The Parable of the Weeds
Matthew 13.24-30; 36-43
This is an MP3/4 player. I bought it off Ebay. From a distance it looks like an IPod nano, but it is not a nano. It looks like a nano, has many of the same functions as a nano but it is not a nano. It is a very good copy. It is deliberately designed to look like a nano. I am sure you have seen many such things. In fact lots of supermarket own brands are deliberately packaged like a similar branded product. Why? Part of it is because we associate quality with the branded products but we are happy to buy the cheaper products – it is all about image/illusion and believe it or not ‘guilt.’ Counterfeiting is big business today – but isn’t it interesting that no one ever counterfeits that which is cheap. It is always something of value that is counterfeited. It is a deliberate attempt to deceive people. You know when they are training people to spot the counterfeit, say in money, they never show them counterfeits at the beginning. They actually spend the majority of the time looking at the real things so that they become so familiar with it that they are enabled to spot that which is not authentic. In the parable which Christ told in Matthew 13, the parable of the Weeds, there is some counterfeiting going on. Turn with me to Matthew 13 and let us look at this parable.
Once again Jesus is speaking to the crowd and once again the explanation of the parable is given only to the disciples a little later. Jesus continues to use agricultural imagery to tell this parable. Once again it is about seed, only this time there are two types of seed sown and there are two sowers.
Verse 24 Jesus begins the parable by speaking of a man who goes out to sow seed on a field. From verse 38 we know that the field is the world. Jesus is saying ‘this is what it is like when God is at work.’
Verses 25-30 but all is not well in the field. Whilst they sleep (and this is not meant as a criticism of them but showing the deceptive nature of the enemy) an ‘enemy’ comes and sows weeds amongst the wheat. The weed sown is probably darnel, closely related to wheat but poisonous. In fact until both plants are fully grown and the ears of wheat appear they are virtually indistinguishable from one another. At the time of Christ to sow darnel amongst wheat was a serious crime and punishable under Roman law – so we can see that those listening to Christ would have been familiar with such an occurrence. If there were only a light infestation of darnel then careful weeding would be possible but not without the possibility of damaging wheat. If the infestation was heavy then it would be virtually impossible to separate them as the roots of darnel would mingle with those of the wheat and as it was uprooted so would the wheat with disastrous consequences. The servants are all for pulling up the weeds but the owner is much more patient and much more aware of the damage that such action could do to the precious wheat (v29). He is quite prepared to wait till harvest to do the separation. At harvest time when the ears of wheat are full grown then distinguishing wheat from weeds is easy and so the harvesters are instructed to first remove the weeds (v30). The weeds are fit for nothing but to be tied in bundles and thrown into the furnace to be burnt. Then, and only then, can the wheat be safely gathered into the barn of the owner.
Verse 36 Jesus leaves the crowd and goes into a house and the disciples follow him. They ask for an explanation of the parable of the weeds. And in the following verses all is explained to them.
Verses 37-40 the explanation. In verse 37 Jesus tells them that the man who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man – which is a biblical title given to the Messiah and which Christ applied to Himself. He is the one who both sows the seeds and directs the harvest, at the appropriate time. We also see from verse 37 that the wheat represents believers who are sown by Christ in this world. They owe their position in the kingdom of God entirely to Christ, it is nothing of their own initiative but all of his grace. In verse 43 we read that they are the sons of righteousness in their standing before God and in their behaviour in the world. Because they are adopted into the kingdom of God they are enabled to call God ‘Father.’ Finally in verse 43 Jesus tells his disciples that the wheat will shine with the glory of God on that final day. The glory of God will be reflected in and from them on the day of judgement.
Then in verse 38 he tells his disciples that the ‘field’ is the world – not just the church – but the whole world. It is into the world that believers are sown – they are in the world but not of the world – there is a difference and a distinction there, as we shall see in a moment. Then he explains to them that the ‘weeds’ are the sons of the evil one. In verse 39 we read they are sown by satan and in verse 41 we are told that they do evil and that they cause sin. It is these weeds that are gathered together at the judgement for the fiery furnace. That is literally ‘lawlessness’ – in that they rebel and break the law of God. Then in verse 42 Jesus says that just as at the harvest the owner gathers and separates wheat from weeds so there will be a gathering and separation at the final judgment. The weeds will be separated, by the Son of Man, from the wheat and it is thrown into hell at the final judgment. The wheat, the believers, are brought into the kingdom of God where they shine with the glory of the Father, which until that point was not fully revealed in them.
In this parable Jesus makes it plain that in this world it will not always be possible to remove the weeds, in fact it is not always desirable to do so in case at the same time wheat is damaged. But before we jump to the age old adage ‘judge not lest ye be judged’ let us be clear what Christ is teaching here. It becomes obvious as the plants grow which is wheat and which is weeds – the difficulty lies in the fact that they are in the same field and if there is an attempt to divide and uproot them then damage will done to weeds and wheat alike. At the very early stages of growth it is impossible to distinguish between them but when the harvest comes the harvesters will know the difference and their ends will be eternally different. Weeds become obvious over time but it is not until the harvest that final judgement is passed and they are thrown into the fiery furnace – that task is the task of the owner and not the servants, thankfully. Satan will plant counterfeit ‘wheat’ in the field – we should be aware of that. There will always be false Christians in this world and over time their falsehood will become apparent and a the final judgement it will be plain for all to see. The same should be true of the wheat. As it grows healthy ears of wheat should be visible and they should be distinguishable from the weeds. Yes they will have to grow in the same field but their destiny at the time of harvest is different – into the barn they are gathered, shining in glory for all the world to see. In the end the kingdom will be pure but at this present time it has been infiltrated. Walking past this field you will see seed scattered on stony, thorny, shallow and good soil. Even amongst the good soil you will see weeds growing with the wheat. You may not be impressed. The world isn’t impressed with the kingdom of God. But come the day of judgment the truth will be revealed for all to see.
This is no bedtime story. This parable is a frightening wake up call to us all this morning. Honestly ask yourself this morning: Which am I wheat or weed? As I grow older is it obvious that I belong to Christ or is becoming more apparent that I am actually a weed of satan? You know that might sound harsh to your ears this morning but Jesus is very clear here that there are only two types of seed/plants in this world – His and those belonging to the evil one. At the harvest, on the day of judgement, it will be eternally apparent to whom you belong. This morning it is possible to know for sure to whom you belong?
In closing let me say something to all of us about patients. One of the key things in this parable is that the servants are impatient to root up the weeds and to purify the field. They want to root out the weeds when they first appear. Yet the owner urges patience because in their enthusiasm and desire for purity they will also uproot wheat and kill it before it has time to establish itself and grow to fruition. We should all, me more so than many of you, remember that teaching. What we think are weeds may well turn out to be wheat in the kingdom of God. Yes as people grow it will become, or should become, obvious to whom they belong but it is not my place to say who is or is not within the kingdom of God. It is not, and it will not be, my place to judge eternal destinations. I cannot make that judgment here this morning, and neither can you, nor should we. It is my place to tell you how you can know for sure that you are wheat and not weeds (explain gospel simply – use change bag).
Amen.
