What makes a Christian a Christian? What is the PROOF that determines if a person truly follows Christ?
Today, we’ll examine a story Jesus deals with the question of the believer’s confidence on the last Day of Judgment. Jesus’ story shows His followers become distinguishable over time. We’ll see that Jesus’ followers superficially look like everyone else. But to anyone who takes the time to really examine things, Jesus’ followers will look different and be treated differently by God Himself.
Jesus’ parable tells us this truth: There are two kingdoms in this world vying for control over everything. It is important that you know which kingdom you belong to.
“He put another parable before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and 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.’”
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43).
WHAT makes Christianity more “sticky” in some? Another way of saying this is “How can you confidently know if you are a true follower of Christ?” By asking this question, I examine the assurance a Christian has in believing he is a follower of Christ. By assurance, I am referring to a believer’s confidence that he or she is already in a right standing with God, and their confidence that their belief will continue until the day of his or her judgment.
This parable is placed among three parables where Satan is mentioned. Throughout this chapter (Matthew 13)… Satan is revealed as an imitator. Satan is busy planting false Christians; Satan encourages false growth; and Satan introduces false doctrine.
Jesus first tells the parable to both the small group of His Disciples as well as to the larger group. He then waits to give the explanation of the parable to only the Disciples. Jesus’ main point in this story is to communicate: There are two kingdoms in this world vying for control over everything. There are two orders of reality… And it is important that you know which kingdom you belong to.
Meet the Story’s Main Characters
The sower is Jesus or as He calls Himself, the “Son of Man” (verse 37). He is identified as the “Master.” The good seed represents the children of the kingdom (verse 38). The weeds are sons of the evil one (verse 38). And the evil one is Satan Himself (verse 39). So the Parable of Wheat and the Weeds present God’s people and their opponent. Jesus uses the image of a harvest as a symbol for Judgment Day. Jesus Himself is the Judge on the Day of Judgment (verse 43).
1. The Work of God
If you were to begin reading Matthew and found your way to Matthew 13, you would note that you are about at the halfway point of His ministry. Matthew 13 is roughly halftime or the intermission of Jesus’ three-year ministry. Observe that resistance to Jesus’ teaching and claims has grown. Where vast crowds had seemingly hung on His every word now Jesus is met with increasing hostility and opposition.
The field is the world and not the church (verse 38). Jesus isn’t talking about the church. He doesn’t intend for the church to be a mixture of believers and non-believers. Instead, He says that the “field is the world” in verse 38.
In the Bible, God’s kingdom is never a place. God’s kingdom is not a literal place of geography with boundaries surrounding it. Christ’s kingdom is not like the United States. God’s kingdom refers to something bigger than even the church. God’s kingdom is His righteous reign throughout the entire universe. God’s kingly powers operate both inside and outside His church.
2. The Work of the Enemy
And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this’ (Matthew 13:27-28a).
The crop was intentionally sabotaged. Here is ancient form of bioterrorism. People in ancient times would place tares among the wheat in order to greatly reduce the value of someone’s crop. This was common enough practice in ancient times that the Romans had a specific law against it. Jesus says that Satan has done this to His kingdom as well (Matthew 13:39). Please note: Satan is unable to root out the good seed sown by the sower. Satan cannot uproot the true Christians. Satan is only able to sow bad seed in order to confuse the workers.
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand” (John 10:28-29).
Again, Satan cannot uproot the true Christians. So, Satan sows counterfeit [air-quotes here] “Christians” in the midst of true Christians. Note carefully that the enemy came in to sow a specific kind of weed – one that looked very much like wheat. The choice of a weed that was superficially indistinguishable form of wheat was deliberate. Note carefully verse twenty-five: “his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.” The enemy sowed seed right in the middle of the wheat. The sixteenth-century reformer, Martin Luther, recalled a ditty in his day: “Whenever God erects a House of Prayer/The Devil builds a chapel there. And ‘twill be found upon investigation/The latter has the larger congregation.” John mentions in the book Revelation a group that he calls: “…a synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 2:9). Paul speaks of the danger he has faced from a group called the: “…false brothers” (2 Corinthians 11:26). Paul speaks of Satan in this way: “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
Satan is a Squatter. The Scripture teaches that: “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1). A squatter is someone who settles on land he has no right to, and works it for his own advantage. “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:9). Satan works on Jesus’ land, the entire world, to produce counterfeit “Christians” in order to produce confusion.
How can you tell between the real follower of Jesus and the counterfeit? Look for a person to continue with Christ for the long haul. This isn’t a short look but an examination over a long time.
