds” become an especially clear and present danger to the “wheat.”
As you and I look around in our own portion of God’s field, as we look around in our own little corner of God’s world, we need to recognize the reality of our own life. We are like “wheat” living among “weeds.” On the outside, the unbelievers might look very much like us. They are valuable co-workers. They are helpful neighbors. They are dedicated to their family. They are loyal to their friends. But when you look a little deeper, when you listen more closely that is when you can see and hear that from God’s perspective they are “weeds” and not “wheat.” As the “fruit” of their heart becomes visible in their life, as their priorities become evident that is when you are able to see that they are nothing like you and me. That is when you are able to see that from God’s perspective they belong to the “evil one.” The causes that they support and promote, the scorn and the ridicule they have for the convictions and the values that you and I hold near and dear to our hearts may lead us to lift up our eyes to heaven and say, “Lord, do you want us to go and get rid of these “weeds”?”
That is the thought that leads us into the second portion of our text. Jesus’ parable continues with the words, “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 root up 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.” Jesus’ explanation of what this means is very powerful. He says, “The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 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 fiery furnace, where 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.”
There have been various times down through the ages when the “sons of the kingdom” mistakenly thought of themselves as spiritual “weed whackers.” They wanted to “pull up” everything they considered to be evil, everything they saw as being a damaging influence— both in the church and in the world. That is not our job! We do not have the authority or the ability to look into someone’s heart and condemn them as a “weed” that needs to be eradicated at all costs. And we certainly do not want to either directly or indirectly damage someone whose faith is weak!
In sharp contrast to what we sometimes want to do, Jesus tells us— “Wait! Wait for the harvest! Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until I decide it is time to harvest My field!” Our response to this might be along the lines of, “Wait? That’s your plan Jesus? Wait? You want us to let the people who hurt us, let the people who are a clear and present danger to your children— to our children— live as though there are no consequences to what they are doing? Wait? You are willing to let your children be oppressed or ridiculed or silenced? Wait? You want us to just let the “wheat” and the “weeds” grow side-by-side in the “fields” of this world? Wait? Is that your solution to the reality that we face every single day of our lives?”
No, my friends, that is not Jesus’ answer to the frustrations that we feel as “wheat” living among the “weeds”— but it is an accurate description of the reality of our lives. Jesus has a plan— a plan to take care of all the “weeds.” Jesus has a plan— a plan to “root out” all the evil in this world together with all the effects of sin. He even has all His workers standing by, ready and able to remove every “weed,” every wicked thing that stands in opposition to His Church and to His children. But those workers are not us! Scripture assures us that the Lord God Almighty has already determined the precise proper time to “harvest” this world. When that time arrives God will send out His millions upon millions of powerful holy angels all across this world. These powerful angels will gather up all the unbelievers, all the “weeds,” and “throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is an obvious reference to the eternal fires of hell.
Then Jesus will have His powerful holy angels gather together all the believers, all the “wheat” and bring them into “the Kingdom of their Father.” In sharp contrast to the “fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” all the believers, all the “wheat,” all the people who through faith in Jesus have been given the perfect white robe of righteous that Jesus won for them on the cross will “shine like the sun” — forever! This is an obvious reference to the glorious eternal life that we will enjoy in God’s glorious heavenly Kingdom!
This is what we stay focused on, my friends. This is the reality of our lives as “wheat” among the “weeds.” Our focus, our reality is that one day Jesus will fulfill all of His promises to us, such as: His promise to “transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21), His promise to remove all the damaging effects that sin has had on our hearts, our lives and our bodies, His promise that He gives to us through His servant John, “They are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple, and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heart. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:15-17). As Christians these are the promises we hold near and dear to our hearts. As Christians, this is the reality of our lives
“Wait,” our Savior tells us. “Wait until the time for harvesting comes. Let the wheat and the weeds grow side-by-side— for now. Wait for My Plan to unfold exactly as I have designed it.” While that may not be the answer we would want, as Christians we recognize that God’s plans are always good and right and proper. Think about it, my friends. The fact that God allows the “wheat” and the “weeds” to grow side-by-side has often been the catalyst for God’s Church to grow and to flourish. The fact that we face the trials and the temptations of this “weedy” world serves to test our faith and causes it to grow stronger. The fact that we are surrounded by “weeds” as we journey through this world makes us long all the more for “the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
“Wait. Let the wheat and the weeds grow side-by-side— for now.” Does that mean that we should minimize or ignore the tremendous difference between the “wheat” and the “weeds”? Hardly! But it does mean that while we have no business forcefully uprooting the unbelievers from this world, we always have the responsibility to boldly testify to them concerning the Truth of Scripture! Since we cannot look into anyone’s heart, since we cannot peer into the future we do not know if God in His grace and in His mercy will use the power of His Gospel to transform a “weed” into “wheat”— just like He did with us!
So what does God want us to do while we wait? First of all, He does not want us to despair— no matter how many “weeds” are all around us! He wants us to boldly live like “wheat” among those “weeds”! He wants us to be faithful and fruitful. He wants us to stay focused on the harvest that will most certainly take place— at its proper time. He wants us to recognize the reality of our life— trusting that He is always in control! (Pointing to the cross)
To God be the glory!
Amen