The kingdom of heaven is be compared to a person who sowed good seed in their field, but while people slept his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away (Matthew 13:24-25).
In the parable above, this is what goes on in the world. The good soil (a godly life) will produce an abundant crop, but that is only half of it. There is more to be told.
Jesus tells us more about the experience of a true follower in this world.
There are 7 elements of the seed and the sower.
The owner:
The field is the world. So, the sower of good seed is the owner of the whole world. Just says the one who sows good seed (the owner of the world) is the “Son of Man.” Jesus used this name “Son of Man” 80 times in the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) to refer to Himself. I find it interesting that “son of man” is a common human being. Jesus uses this to describe His own humanity and Hid prophetic role on earth.
So, Jesus says in Psalm 24: 1, “The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness.”
The enemy:
Jesus (the owner) has an enemy, and we cannot understand the world as it is without taking into account the enemy and his work. Jesus tells us that His enemy is Satan or the devil (Matthew 13:39). If you do not believe in the devil remember Jesus did.
The power of this enemy is great and his work so vast that it took God an incarnation, a cross, and a resurrection to bring his kingdom to a defeat.
The seed:
In Matthew 13:38 , the good seed are God’s people of the kingdom (us). The weeds are the people of the evil one.
In the parable the seed is the Word of God, but now the seeds are His people who are growing where they are planted in the world.
There are two kinds of seeds. The different seeds are the kinds of people. The good seeds are the people of the kingdom. That is people who live under the rule of God in their lives. The weeds are the people of the evil one, that is, people who, like the evil one, place themselves on my the throne of their own lives.
I think we can look at the world and notice the destructiveness of the enemy’s work. He sows destructive seeds in Jesus’s field. He has no positive objective in mind. The motivating force of all his work is simply to destroy the harvest.
Do you ever scratch your head and say, “Why have so many terrible things happened?” I think this is at least part of the answer.
The field:
“The field is the world.” (Matthew 13:38).
I think these words are crucial to understanding what this parable is about. While there are applications of this parable for the church, this parable is not about the church. Jesus says it clearly in Matthew 13:38.
The question:
Matthew 13:27 says, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?”
If God is so good, if Jesus is so mighty, then why is there so much evil in the world?
This is a profound question, and it arises in every generation. Where does evil come from? If Jesus triumphed over evil on the cross, then why is it flourishing today?
People in Jesus’ day assumed that when He came He would blow the whistle and it would be “game over” for evil. But Jesus came without judgement.
Isaiah 61:2 says the coming Messiah will “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” What happened to the vengeance?
The answer is grace comes with Jesus now, and judgement comes with Jesus later.
It’s important to understand that Jesus came as a lamb, but He will return as a lion.
The growth:
Matthew 13:30 says, “Let both grow together until the harvest.”
Evil will grow alongside the good until the return of Jesus. That is the teaching of Jesus, and we need this wisdom because we need to understand the nature of the world that we are living in.
The good seed is growing and producing abundance but the weeds are growing too. With every week that passes they become larger and more deeply rooted than before.
The harvest:
Matthew 13:30 says, “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.”
We are living in the day of God’s grace. The day of judgment has not yet come, and until this day, this is what the kingdom will look like. Good wheat in the field laced with weeds.
The work of judgment belongs to Jesus. He has not given it to us to do. We are called to love and help save the lost. We plant seeds and water them, but ultimately it is God who brings the growth.
He calls us to live and grow in this world until He comes and brings about a righteous judgment when all will be brought to account before Him. The day will come, and when it does, the weeds will be gathered and bound together in bundles,
There are three ways to apply this to our lives.
- Stay Engaged
“Let both grow together” Matthew 13:30
Where has God rooted you down? What have you sown? Stay engaged.
Don’t be on an agenda of withdrawal from the world. There are no ideal spots in this world. Whenever we sow and water seeds satan sows his weeds. So bloom where you are planted.
2. Practice Tolerance
The word tolerance has been hijacked in our culture. It used to mean showing patience and forbearance towards people with whom we radically disagree. Now it means affirming what others affirm. But there is no need for tolerance between people who affirm the same convictions. If you agree what is there to tolerate?
Tolerance is a wonderful virtue that is needed where there are deep-seated disagreements. It means showing patience and forbearance towards people you find really difficult, and disagree with radically.
A perfect example is that my mother-in-law and my views have radically different views. When I am at her house, I am tolerant of her because I believe she should be respected in her home.
I do not mean this passively. It does not mean that we give up concern for another person’s spiritual condition. Jesus makes it clear that in this world, the wheat needs to grow alongside the weeds until Jesus returns.
3. Anticipate the Harvest
Matthew 13:43 says, “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
God will harvest the wheat. He will bring His people home, and the righteous will shine like the sun.
May you be found in the bundle of life with the people of God who submit their lives to King Jesus.
From Pity to Praise 