By the way, did you notice? All human beings are one or the other – either sons of the Kingdom or sons of the Devil (Matthew 13:38). There are no neutral observers in Jesus’ story. There is no one neutral today. Again, Jesus’ parable tells us this truth: There are two kingdoms in this world vying for control over everything. It is important that you know which kingdom you belong to.
3. The Patience of God
The most surprising thing Jesus says displays God’s patience: “So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest…” (Matthew 13:28-30a).
Every good farmer weeded his fields to protect his crops. Why did Jesus want to wait until the harvest to rid His fields of the weeds? Why Doesn’t Jesus Obliterate All Evil Now? Weeding the fields immediately would have destroyed the root systems of the wheat as the wheat and the weeds had become intertwined. “But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them” (Matthew 13:39). Note carefully what Jesus assumes: the wheat will survive (Matthew 13:43). Despite the appearance of the weeds and the likelihood of their choking out the wheat altogether, Jesus is confident the wheat will survive. Don’t take this as Jesus is confident in your abilities. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I am reminded of the story of the farmer who was helping one of his cows give birth, and he had the calf about half way out of that mother cow when he noticed his four-year-old son at the fence soaking in the whole event. That man thought to himself, “Great! Four years old and now I’ve got to start explaining the birds and the bees.” He started to say something and then he said, “No, I’ll just let him ask questions and I’ll answer.” After he had safely delivered the calf and put the calf down, and everything was over, the man walked over to his little boy and said, “Son, do you have any questions?” The wide-eyed boy said, “Just one, dad – how fast was that calf going when it hit that cow?” When it comes to salvation, the vast majority of this world, and a lot of people in church, have it totally backwards. God isn’t confident in you; He’s confident in Himself. You are a follower of Christ and will remain a follower of Christ only because of Christ. It’s not because you have a strong grip on God that you remain His child, it’s because of His firm grip on You. “who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5). There are some who believe that “getting in” turn on God’s grace while “staying in” turns on their obedience. This kind of thinking, makes your assurance hostage to your obedience. Your conduct doesn’t win your salvation.
Your confidence that you are a believer can be thought of as a Three-Legged Stool. The fundamental leg rests on the promises of God and the work of Christ. The fundamental leg is the cross. The stool falls over if it were not for the cross. Your ultimate confidence you are believer is because of the Cross of Christ and God’s promises. The second leg, is your transformed life. Or your fruit as Jesus says in Matthew 13. Please note that this is not perfection. And the third leg, is the witness of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is confident the wheat will survive despite Satan’s best attempts.
Lastly, Why Doesn’t Jesus Obliterate All Evil Now?
3.2 God is patient in order that you might REPENT.
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds remind us that God has a timetable. It’s God watch that we should be concerned about. He has Satan on a leash. Don’t be fooled: Satan is committing suicide at this very moment. God has granted Satan permission for the weeds to be planted in the midst of the wheat for some time. God is now patient. Repent while He is patient. Note in our story this morning, the growing plant gradually becomes identifiable. Again, Satan has planted a weed that looks very similar to wheat until they bear fruit. It’s only the patient look for fruit that shows the difference between the weed and the wheat. When you examine the physical appearance of a believer and a non-believer, they appear similar. God doesn’t change our appearance when we immediately become one of His followers. Oftentimes, it’s difficult to single out Jesus’ followers in a crowd by observing their behavior. Yet, despite outward appearance to the contrary, the wheat eventually distinguishes itself from the weeds. Yet, a patient person will examine Himself as well as others for the fruit of Christ’s work.
Take confidence followers of Christ. What God has begun in you, He will finish. Matthew 13 begins with the Parable of the Four Soils where Jesus describes His true followers as good seed. Do you ever feel like you are a minority as a believer? In your home? At work? Perhaps you’ve spent time in prison? You need not ever question whether God is at work around you. A follower of Christ may not look like much.
CJ Mahaney tells a story of a pastor, Harry Reeder, and his first car. Harry was 16 when his father bought him a car at an auction for $75. Harry’s first car was a pink 1957 Ford. He said his dad insisted it was coral. Harry said he couldn’t drive a pink car to school. His father told him that, “A poor ride was better than a proud walk.” Then his dad opened the hood where there was a 390 engine with two four-barrel carburetors. The car had been a highway patrol car. None of Harry’s friends’ car had more power under the hood. He said roadsters and corvettes looked laughingly at his pink 1957 Ford at a stoplight. But they were surprised when the car took off. It didn’t look like much, but there was power under the hood!
The Gospel transforms the hearts, minds, and wills of sinners. Again, Jesus’ main point in this story is to communicate: There are two kingdoms in this world vying for control over everything. There are two orders of reality… And it is important that you know which kingdom you belong to.
