Sermon Preached at Grace Community Church (EPC)
Sun City Grand, Surprise, AZ
Sunday, March 14, 2010
by the Reverend Cooper McWhirter
In a Manner of Speaking: The Parable of “The Wheat and the Tares”
Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43
There are several interesting facets to this particular parable entitled, “The Wheat and the Tares,” that I’d like to share with you this morning, but you might be wondering, “Why bother since Jesus already explains this parable in verses 36-43? But keep in mind that as with all of Jesus’ parables there is “a message behind the message,” and this parable is no different. In a word, it’s not only important what Jesus said, but what He did not say!
Then, too, this is the first of six parables in this chapter where Jesus uses the phrase, “The kingdom of heaven is like …” And so from the outset, the Lord is drawing a clear distinction between what heaven will be like in the future as opposed to what life here on earth is like now, or to put it another way: “the rain falls on the just and the unjust.” In other words, we live in an age of “common grace.”
We live in a fallen world where there are inequalities. The scales of justice are not always weighted properly; they are unbalanced. Often times we judge others, just as we ourselves are judged, on the basis of prejudice and bias.
The people of God clamor for justice and righteousness which is seldom found and rarely sought. Down through the ages, the Church, like all institutions, has been besieged with iniquities but there’s good news in all of this because Jesus outlines ways by which we can eradicate injustice in our families, in our communities, and yes, even within the Church whereby we can make wrongs become right!
First of all, THE PEOPLE OF GOD MUST EXERCISE SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT (repeat).
In Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, 1 Peter 4 as well as in other New Testament writings, the uses of spiritual gifts are mentioned. And at least one of these gifts is given to every believer by the Holy Spirit. But, in my opinion, there is one gift that is common to all believers, which is the gift of spiritual discernment. We may not always make proper use of this gift, but nevertheless it is availed to us. For how else can the believer understand the truths of God without discernment?
The Lord begins this parable by saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.” Jesus later explains to His disciples that the owner is the Son of Man, which was a favorite title He ascribed to Himself; one which the prophet Ezekiel often used. The field is the world in which we live, and the good seeds are those who have been chosen to be the children of God.
Ah, but here comes the interesting part; for while men were sleeping the enemy crept in and sowed tares amidst the wheat and then went on his way. Notice that Jesus said “His enemy”! Does this infer that God was somehow asleep at the switch? In the creation account did not God make everything good? Indeed, everything was very good!
God has not, and He will not, ever condone sin. Nevertheless, God allowed sin to enter into this otherwise pristine world of ours. Thus, God is not, and cannot, be the author of sin … May it never be! So, if God wasn’t the perpetrator, then who was? Well, in verse 39 Jesus identifies the enemy as none other than the devil himself who often disguises himself as “an angel of light.” Throughout the Old and New Testament there are some thirty-one names or titles identified with this fallen angel.
Ever since the historic fall, it has been mankind who has fallen asleep while the devil has worked his crafty schemes. His successes are the result of our being lulled into a state of lethargy.
Indelibly etched in my mind are the words spoken by former President George W. Bush on the heels of 9-11 whereupon he said: “They were at war with us before we were at war with them.” Whether we choose to believe it or not, we are in a state of war and this war extends even to the very fibers of our being! God’s enemy, and ultimately our enemy, would like nothing more than to have us remain oblivious to the things that are happening all around us.
In similar fashion, this parable reminds us that while we were sleeping the enemy stealthily came amongst us and sowed a weed known as “bearded darnel.” If this plant were to be mistakenly consumed it could cause dizziness or nausea. Darnel looks very much like that of wheat until it reaches full maturity. It might interest you to know that in ancient times it was a common practice among warring nations to attempt to destroy another country’s crops. The rationale being that if you could devastate the enemy’s agricultural base, you could effectively neutralize their military forces; after all, if soldiers can’t eat, they can’t fight!
But notice that the owner of the field does not retaliate, in spite of this adversely affecting him financially. Put simply, the owner did not return “evil for evil.” Likewise, THE PEOPLE OF GOD MUST EXHIBIT PATIENCE
(repeat).
Make note of the fact that it was the field hands who first discovered this noxious weed. Similarly, the same can be said about the inner-workings of the Church. For often times it’s the hard-working volunteers who first notice when things go array. In other words, the closer one gets to the ground, the easier it is to see something harmful sprouting up!
These day laborers asked the owner if he had purchased good seedlings for how else could one explain the presence of these weeds? The owner assured his workers that only good seedlings were planted. Immediately he surmises that this was a deliberate attempt to undermine his livelihood.
Now these field laborers had no vested interest in the planting and harvesting of this wheat crop. It’s very likely they were being paid by the hour, or by the day. And so they asked the owner if they should gather up the weeds and harvest the wheat later. Obviously this would require more hours in the field and thus more pay for the laborers.
Only the owner knew how much he had invested in his crop. And so he surveyed the damage and concluded: “Why pay more money to his laborers and risk having the good wheat uprooted?” No, it was far more profitable to have the tares grow amidst the wheat until harvest time.
Likewise, God pre-determined that it would be far more profitable to have the world unfold in its present fallen condition until the “Day of Judgment” when all will be made right once again.
And just as it is difficult to distinguish between the darnel weed and eatable wheat, so it is when it comes to distinguishing between a legitimate Christian and someone who merely professes to be a Christian. Or, as the old adage goes, “It’s easier to talk the talk, than to walk the walk.”
Like these laborers in the field we, too, must learn to exhibit patience, especially when it comes to exhibiting patience towards one another. One wise old pastor once said, “God works secretly … there is much more that goes on inside the person than what we see outwardly.” Along these same lines, the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, posed this question: “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls” [Romans 14:4].
When all is said and done: THE PEOPLE OF GOD MUST ULTIMATELY PLACE THEIR FAITH IN THE LORD OF THE HARVEST (repeat).
After all, it is the Lord of the harvest who knows His own; just as His own knows Him! He alone can distinguish between the wheat and the tares, the good from the bad, the righteous from the unrighteous.
In due course when harvest time approaches, the owner of the land will instruct his reapers to gather up the tares throwing it into the fire. And so it will be at the end of the age. Beginning in verse 41 Jesus explains in no uncertain terms that: “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.”
Make no mistake, this is an all-consuming fire, but it is a fire that’s never squelched. The fiery thirst is unquenchable. Those who are identified as tares will not be annihilated as some would have you believe. Instead, they will not be consumed but will dwell in a horrific state for all eternity. A place where there will be “much wailing and the gnashing of teeth.”
At harvest time the good wheat will also be gathered and put to good use. The Lord tells us that “… the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” From the smallest and the youngest to the biggest and the oldest among us, can there be any doubt as to what this parable is teaching us?
In spite of all the evil that exists in this world, in this “present darkness,” the world is unfolding as it should … all in conformity with God’s will and purpose. But a day is coming … indeed, we are one day closer than ever before, when God will send forth His angels to gather and to separate the wheat from the tares, the sheep from the goats. But, until that day, yes, until that day, let us send forth laborers into the field; for the field is ripe for harvest.
The only question that remains is this: “What kind of seedlings will you plant, today? Will you sow seeds of goodness and kindness or, will you be entangled in spreading weeds? For just as it says, “Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” [Galatians 6:7]. But perhaps the most profound question of all is just what kind of seed are you?
Let us pray …
